“All I could feel was despair. I was drowning in darkness.”
Pam’s world had unraveled. Her husband was gone. Cancer had left her physically and emotionally drained. The pandemic stole her sense of connection and took the lives of her two closest friends. Alone and overwhelmed, she faced not only sorrow, but also the terrifying reality of financial instability.
Financial stress added to the emotional toll. With limited income and rising expenses, Pam found herself overwhelmed.
“I was grieving, sick, and alone,” Pam recalled. “I didn’t know how to move forward.”
In a moment of desperation, Pam reached out to Catholic Charities. The light broke through. That one call changed everything.
Catholic Charities walked with Pam on her journey. Pam found more than financial guidance. She found someone who saw her, listened to her, and walked with her through the storm.
Christel de Jesus, a Catholic Charities financial health counselor whose work is supported by the Bishop’s Appeal, connected with Pam. Christel remembers their first meeting well.
“She came in carrying so much more than financial stress,” Christel said. “She was hurting, scared, and unsure if she had a future. My job wasn’t just to help her with finances. It was to help her believe in herself again.”
While Catholic Charities does not offer financial support, they do offer counseling and resources to help clients create a budget to manage their personal finances. Together, Pam and Christel built a budget and a plan. But more importantly, they built trust.
“Christel didn’t just help me with money,” Pam says. “She helped me feel free again. She listened. She prayed with me. She reminded me I still mattered. Without Catholic Charities, I would still be in that despair. This experience transformed my life.”
Catholic Charities continues to be a guiding light for Pam on her healing journey. Pam has already made tremendous progress in her first year working with Christel. Pam is projected to be debt-free within the next five years.
Karmen Lemke, Executive Director at Catholic Charities, sees daily how so many people like Pam are encountering healing through Jesus.
“Here at Catholic Charities, we meet people in their most vulnerable moments and help them find healing through our divine physician: Jesus,” Lemke said. “Whether it’s through financial counseling, offering mental health resources, or walking alongside a couple through adoption, our mission is simple: to reflect the love of Christ by restoring dignity, hope, and stability. Every day, my team and I see lives change. It’s not because we fix everything. It’s because we extend a helping hand and show families we are there for them in the dark and bright days.”
The compassionate outreach of Catholic Charities also helps couples grow their family through adoption. Because of your support of the Bishop’s Appeal, more than 13,000 people—including Pam—have been served by Catholic Charities right here in northeastern Wisconsin.
“The Bishop’s Appeal is very important not just to Catholics, but to people that are not Catholic, because they can have these programs that anyone can access, and I think that is absolutely fantastic, especially for someone like me,” Pam said.
Pam’s journey is a testament to what happens when generosity meets compassion. Her story is one of many changed by the kindness of families and individuals who choose to Be the Light through their support of the Bishop’s Appeal.
“I see the light in myself today because I am not so despondent over situations that I had no control over, but yet affected me greatly,” Pam said. “And now I feel that the load has been lifted from me, and I feel lighter, and I see the light in myself again instead of the darkness.”
Thanks to the generosity of thousands of families and individuals, so many other people like Pam are encountering Jesus. The 2026 Bishop’s Appeal kicked off February 7-8, which also supports the diaconate, parish faith formation programs, Catholic schools, and even more diocesan ministries as they walk with people of all ages on their faith journey. Visit https://www.catholicfoundationgb.org/2026-bishops-appeal/ to learn more.