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May 2, 2022, Washington, D.C. – Pope Francis’ message of the need to reach out to people on the margins is “spiritually exhilarating” to those who work directly with people suffering from poverty and marginalization. That was the perspective of Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, who, as President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, has dedicated her own life to reaching out to people in need.

Sister Donna Markham, OP

In an article in a recent issue of Our Sunday Visitor, Sister Donna said Pope Francis’ message was credible because of his own work with people in poverty. “His whole life in Latin America has put him face to face with people in abject poverty,” she told Our Sunday Visitor. “He knows how to engage with them.”

Sister Donna experienced the pope’s dedication to struggling people first-hand when, in September 2015, she accompanied him on a tour of agencies that serve people in poverty in New York and Washington, D.C. She was present for his visit to Catholic Charities, when he visited people who were homeless; for his address to the United Nations; and for his visit with immigrants at Queen of Angels School in Harlem. 

Read the article about Pope Francis and his concern for people suffering from poverty.

Feature photo: Pope Francis addresses dignitaries on the White House Lawn during his 2015 tour of the United States, including New York and Washington, D.C. The photo was taken by Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, who was invited to several events during the pope’s visit. Adrian Dominican Sisters File Photo

December 20, 2021, Dayton, Ohio – Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), spent a day in late November in recognition and support of one of the agencies of the national network. She came to present a plaque and donation to Catholic Social Services of Miami Valley, based in Dayton, Ohio, in recognition of its 100th anniversary. She also spoke that evening at a gala dinner in honor of the agency.

But while Sister Donna recognized the hard work and dedication of those who served at CSSMV, she also received appreciation from Laura Roesch, CEO of Catholic Social Services of Miami Valley and a member of the Board of Trustees of CCUSA. “Sister Donna’s leadership of Catholic Charities USA has been a true blessing to the network of local organizations, including Catholic Social Services,” she said.

Read more about the work of both CCUSA and Catholic Social Services of Miami Valley in an article in The Catholic Telegraph, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.