A Mass and reception were held on Wednesday, October 22, as a special thanks to Catholic Charities of New York (CCNY) and to welcome its new CEO, J. Antonio Fernandez. The liturgy, celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, followed by the reception at the nearby University Club on West 54th Street. 

“In a particular way, I welcome members of our board and the consistently loyal benefactors of our magnificent Catholic Charities of the archdiocese. I’m glad you’re here,” Cardinal Dolan said during opening remarks at the Mass. “This gives me the chance to praise Almighty God, to thank Almighty God for Catholic Charities and for those great people who work for them and who support them.” 

“And we pray for you too, Antonio Fernandez; thank you for your (newly begun) leadership. You’re doing a great job,” the cardinal added. He also thanked the concelebrants, which included Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, former executive director of CCNY. About 250 people attended the Mass. 

Cardinal Reflects on St. John Paul II’s Teachings 

Later during the homily, Cardinal Dolan noted that the day, October 22, was the feast day of St. John Paul II, saying, “So we give thanks. He was in this cathedral twice as pope. He came here in 1978; he came here in 1995. We’re all blessed to remember him.” The cardinal went on to talk about freedom being one of the central themes of St. John Paul II’s teachings. 

Citing the evening’s readings, he noted that St. Paul also spoke of the significance of freedom. The cardinal noted, “Freedom does not mean we can do what we want. Freedom means we have the ability to do what we should. Pope St. John Paul II was always saying: slavery to sin, slavery to selfishness is the worst kind of servitude, and the greatest freedom is freedom from that.” 

He added, “In many ways, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York is all about freedom, as we try to free people from want. And I sure thank God for that.” 

New CEO Outlines Priorities at Reception 

“The Mass was beautiful. The cardinal does a fantastic job, we are blessed in New York City,” Fernandez told The Good Newsroom at the subsequent reception. He noted that among CCNY’s immediate concerns is “the federal employees who are not getting a paycheck. How do we support these people who, starting on Friday, are not going to get a paycheck? So we’re going to be serving them, trying to provide financial assistance and food, whatever we can, to support them during these hard times.” 

Fernandez, 53 and Spanish-born, is a married father of a 14-year-old girl. He joined CCNY as CEO in September. 

Bill Anderson, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Catholic Charities New York, later introduced Fernandez, noting that Fernandez led Catholic Charities in San Antonio, and prior to that was the number two person at Catholic Charities in Chicago. 

In his reception remarks, Fernandez reiterated his concerns and plans related to helping furloughed federal workers in New York. “Catholic Charities will step up to the plate to help them as our obligation,” he said. And he told the reception guests, “I just want to say thank you to all of you for your time, your commitment, and your energy to provide for people in need. The need in New York is huge.” Several dozen people attended the reception.