As Catholic Charities employees Brionna Greer (left) and Susan Montalvo-Gesser (center) look on, Bishop William F. Medley blesses the new offices of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro on Feb. 2, 2022. Since the December 2021 tornadoes that devastated western Kentucky, Catholic Charities has needed to expand their staff, location and services. RILEY GREIF | WKC
‘Go to Catholic Charities, they can help you’
Western Ky. Catholic Charities expands, increases services, amid ongoing tornado recovery
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
Amid tornado relief efforts, assisting arrivals from Afghanistan, helping people get green cards and visas, empowering human trafficking survivors, and making referrals to area resources, the staff of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro has been “learning on the go – and we’re still learning,” according to paralegal Miguel Quintanilla.
“It reminds me of the movie ‘Field of Dreams’ – ‘if you build it they will come,’” said Quintanilla in an April 19 interview with The Western Kentucky Catholic.
Before the historic tornadoes that devastated western Kentucky during the night of December 10, Catholic Charities had two full-time employees (Quintanilla and director Susan Montalvo-Gesser) and a part-time employee (Charlotte Hedges). They stayed busy with immigration support and helping local people with daily needs, and had begun to aid people arriving in the U.S. to escape the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Susan Montalvo-Gesser, director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro, smiles as Bishop William F. Medley blesses the new offices of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro on Feb. 2, 2022. Since the December 2021 tornadoes that devastated western Kentucky, Catholic Charities has needed to expand their staff, location and services. RILEY GREIF | WKC
Then the tornadoes came, Catholic Charities became the hub for western Kentucky’s tornado recovery efforts, and life as they knew it changed forever.
“Susan went out to the area right away,” said Quintanilla.
Donations began flooding in from across the country. Catholic Charities’ staff worked with Bishop William F. Medley and other diocesan leaders to create a plan to address the disaster’s aftermath.
Quintanilla said Bishop Medley “made it known that whatever needed to be done,” he supported them.
The week after the storms, Gabe Tischler, emergency management specialist with the Florida Catholic Conference, came to Owensboro in his support role for Catholic Charities disaster response.
After they had a thorough and insightful meeting with Tischler, “Susan got the ball rolling,” said Quintanilla.
It was necessary for Catholic Charities to expand their services, which required them to hire multiple new staff members as they sought to address the needs of Kentuckians suffering in the aftermath of the tornadoes.
In February 2022, the Catholic Charities team moved out of their small office in the McRaith Catholic Center – the central offices of the Diocese of Owensboro – and into a former house next door so that they would have more space for their increasing services.
Their new office building provided workspaces for Brionna Greer, the AmeriCorps VISTA member; Khaibar Shafaq, case manager and paralegal working primarily with the Afghan parolees in the diocese; Alex Reid, the volunteer coordinator overseeing volunteer efforts with tornado recovery; Alyssa Magnuson, administrative assistant; Katina Hayden, director of case management and services for tornado relief – as well as for Quintanilla and Montalvo-Gesser, who couldn’t be happier as their Catholic Charities “family” has grown.
There is even office space for Heidi Reyes, the case manager for the Owensboro satellite location of Bakhita Empowerment Initiative of Catholic Charities of Louisville, which works with local human trafficking survivors and awareness.
To date, approximately $8.2 million has been received in donations from about 6,245 donors. This includes $1,923,308 contributed by 31 dioceses and archdioceses around the United States; $397,478 donated by parishes within the Diocese of Owensboro itself; $1,892,395 sent from Catholic Charities USA; and approximately $4 million contributed by donors outside the diocese – including but not limited to individuals, businesses, foundations, religious communities, organizations such as the Knights of Columbus and Catholic Extension, and parishes and schools outside the diocese.
(Left to right) Catholic Charities staff Alex Reid, Khaibar Shafaq and Miguel Quintanilla candles with labels reading “Caridades Católicas de la Diócesis de Owensboro” in Spanish and “Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro” in English during Bishop William F. Medley’s Feb. 2, 2022 blessing of Catholic Charities’ new offices. RILEY GREIF | WKC
And as Catholic Charities has expanded, news has traveled across western Kentucky about all they can offer.
“It has spread by word of mouth – ‘go to Catholic Charities, they can help you,’” said Quintanilla. “And if we can’t help them, we can help them get the resources they need.”
Quintanilla debunked a common misconception about Catholic Charities.
“I think a lot of people think we only help Catholics,” he said. “But we’ll help anyone. It doesn’t matter what your background is. That’s something I’m really proud of.”
He said they have good connections in the community to connect clients with appropriate resources, such as Kentucky Legal Aid, and that Catholic Charities is eager to collaborate with even more outreach services.
“We’ve learned so much through this process,” said Quintanilla, explaining that even when they can’t provide a particular resource or service, “there’s someone out there who can.”
He said it might seem like the tornadoes caused this sudden expansion, but he said the storms “accelerated – didn’t cause” it.
“I think it was going to happen either way,” he said.
Quintanilla said that when he started working for Catholic Charities in July 2019, he told God that he wanted to “help as many people as I can – and he answered that prayer!”
He credited Montalvo-Gesser’s passion for inspiring and leading their team.
“I think it’s Susan who’s the whole engineer,” he said. “She shows that leadership and strength.”
How to help
Monetary donations may be given digitally via https://owensborodiocese.org/give/. Checks may be mailed, with “Tornado Disaster Relief” written in the memo, to Catholic Charities, 600 Locust St., Owensboro, KY, 42301. To learn more about ways to help, call the McRaith Catholic Center at (270) 683-1545.
Originally printed in the May 2022 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
