Catholic Charities honors Sister Rose

More than 250 people, including bishops, priests and religious, attended the Second Annual Celebration of Charity benefit fundraiser on Nov. 9. The event, held in a warehouse where some non-perishables were still being stored in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, is the largest fund-raising event for Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi.
 
This year the board of Catholic Charities honored Sister Rose Paul Madassery, SABS, Operations Manager of the Mother Teresa Shelter, with the 2017 Humanitarian Award for her 15 years of support, dedication and commitment to the homeless of Corpus Christi.
 
"Her heart is so big. She treats every person that comes to her facility as a human being and as someone that deserves honor and respect. She treats them in the condition that they're in and does everything she can to make their lives better–make them a better person," Board President Mike McLellan said.
 
Before presenting Sister Rose with the Humanitarian Award, Bishop Michael Mulvey said, "Charity means speaking the truth. Sometimes charity is tough, Sister Rose thank you for being gentle, tough and charitable."
 
Sister Rose said she was a reluctant soldier when she came to Corpus Christi in 2002. She had achieved a bachelor of sociology degree at Sacred Heart College and a master's degree in social work from Rajagiri College of Social Sciences. She was far from her home in Kerala, India and she knew nothing about the culture here.
 
"I was like a fish out of water without the support of my family," she said, "but I was good at washing dishes."
 
When she was asked to become Operations Manager for Mother Teresa Shelter 10 years ago she tried to find an excuse for not taking the job. After taking three days to decide she prayed to Jesus and opened a Bible and read the passage in front of her that read, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13)."
 
"I had finally found my Calcutta, Sister Rose said. "I never had an opportunity to visit the real Calcutta in India. It is funny that I had to travel from India all the way to Corpus Christi to find one here. Without the support of all of you I could not have taken on this responsibility."
 
Bishop Mulvey thanked Catholic Charities for seeing Jesus Christ in every person. "Anyone can feed the poor," he said, "but to get to know them, to get to know who they are, get to know their truths is extremely important. It's not about a handout and Catholic Charities exemplifies that in a way that is very profound. Thank you for that vision of the Gospel that you have taken up and you exemplify so beautifully."
 
Event co-chair Paulette Guajardo, speaking on behalf of herself and co-chair Renee Cooper, said, someone works for Catholic Charities, they do not just clock in and out. “This is an organization that calls for passion. It's not a job for us. It's an honor and we are very happy to be taking part in this," Guajardo said.
 
McLellan thanked everybody for attending the event, which raised funds for all 12 ministries across 12 counties within the Diocese of Corpus Christi.
 
"It's the staff that makes everything happen at Catholic Charities. Without them we wouldn't even stand a chance. They have the passion for their job and compassion for those who are less fortunate than we are and who are suffering,” McLellan said.