Founded in Katrina’s aftermath, Catholic Charities of Tyler grows into a regional lifeline

Published 5:45 am Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Editor’s Note: This is one of the stories published in the March/April 2026 issue of ETX View Magazine, a product of the Tyler Morning Telegraph and Longview News-Journal. More stories will be posted in the coming days. To read the full digital flipbook, visit etxview.com .

As evacuation warnings blared in August 2005, thousands of Louisiana residents grabbed what they could and fled northwest, escaping the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

More than 3,000 evacuees found their way into Tyler, many arriving at The Catholic Diocese of Tyler Chancery, the diocese’s central administrative office, searching for Catholic Charities (CC).

“They showed up at the chancery and said, ‘Where’s Catholic Charities? We need help, and we left only with the clothes on our back,’” said Kathy Harry, executive director of CC of the Diocese of Tyler. “And the bishop at the time said, ‘Well, we don’t have an agency here, but we need one.’ That’s how we were formed, and we just celebrated our 20th year in operation.”

Founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the CC of Tyler was created to meet people in crisis long before they planned to call East Texas home. What began as an emergency response for displaced families grew into a wide-reaching ministry serving 33 counties across a largely rural diocese. Today, the nonprofit provides disaster relief, healthcare and food outreach, education, legal services and basic necessities to anyone in need, regardless of faith.

“Our needs and services are different in a lot of ways compared to other Catholic Charities locations,” Harry said. “In all that we do, we serve everyone, whether they’re Catholic or not, because we’re Catholic and that’s what we do. We are outreaching to whomever needs help, whether they are evacuees coming into our community or they are people that live here day in and day out.”

Guided by Catholic social teaching and sustained by relationships built one person at a time, the agency’s work centers on presence, response and restoring dignity during tough moments, Harry said.

The organization is a part of the CC U.S.A. Network, which includes 168 independent diocesan agencies operating more than 3,900 locations nationwide. Supported by more than 200,000 volunteers, the agencies served more than 16 million people last year, according to the CCUSA website. Each location operates independently under the leadership of its local diocese, with Bishop John Gregory Kelly leading Tyler and funding from CCUSA and community donations.

“This is a very basic thing of outreach of one human being to another. No matter what our faith tradition is, no matter what our ethnic background or condition of life is, we maintain a fundamental human dignity that nothing can diminish or alter,” Kelly said.

Disaster relief and recognizing needs 

The Catholic Charities of Tyler prioritizes basic needs first and then assesses other needs afterwards.

“You have to take care of people’s basic care and needs first before you can help with anything else,” Harry said. “When people are displaced, like from a hurricane or a tornado, or homeless, all they can focus on immediately is, ‘Where am I going to live? Can I feed my family?,’ so we have to make sure those basic human needs, that we take for granted sometimes, are met.”

The organization helps individuals and families with shelter, clothing, medicines, transportation and counseling, honoring Catholic Corporal Works of Mercy. Programs that help include, “House in a Box,” which provides victims with a collection of new household items such as mattresses, kitchen and bathroom supplies to help furnish homes after loss.

A volunteer holds a child during Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Tyler disaster relief. (Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Tyler/Contributed Photograph)

“We are very conscious of the fact that we have these resources entrusted to us and how we best use them and steward them so they run efficiently and that our focus on the mission is maintained,” Kelly said.

Harry said their office provides backpacks of shelf-stable food items that do not require refrigeration, heat or a can opener, such as shelf-stable milk and yogurt, for families on the go and medical supplies such as insulin when needed.

“It’s the little things that make a huge difference to someone that’s in that situation,” Harry said.

Harry said the office also sees individuals suffering from neglect or abuse often and the team is able to direct victims to resources and safe shelters that partner with CC.

“Those kinds of issues we encounter in different ways and forms, but on a very regular basis, so no two days look the same because the needs of the individual are very different,” Harry said.

The CC of Tyler also currently partners with 39 church parishes across East Texas for hunger relief programs and services. St. Vincent de Paul in downtown Tyler is one of CC of Tyler’s largest food pantry partners.

Dwight Perez, president of St. Vincent De Paul and longtime volunteer said his service remains rich in personal connection to those he encounters.

“They’re kind of a part of our family,” Perez said. “It draws respect for those people that have those issues that seem to be overwhelming, but they continue to go through life with a great amount of faith and we’re blessed to encounter those folks and it’s like they’re helping us.”

Rural difference and healthcare outreach 

Rural healthcare outreach makes the CC

Erika Ponce, parish nurse, in Longview, Texas. (Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Tyler/Contributed Photograph)

of Tyler unique by utilizing a Parish Nursing Ministry, where registered nurses, Catholic or not, serve inside churches, schools and outreach centers, combining nursing practice and faith. There are 11 cities in East Texas that participate in the ministry.

“We found people don’t go to the doctor, but in East Texas people go to church, regardless of whatever faith denomination they are,” Harry said. “We found that we are able to use that faith experience and opportunity to provide transitional healthcare where people are comfortable.”

Harry said the ministry grew out of many rural communities having limited access to healthcare. The ministry nurses practice noninvasive care such as blood pressure screening, health guidance and referrals.

“We discover that a lot of folks have health issues, but may not have the resources to buy their medication, so then we can step in and say ‘Okay, here’s some ways that we can help you with low cost medication or resources,’” Harry said. “It’s an opportunity, because of the ruralness of our diocese, to reach out in ways to be able to provide some health care here, which is different from a metropolitan area.”

Kelly said the nursing program helps bring the presence of CC into often overlooked areas of the diocese to create personal relationships with those people.

“They really help people and they’re able to do it from a faith perspective,” Kelly said. “We are body, mind and spirit, not just body.”

Education 

Catholic Charities values education as a door to opportunity.

The organization supports PAVE East Texas, a nonprofit that provides free adult education programs like GED prep and English Language Services. CC also has their own classes such as mother and child, CPR and first aid, nutrition, financial planning and English as a Second Language, using their Holy Family Center located off of West Rusk Street.

“Education is a key for us,” Harry said. “We want people to be knowledgeable about themselves, about the world in which they live and for their children.”

The Catholic Charities also provides low-fee immigration legal assistance for six specific situations like citizenship and adjustment of status through a staff attorney and legal representatives.

“I just see the kind of hard work and the faith of the people who came and made that very difficult journey and Catholic Charities being able to meet them with the material assistance they need is such a beautiful thing,” Kelly said. “We want these families and individuals to thrive and just provide the help along the way that they need.”

Staff and volunteers join in prayer before opening Thursday, February 12, 2026, at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Tyler. The food pantry is one of Catholic Charities Tyler’s largest pantry partners. (Les Hassell/ETX View)

‘Christ-like interaction’ 

Harry describes Catholic Charities of Tyler as invaluable to her and the people it serves.

“You do see the face of God in those that you help and I think at the end of the day that’s really what it’s all about,” Harry said. “It’s helping one person at a time, the individual stories we’ve come across and seeing a particular person be able to grow, thrive and reach their potential.”

Harry said each encounter starts with a conversation and really seeing an individual, their needs and story by listening.

“It’s that personal Christ-like interaction that really makes a difference and sometimes that’s really all people need,” Harry said. “They need to be seen and heard because in this busy world that we live in, sometimes we forget that.”

Kelly said he is proud of the work that CC of Tyler does for East Texas and said it mirrors the gospel of Jesus.

“He identified Himself with those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, in prison or far away from home and as often as we did what we did or failed to do, we did to Him or failed to do to Him,” Kelly said. “The sole focus of the ministries of Catholic Charities is to meet the person in front of them and do what they’re able to do to help them take the next step in their life, and to do that by treating them with dignity and to help them to walk forward with dignity.”

For more information, to donate or volunteer with Catholic Charities of Tyler, visit ccetx.org. For more information about Catholic Charities U.S.A., visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.

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