CCHD Under Scrutiny: Opaque and Mismanaged Finances

CCHD Clouded in Opaqueness

Over the weekend of October 25, the USCCB published this announcement for the 2024 CCHD collections.  In this letter it states that “Last year, CCHD distributed more than 12.7 million to non-partican grassroots organizations.”  The problem is that despite the fact that the CCHD  claims in its FAQ to be fully committed to transparency  (“CCHD is committed to transparency and continues to publish a list of recent grantees online each year.”), the CCHD has not published its grant list since 2021-22, a full two years behind.  There is no way for any donor to know how the funds are being used.

CCHD Financial Mismanagement

In two weeks, the Bishops of the United States will once again be gathering in Baltimore, MD for their annual fall assembly.  While the USCCB’s press release on the schedule of topics to be discussed indicates the development of resources for the USCCB committees for Dignitas Infinita, updates on ministers of catechesis, pastoral matters regarding “integral ecology (look out!), and some other rather hum-drum administrative issues – there’s no indication that the fate of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is on the docket.

Earlier this year, Ralph McCloud, the long-time executive director for the CCHD mysteriously and suddenly stepped down from his position, followed by allegations of financial mismanagement.  According to financial reports, the CCHD was nearly out of funding and the Bishops discussed the future of the CCHD behind closed doors at the Spring Assembly.  But aside from general platitudes coming from the usual suspects singing the praises of the CCHD, the only other news we have is that more than 20 bishops have called for a “reshaping” of the CCHD where funds can be used for diocesan projects and Catholic schools, in addition to maintaining funds to “anti-poverty” initiatives.

In principle, this is a far-cry better than what the CCHD had been and will reduce the possibility of CCHD funds being used to finance organizations promoting abortion, contraception, LGBT nonsense, and Marxism.  That said, however, the problem with this proposal is that it still permits the CCHD to provide funding to the horrible organizations we’ve exposed over the years.  While we are pleased that our bishops are taking serious note of the grave problems with CCHD funding, we wish they would shut it down altogether.

Lack of Transparency

The last published list of CCHD-funded organizations is for the 2021-2022 grants cycle.  This means that we still don’t know what organizations received funding in FY 2022-2023, or FY 2023-2024, both of which have already been completed.  The grants list is two years old, and there is no reason faithful Catholics should be kept in the dark about what organizations are receiving funding from the CCHD.  Even the CCHD’s Annual Report is two years old.  And worse still, considering the shake-up at the CCHD, it is unclear what organizations are being funded now, begging the question about how funds are going to be used when the collection comes around on November 23rd &24th.

There are too many questions and not enough answers regarding the CCHD, and to ask the laity to provide funding to the CCHD under such circumstances – especially given the CCHD’s long history of funding evil organizations – there is no way a good Catholic can contribute to the campaign.  The laity are the ones being solicited for funding for the CCHD, so it is up to the laity to demand answers from the bishops.  

Time for Action by the Laity

As such, I would like to ask you to write a letter to your bishop asking for a full accounting of CCHD-funded organizations up to the present, for a definitive statement on what direction the CCHD is headed in, and how CCHD funds collected at the end of this November will be used.  To assist you with this, I have drafted a sample letter you can use (and amend as you see fit).  Since the bishops will be meeting on November 11 in Baltimore, you will want to send this letter quickly, so it is received by the bishop before he leaves.

 

Sample Letter to Your Bishop:

Dear Excellency,

I am writing to you about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).  As you are aware, the CCHD has been at the center of a shake-up that began this past April when Ralph McCloud stepped down as its long-time executive director.  There have been reports of financial mismanagement, suggestions that CCHD funds be reoriented toward Catholic education, and even rumors that the CCHD may be closed altogether.  The uncertainty of what is happening with the CCHD is a matter of great concern to me, and I am hoping you can help me with the following:

• The last published grants list for the CCHD is 2021-2022.  We do not have any way of tracking how CCHD funds have been used over the last two years, and we have no idea how CCHD funds are being used currently.  Before I can even consider a donation to the CCHD, I will need to see a full accounting of how CCHD funds have been used over the last two years and how they are being used now.
•  The national CCHD collection is still scheduled to take place on November 23&24, but there are many questions swirling around about how those funds will be used.  In good conscience, I cannot give to the CCHD unless and until I know precisely how those funds will be used.  And what will happen to those funds if the CCHD is closed down altogether?

Your Excellency, as a faithful Catholic, I have an obligation to be a good steward of the funds Our Blessed Lord has made available to me.  If the CCHD is going to solicit funds from lay Catholics, it must be made known to the CCHD that they have an obligation to provide full transparency regarding the use of those funds, past and present.

Please know that my family and I are praying for you.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

(name)