By Christina Leslie | Correspondent

The Catholic Men’s Breakfast Group, which recently celebrated its 16th year of faith-filled spirituality, education, and bagels with a schmear, played host Dec. 5 in Neptune City to representatives from Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, to learn how to put the Gospel message into action.

The group, which includes men of all ages and walks of life, and a variety of parishes, meets each first Wednesday of the month in the basement meeting room of Kelly’s Tavern, to pray, learn and share insights into the Catholic faith that unites them.

With Christmas quickly approaching, some 40 club members gathered beneath twinkling garland-bedecked wooden beams, to hear a presentation by M. Barbara Willis and Michael Brogan of the Monmouth County division of Catholic Charities, who presented them with information on the agency’s many outreach programs and ideas for how they might help the less fortunate living in their midst.

Willis, chair of the Monmouth County Board, described her metamorphosis from a sales and marketing executive with a comfortable life to an advocate for the poor. “I was living in a life of beauty; I went to the surrounding towns and saw people less fortunate than I,” the shore resident remembered. “I saw the mission was very clear: to alleviate human suffering.”

“I think Catholic Charities is one of the best kept secrets in Monmouth County and our diocese,” she continued. The agency, which helps over 100,000 New Jersey residents each year regardless of religious affiliation, is the fourteenth largest non-profit in the state and the fifteenth largest Catholic Charities agency in the country. Over 90 percent of the funds raised go directly to programs.

Willis outlined the six major Catholic Charities programs conducted in Monmouth County: Beacon House, a transitional group home for homeless young men ages 17 to 21; a Family Growth program, which offers specialized treatment services for sexually abused children and adults; Linkages, a transitional housing program in Tinton Falls for homeless families; Project FREE, an outpatient substance abuse treatment program for women and their families; Monmouth Counseling Services, a partnership with Monmouth University to aid children, families and veterans with emotional difficulties; and disaster response to catastrophic events.

“The need for support services is increasing, especially in light of [Hurricane] Sandy, but we have a long history in supporting long-term care,” Willis continued, citing examples of families relocated to this area after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedies. “We are here for the long haul.”

Brogan, chair of the Community Awareness Committee for Monmouth County Catholic Charities, told the group how an offer to use his beat-up old red pickup truck to deliver food led to his joining the philanthropic agency after a long career in the Port Authority Police department. “I was amazed by the people in need right in my own county,” he recalled.

Brogan reminded the group that Catholic Charities serves the needy regardless of their faith. “We have a great track record, but we need help,” he summarized. “We need people like you to donate their time, and talent, and treasure, and prayer. Help us to continue to spread the Gospel.”

Willis once again addressed the group, giving them suggestions on how they might aid the agency via community outreach, awareness and fund raising to aid those in ongoing need. The chairwoman recommended parishes designate a person from their social concerns group or a representative from their St. Vincent de Paul agency to serve as liaison to the agency to streamline assistance and communications. “It is a partnership,” Willis stressd. “We have to know what you need to help distribute to a broader base of people.”

“There will be another phase to this when our normal lives aren’t touched by the devastation on an ongoing basis,” Willis continued. “Once the … flash and splash is gone out of the newspaper, lots of people will still be hurting. A year from now, when the dust settles, there will still be need.”

Willis detailed upcoming programs and events in the area by Catholic Charities where the agency would welcome assistance. Hurricane survivor counseling sessions will be held in Red Bank and Brick both during the day and in the evenings; volunteers will be needed to transport people to the meetings and for child care during the sessions. Those families relocated temporarily to Fort Monmouth will be serviced as well.

Willis encouraged those who support Catholic Charities initiatives and legislation on a state or national level to contact their representatives or advocate in rallies, yet not forget the needy who live among them. Contacting the Catholic Charities Access Center at 800-360-7711 or via email at [email protected]  is a good first step to assistance and recovery, she concluded.

Deacon Robert Cerefice of Holy Innocents Parish, Neptune, led the meeting’s closing prayer, then reflected upon the information he had learned. “Hurricane Sandy disaster relief is of interest to my parish,” he noted. “The Shark River area was severely flooded and several families lost everything.”

John Bonforte, Sr., a member of St. Dorothea Parish, Eatontown, who manages email communications for the mens’ breakfast group, was pleased with the speakers’ presentation. “It gave a Catholic perspective on the nature of Catholic Charities. They are a much more universal organization than the name implies.”

The Catholic Men’s Breakfast Group welcomes new members. For further information, or to be added to the mailing list, contact John Bonforte, Sr. at [email protected] or 908-489-9090.