We have added a NOT RECOMMENDED category to our Charities Reports page for charitable organizations that do not flagrantly violate Catholic teaching but act in such a way that we must urge caution for those considering their support.
Chalice Canada does much laudable work in giving aid to the poor and claims with its tagline that it “Brings Christ to the poor and brings the poor to Christ.” However, this Catholic organization flat out states in its FAQ section that it will NOT evangelize the people it serves. This makes this organization no different than a secular NGO and makes the second half of its tagline a lie. Catholic charitable organizations have a duty to feed souls as well as bellies and must be held to a higher standard. Even if evangelization is not the primary aim of a Catholic organization, we are all called as Catholics to spread the Gospel, not disavow evangelization as if it were shameful.
Chalice missionaries would be taking their lives in their hands if they evangelized in India and Bangladesh. As well as any converts to Catholicism there would have their lives threatened. I have been a Chalice sponsor for many years. My first child that I sponsored was a Hindu in India. When his family moved out of the sponsor area I requested to sponsor a Catholic child. No problem. I now sponsor a little girl in Guatemala. What I like about Chalice is that very little goes towards administration; I believe over 95 percent goes directly to the sponsor areas.
We have the obligation to evangelize, but in some places we have to evangelize through how we live not by what we say. It is true that Chalice could limit its work to those places which permit evangelization but one cannot turn away from any request for help.
Well… this report makes me sad.
I have been sponsoring 2 children at a time for Chalice for over 12 years.
Just managed to get my child’s school on board to help a school in Africa get more books through Chalice.
I would feel really bad leaving those 2 children. I’m not sure what to do.
Always thought Chalice was a great Catholic organization.
I’m in the same situation. I don’t want to abandon our child (who I found out is not baptized) and her poor family in Chile. I have decided to stay with her, but will not sponsor any more children once she is off their list. I’ll give to the poor some other way.
God bless you.
One can evangelize by how you live, but that should not discount the fact that many people are evangelized because they invited someone to Christ. Many smart people are evangelized by what they read and because they can reason.
It is a copout to suggest there is only one way to evangelize.
just a little correction….it should read,
“…because they were invited by someone”
The corporal works of mercy are absolutely necessary in the totality of evangelization. But I would say that they are ineffective without knowledge of Christ. I suggest you meditate on Romans 10: 13-14.
God bless you for your generosity.
Thank you very much for this report! I don’t think I’m too concerned about this. Chalice does excellent work and we will continue to support them – and strongly recommend them to others!
May God bless you!
I sponsored a child in Northern Ghana trough Chalice from age 9 to age 22. I don’t regret it, but I found communication very difficult. Long delays and cookie-cutter type answers to letters did not allow for questions to be answered. No dialogue. Although there were formulas such as “the Almighty bless you and your family”, I never was able to know whether he was even Christian, received catechism, first communion or confirmation.
Jesus tells us that man does not live by bread alone, and asks what good it does to us if we save our bodies but loose our souls. At least, help should be openly brought in the name of Christ. To be fair, Chalice changed its name from “Child Care International” to “Chalice”, still I felt that my sponsorship through Chalice was lacking the spiritual dimension.
Now, in this day and age particularly, I look for organizations that promote and defend the faith.
I sponsor a young man in Peru. His case manager is a religious sister. I am disappointed in your judgement of this organization.
I am very disappointed with the report on Chalice. In 1997 Fr. Cosgrove gave a retreat in my parish in Evansville, IN. At break time he had pictures of children to be sponsered. I asked him if he was in Ghana and he said no. I gave him my brother”s name and address. My brother is Fr. William Curran.
In January 1984 at age 50, Fr. Bill was asked, along with several other missionaries, to start a new parish south of Wa, Ghana in Lassia-Tuolu. There were some Christians there along with four “out stations” where priests from Wa came out to say Mass occasionally. The Lassia-Tuolu tribe was pagan, and had come into Ghana about 60 years before Fr. Bill had arrived at Lassia Tuolo. There were 100 villages of the Birifor and 50 villages of the Dagara-Wiile people. There was no water, no electricity, no plumbing, no glass windows, no mission buildings, almost no roads, no catechist, and only a dozen catechumens. Fr. Bill was the parish priest of this new parish called St. Ignatius, from its beginning in 1985 until 1999.
When Fr. Bill said goodbye in 1999 after 15 years, the Lassia-Tuolu Senior Secondary School had 16 teacher’s dormitories, a Science and Home Science Center, a well equipped library, toilets, an Assembly Hall and solar lights in all rooms and offices. There was a constant water supply generated by the solar energy. Two Catholic Day Nurseries (age 4 & 5) had 180 students. There were 20 Catholic Primary Schools with 2,277 students, 14 Catholic Junior Secondary Schools with 572 students, and the Catholic Lassia-Tuolu Senior Secondary School had 346 students. There were 2 new Primary schools and 4 more Junior Secondary Schools ready to be opened. As further demonstration of growth, the first baptism was in 1985 and 15 years later, baptisms had totaled almost 2000. Now, in 2021, there are 1,867 students in the Nursery Schools, 5124 students in Primary schools, 1,984 students in Jr. High Schools, and 838 in the Senior High School.
In 1974 he said, “The goal of my life is to serve the people of Africa. The work I’m involved in is the work of God. He brings forth the fruit. I’m just there as his instrument. I don’t credit myself or other missionaries for any accomplishments. The joy of this work is knowing that our efforts make the gifts of God available.”
There are many priests and nuns that have come out of what was a pagan area and even a bishop.
I am most disappointed in your judgement of what the Holy Spirit can accomplish!!! What if Christ only associated with Jews? How could have the Gentiles learned about God? I can’t agree with your narrow view of missionary work. It even makes me angry—just anger.
The best way to Evangilize is by loving people which is a reflection of Christ’s love for everyone. I don’t like it when people say, “If you become Catholic then, and only then, will I show you love.”
You completely misread our concern. We applaud any and all work that serves anyone without accounting for their current beliefs. We are not suggesting, in any way, that charity work from a Catholic institution should require conversion as a condition of receiving service.
Our concern is that CHALICE presents itself as a Catholic organization, but currently operates as any other secular NGO. As a Catholic charity, the obligation is to serve AND work toward leading souls to Christ. That is the essential nature of Charity itself. Otherwise, the work is mere philanthropy.
As for the history you provided regarding CHALICE’s former evangelizing work, we applaud it and hope for CHALICE’s return to that model. But in its current form, it seems that this aspect of the work is no longer what it does, and that is deeply unfortunate.
We don’t condemn CHALICE, nor are we telling people not to donate. But because of the active refusal to engage in evangelization, we cannot in good conscience recommend this group.
I sponsored a child of Lassia-Tuola through Chalice for 15 years or so.
I sent religious leaflets such lives of saints, a miraculous medal and a rosary, nativity Christmas cards, etc.
I never received any acknowledgement, report cards never mentioned any religious education milestones, if only the first communion, I don’t even know if the child was baptized.
Dialogue with the child was very difficult, in part because of the long transmission delays, and in part because the child’s letters sounded like cookie-cutter pieces. I was never even certain it was written by the child, and the letter was quite a few times written and signed by a Chalice staff member.
Obtaining information through the designated person at Chalice headquarters in Eastern Canada was difficult also and not very fruitful.
I am glad that child apparently got a general education that was probably very good for that part of the world, but I was disappointed in many respects by the experience.
Furthermore, in the Chalice literature I received, I saw once a picture of group of children with a rainbow representation and I suspect LGBT contamination.
Hi! I sponsor two boys, both 14 and sponsored a girl to age 18 in India. I’ve known for decades that there are no outward signs of evangelization in the areas my sponsored children find themselves in but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen. The Church in India is mostly underground so we can’t expect evangelization to be carried out like it is in the west. It is done very subtly but it does get done. It is just that, officially, no-one will admit to it. These children, their families and their case workers are not stupid. They know that I am Catholic; I’ve told them. And I try not to miss any opportunities to do a little preaching disguised as anecdotal stories about my own family. Then, I let the Holy Spirit do the heavy lifting. And my guys get it! And they appreciate it! They’ve told me. Besides when Jesus told Peter to “Feed my sheep”, He wasn’t just talking about the Gospel. I believe that, before any evangelization goes on, people need food on the table.
When Jesus said to Peter: Feed my sheep, He was speaking about Bishops to feed the Priests and the flock with the Gospel.
Jesus, also, said “There will always be the Poor”.
Preach the Gospel to the poor, as He did. Matthew. The Kingdom of Heaven.
God Bless.
Hi Michael,
I am not clear, but, therefore, does Chalice, use/support Doctors Without Borders?
I have donated for almost 25 years to Chalice.
I am using great caution here. We want to help others in need, but I know we must live the Gospel Truth, and even protect our own souls.
Deus te benedicat
Christine
No. The mention of Doctors Without Borders is a “related post,” meaning it is a separate article. Sorry for the confusion.