On the evening of Wednesday, September 16, 2026, corporate restructuring professionals along with their family members and other supporters gathered on the ninth floor of the New York Athletic Club for the fifteenth annual Saint Francis Reception held by Catholic Renewal, a charitable collective associated with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.
The event raised $1.9 million, contributing to a record-breaking annual fundraising total of $2.2 million for Catholic Charities of New York’s Feeding Our Neighbors program, which will use the funds to provide hundreds of thousands of neighbors in need with direct food distributions and pantries, nutritional education, and benefits assistance.
This year, Catholic Renewal bestowed the Saint Francis Service Award to two philanthropic leaders: Tom Califano, Partner at Sidley Austin LLP; and Chuck Moore, Managing Director of Alvarez & Marsal.
Following a reception, guests were welcomed by Frank Oswald, Partner at Nixon Peabody LLP, who noted the vigorous efforts of Catholic Renewal and its honorees. “Catholic Charities serves hundreds of thousands of people every year,” he noted. “The need gets greater and greater. But what is great is everybody in this room, and people who couldn’t make it, have taken the charity to heart. Every year, we’ve done a little better than the last.”
Oswald then introduced Bishop Edmund Whalen, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of New York, who led attendants in a prayer, and offered remarks:
“The next generation of professionals is stepping up. You learned in your Catholic homes, in your parishes, and in our schools is that we take care of other people. We meet their needs for each of them as a person, no matter who they are.”
He added, “Tonight, you only you not only give financial help, but tonight you give hope; hope to the people who are come to our pantries because there’s nowhere else to go, but hope to one another, and hope to all of us who are maybe on the other end of the timeline, that this gift of faith that you show tonight is a gift that will keep strong.”
Bishop Whalen introduced a video message from Archbishop Ronald Hicks, unable to attend in person, who offered blessings to the honorees and to Catholic Renewal’s members and leadership, congratulating them on the breaking their fundraising record.
“Those numbers are remarkable, but what matters most is what they represent: food on the table for a family struggling to make ends meet, groceries for an older New Yorker living on a fixed income, and reassurance for a parent who should never have to wonder whether there will be enough food for their children to eat,” Archbishop Hicks explained. “As Catholics, we are called to see Christ in everyone we encounter. Catholic Renewal does that in a real, tangible way, particularly for those who are hungry and are in need.”
Next to address the crowd was Catholic Charities of New York’s CEO J. Antonio Fernández, who reminded them of the dire need for initiatives to address hunger. “Of the 1.4 million people who are food insecure in New York City, 400,000 are children who mostly live in Harlem and the Bronx. Catholic Charities is in those neighborhoods there day in and day out, feeding the hungry people. Last year alone, we provided over 10 million meals through our network of 83 agencies,” he said.
“There are many people who work one job or two jobs, and they still don’t have enough money to put food in the on the table. Sometimes, they have to choose between food, rent, or childcare,” added Fernández, “But I can give you my word that at Catholic Charities, we try our best to help them, not just with food, but also with hope and dignity, as well as case management and other services, so they can get out of poverty and become independent.”
The first honoree to receive the Saint Francis Service Award was Tom Califano, introduced by his brother-in-law, Robert T. Schmidt, Partner at HSF Kramer LLP, who extolled Califano’s humanitarian work serving on the board of the Healing New York child protection organization, his dedication to his family, and his role in rejuvenating the bankruptcy practice at Sidley Austin.
Upon accepting the award, Califano addressed attendees. “There are many people in this city, working people, who can’t afford to feed their children. And could you imagine looking at your children and not knowing whether you could feed them?”
Califano then quoted First John 3:17 (RSV-2CE) “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” adding, “We all have an obligation, and all of you here today help fulfill that obligation. Thank you for your support for a very important cause.”
The next Saint Francis Service Honoree, Chuck Moore, was introduced by his daughter Erin Moore, Senior Associate at Alvarez & Marsal Public Sector Services. She noted his remarkable work ethic, and that he attends Mass every day to center his work in his Catholic faith and the principle of serving others.
Upon receiving his award, Moore acknowledged the hard work Catholic Renewal over the years, and he impact they have made in providing for neighbors in need in tandem with Catholic Charities of New York. He quoted from Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, “Human dignity does not depend on a person’s abilities, wealth, or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made. For this reason, the human person always remains the way of the church, and the heart of every authentic path of integral human development.”
Moore added, “Over the last 12 months, over 66,000 unique households were served each month by Catholic Charities. In addition to that, this $2.2 million is going to produce about 1.7 million meals. Think about all those people that are not going to go to bed hungry because of all of what you have contributed. You’ve all stepped up in a huge way to do that.”
Since forming in 2011 Catholic Renewal has raised over $17 million to sustain life-saving food programs, making an impact that will last well into the future. We at Catholic Charities of New York extend our deepest gratitude to Catholic Renewal’s membership for their generosity, compassion, dedication, and faith.
