The mission of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Charities Program is to welcome all of our brothers and sisters and to minister to them in the spirit of Jesus Christ, and to serve them directly, or to make proper referrals to existing services when necessary. There are numerous homeless people, immigrants and low-income families who need assistance to meet their daily needs and to develop their potential for a more healthy and satisfying life. The vision of the Cathedral is to reach out in new directions to the most underserved and, with adequate donations, develop new programs.

Although in its nascent stages, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Charities Program has made substantial strides in fulfilling its mission to minister to the local community. Under the direction of Gus Catipon, Cathedral Charities is reaching out as the “Mother Church” and the parish church to the working poor, newly arrived immigrants and homeless people who inhabit the area nearby.

** Cathedral Outreach Center located on the corner of Hill and Temple Streets is staffed by outreach assistant Ms. Olga Felix and volunteers. It provides various services as needed by the client, such as, food, clothing, hygiene kit, transportation, social security application assistance, and referrals. We also provide financial assistance or referrals for families in need of housing and rent along with home visits. We are currently assisting 400 clients a week and growing.

**Cathedral Cooperation with Homeboy Industries, Jobs for a Future** Project WIN. **Cathedral Cooperation with Homeboy Industries, Jobs for a Future** Project WIN. (Work Is Noble) Together, Father Gregory Boyle, S.J. Executive Director of Homeboy Industries, and Cathedral Charities have developed a program, Project WIN, to employ youngsters after school, to teach responsibility, work ethic, enhance self-esteem, and keep them off the street. The Outreach Program is working to provide funding to pay minors for after school jobs to help counteract the lure of gang affiliations. More than 100 youngsters have been placed. Their placement depends upon grants and private donations.
The Outreach Program is assisting in the quest for positions both for Project WIN and for permanent employment for these men and women, who only need a chance, in order to blossom and flourish.

** Cathedral Optical Program provides prescription eyeglasses in cooperation with the UCLA Mobile Eye Clinic, Union Rescue Mission, for persons living on skid row, and two Good Shepherd homes.

** Cathedral Housing Assistance provides financial assistance or referrals for families in need of housing and rent.

** Cathedral Beading Project. In collaboration with Alexandria Chiles Foundation, our volunteers learned how to put together beading kits; teach school children who need service hours, delivered to the hospitals and teach the patients how to make; bracelet, necklace, headband, key chain, and lanyard, it serve as occupational therapy for them.

** Cathedral Little League. The Cathedral sponsors little league sports for the children at William Mead housing project on North Main Street, to give a productive outlet for at-risk minors. We provide the children their uniforms and transportation.

** Cathedral Detention Ministry. The program provides weekly pastoral visits to Men’s Central Jail, and Central Juvenile Hall. It also subsidizes the salary of one full-time chaplain, recruits volunteers, and provides some supplies and religious reading materials.

** Cathedral Food for the Homeless. Each week a team of volunteers, led by Bob Lavallee and Caroline Rubio prepares and delivers 900 lunches to homeless living on streets and under the bridges, La Placita, Jovenes Inc., St. Mary’s Church and St. Vincent’s Church. We also provide bread, sweets and meat to Good Shepherd Homes, Dolores Mission and St. Margaret Mary Church.

** Cathedral Adopt-A-Family provides food, clothing, school supplies and gifts to low-income families during the Christmas season, under the direction of Monsignor Terrence Fleming.

The charitable work of the Cathedral depends entirely upon the generosity of its donors and the dedicated work of many volunteers. Jesus promised that those who give will receive one hundredfold in return. Volunteers to Cathedral Charities report back their spiritual and emotional blessings as they help people most in need of food, clothing, shelter, as well as the touch of a hand, a reassuring smile, and the promise of God's loving presence in their lives.

Cathedral volunteers are ministering to the youth at Juvenile Hall and the imprisoned at Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles. Their aim is to facilitate the inmates’ connection with God, to help them understand that God is with them. Many of them, young and older, are lonely and abandoned people in the death grip of gangs and drug use. Although some are baptized Catholics, they are lacking even the fundamentals of their faith and are searching for spiritual meaning in their lives. "Can I pray to God for help?" is a question often heard by those who visit them.

Volunteers are needed to increase the scope of the prison ministry. Each volunteer receives orientation through the Archdiocesan Office of Detention Ministry and is given direction and assistance by the Catholic chaplains employed by the Archdiocese at the facilities.

Gus Catipon is currently the Director of Cathedral Charities. As a Filipino native, he worked at Boeing Satellites System and is now retired. He has a variety of experience in Outreach ministries, particularly in integrating multi-cultural communities, feeding and serving the homeless, and in evangelization projects throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He and his wife have now begun the beginning stages of the Diaconate Formation program.

If you would like to volunteer your services to Cathedral Charities, please contact:

Volunteers
(213) 680-5281
E-mail: volunteers@olacathedral.org.

How to Donate!
If you would like to donate money, food or clothing, especially men’s trousers and socks, please contact Gus Catipon.

Cathedral Charities
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
555 W. Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 680 5225
Fax: (213) 620 1982
Email: outreach@olacathedral.org