By MARY STADNYK
Associate Editor
Updated Sept. 20, 2025
“Catholic Charities gave me hope. They let me know that there are people who are willing to help.”
Such was the sentiment “Jason” expressed as he reflected on what it meant for him to be honored with the Client Achievement Award by Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton.
“They have services that helped me to setting my mind and stay grounded,” he said.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2025 Guardian Angel Dinner Dance
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and guests for the 36th annual Catholic Charities’ Guardian Angel Dinner Dance Sept. 18 listened intently as Jason shared his journey with mental illness.
Seven years ago, Jason was a 21-year-old dealing with anxiety and depression, uncertain about the direction his life was taking. He needed help. He found it at Delaware House, a program of Catholic Charities providing a wide array of mental health services including both short-term, outpatient counseling for persons with anxiety and depression, and more intensive services for persons with chronic or severe forms of mental illness.
“Catholic Charities helped me with a lot of things,” Jason said, the most important of which was learning how to become self-sufficient, live independently, go back to school “and chase my dream working as a registered dental assistant in a Moorestown orthodontist’s office.
“I’ve learned that a good support system is what you need to get you going in life,” he said, acknowledging that in addition to his family and Delaware House, there were other Catholic Charities agencies that helped him with transportation, finding a job and connecting him with social workers and counselors “who give me uplifting words to focus on the positive and not the negative downside of things.”
Honoring those who help
The agency’s signature fundraiser was also an occasion to honor the longstanding efforts of individuals and organizations who work to help those in need. The top honor, the Richard J. Hughes Humanitarian Award, was presented to Brenda Rascher, diocesan executive director of Catholic Social Services and a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, West Trenton.
Other honorees were the Rotary Club of West Jersey and Gerard Saint-Cyr, both of which received Light of Hope Awards. For decades, the Rotary Club of West Jersey has supported Providence House through food drives and holiday gift collections. The connection between the two organizations dates to the 1970s.
Saint-Cyr has also supported Providence House for many years by hosting fundraisers, securing grants and donating proceeds from his book, “Womanity! A Tribute to Women.”
Bishop’s acknowledgement
While Bishop O’Connell offered a prayer during the gala, his video message expressed his appreciation for “an incredible list of honorees who have made significant contributions to helping those in need. … I take great pride in thanking them each for their unique role in supporting Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton.”
The Bishop also acknowledged Rascher, “for her leadership in supporting the Diocese’s service initiatives” that also include the Mount Carmel Guild, the Holy Innocents Society, the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul, Seeds of Service and other agencies.
The Bishop noted Rascher’s family upbringing, her educational pursuits – receiving a master’s degree in social work, a law degree from Temple University Law School, Philadelphia, and her work for the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging as well as the Coalition of Advocates for the Rights of the Infirmed Elderly. For 24 years, Brenda worked for South Jersey Legal Services where she developed her expertise in housing and non-profit law.
“What a difference she has made in the lives of many,” Bishop O’Connell said.
Being with the people where they are
Rascher believes she dedicated her professional life to advocating for the poor and marginalized because of her background. Her mother was a powerful advocate for her older sister who was born with a disability, and her father instilled in her “faith and whatever diplomacy I might have,” she said.
She particularly noted the difficulty of those in poverty as they struggle to work through the social service system, often feeling unheard. The question, “What do you want?” is a difficult one for them to answer, said Rascher, noting that “They don’t know because no one ever asks them.”
The tedious application process, often repeatedly replying to the same questions for multiple agencies, can be traumatizing, said Rasher. While it’s not the intention or mission of social service organizations to add to the stress of persons in need, “it’s the effect of how the system and funding mechanisms are set up.”
Rascher praised Catholic Charities and the agency’s approach to helping “the person in need when they walk in the door.”
Catholic Charities, said Rascher, “looks to the communities they serve to find out what is needed rather than looking to those in power who think they know what’s needed and what’s best. That approach is why Catholic Charities was working with persons struggling with mental illness long before the rest of the country recognized persons with mental health issues were deserving of help.”