Who We Are: More than a century of service

We got our start in 1910 when a small group of women attended the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. They went united by a purpose — to petition Bishop Edward Dunne to allow them to begin a “work of mercy.” This is who we are. Dedicated to the well-being of their community, these women saw the needs and pains of the poor and took it upon themselves to be a voice for the voiceless. In the 1920’s, the women supported these services by selling handmade crafts at the State Fair of Texas. Later on, Catholic Charities Fort Worth created St. Teresa’s home for children, which evolved and expanded as an iconic representation of the work of CCFW. As times changed, so did the needs of the community and CCFW responded by adding refugee and immigration services, disaster response, and more social services, becoming one of the largest providers in the area. In 2010, Catholic Charities celebrated its 100th birthday by moving into a new 84,000 square foot building – our Thornhill Drive campus. Since 2005 we have stayed busy expanding our reach to include three additional campuses, investing in research, creating out-of-the-box solutions, starting several successful social enterprises, and increasing our presence on the national stage.

Throughout our 112 years, we have remained in-tune with the needs of the community and have continually evolved to answer those needs. What began as a small group of dedicated women doing whatever they could to help families survive has become an organization that empowers families to thrive.