Covenant House was established in 1972 by Fr. Bruce Ritter as a Catholic shelter for homeless and runaway youth. In 1984, Fr. Ritter was hailed by President Ronald Regan as a “hero” as Covenant House grew as one of the most prominent Catholic charitable organizations in the country. However, in 1987 Covenant House Toronto was discovered to be handing out condoms and was accused of referring girls for abortions. A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Toronto said that the condoms were being dispensed with the Archbishop’s approval. Regarding the abortions, the same spokeswoman said:
“If a 15-year-old kid decides to have an abortion, we make a strong pro-life statement, but we don’t get involved. We tell her we can’t support what she is planning to do. But she makes her own choice. If she goes ahead and has an abortion, we expel her from the residence.”
In 1989 Fr. Ritter was accused by a 20-year-old male prostitute of carrying on a sexual relationship with him, leading to accusations from several other former clients. By 1990, Covenant House was under investigation for “questionable financial transactions,” leading to Fr. Ritter’s resignation. In one instance, he was even accused of giving the male prostitute the identity of a deceased 10-year-old boy without the parent’s knowledge or consent.
Fr. Ritter denied the allegations of sexual misconduct all the way to his death in 1999.
Following Fr. Ritter’s resignation, the organization turned to Sister Mary Rose McGeady as its next leader, who worked hard to rehabilitate the organization’s reputation and dwindling donations. By the time she retired in 2003, she took what had sunk to a $42 million operation to a $130 million juggernaut.
These allegations have haunted Covenant House since then, as it continues to maintain its Catholic identity. However, as will soon be made clear, Covenant House is steeped in scandalous activity even to this day, promoting and dispensing all manner of contraception (including abortifacients), promoting homosexual and transgender ideologies, and facilitating abortions for its clients.
In September of 2019, Church Militant reported that Covenant House Michigan had taken a young girl to an abortion mill in Detroit.
At least four pro-life sidewalk counselors witnessed a Covenant House van pull up to the abortion mill where they were advocating for the lives of preborn babies, as a “very young and very, very lethargic” girl made her way to the entrance. The driver of the van reportedly told the counselors that he was “just doing [his] job,” while the young girl said she was just going in for a “follow-up.” However, the counselors noted that the only reason to take a girl to an abortion mill is to obtain an abortion. Whatever services she required could have been handled by any medical institution.
In December of 2022, just two months prior to the publication of this report, The Alaska Watchman reported that Covenant House was discovered to be helping young girls procure abortions in August of that year. According to the report, “longtime pro-life sidewalk counselor, Wendy Perkins, was praying outside the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Anchorage,” when she “she saw a Covenant House vehicle pull up and deliver a young woman to the abortion clinic.” The Watchman also reported that “Perkins said the [Covenant House] staff person told her that Covenant House now routinely takes young women to Planned Parenthood for abortions.”
The Watchman also reported that in July of 2021, Covenant House Headquarters issued a “Youth Inclusion Policy” to be implemented by all Covenant House sites.
The policy not only affirms transgender identities and expressions but requires staff to permit the use of hormones for “transitions.” The policy requires, among other things, the following:
- “Covenant House will accept gender identity and gender expression as defined by Youth.”
- “Individuals who identify as female and who want to be housed with females rather than with males are to be housed with females and use the female bathrooms.”
- “Covenant House will treat hormones that belong to transgender Youth as any other medication and will not consider them a prohibited substance nor confiscate them.”
- “Covenant House will treat chest binding and packers belonging to transgender Youth as extensions of that person’s body and will not consider them a prohibited items nor confiscate them.”
- “Transgender Youths should comply with the dress code associated with their gender identity; gender nonconforming Youth should be allowed to choose the dress code with which they feel most comfortable.”
These disturbing reports show a clear, long-term pattern of rebellion against the Church’s teachings on abortion and human sexuality, so the Lepanto Institute inspected Covenant House’s various organizational websites. What we discovered was proof that in addition to what was already reported, Covenant House promotes and distributes contraception and at least one CEO is solidly pro-abortion.
In 2019, Covenant House hired Angela Jones Hackley as the Chief Executive Officer of Covenant House Washington, DC. A blog entry on Covenant House’s website from 2021 profiled Hackley, describing her path to becoming its latest CEO, including her work for Planned Parenthood. It said:
“With a brand new degree in policy and an immense desire to become immersed in a community that had been underserved, Angela accepted a position at Planned Parenthood teaching reproductive health and supporting the public affairs department.”
Upon examining Hackley’s social media activity, it is clear that her positive support for abortion has carried through her leadership at Covenant House.
On June 24, 2022, the day Roe was overturned by the Supreme Court, Hackley compared the overturning of Roe to the beginning of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
The same day, Hackley stated “the fight is not over” while posting a statement from her sorority which says, “Now that Roe has fallen, the fight to protect abortion rights will move to many different fronts …”
On July 3, 2022, Hackley posted a picture of a shirt worn by her brother. Hackley wrote, “My brother’s shirt says all that needs to be said.” The message on the t-shirt reads, “I’m with HER. Her body, her choice, her RIGHTS.”
Another connection between Covenant House and Planned Parenthood was discovered in their Texas branch. In 2018, the Covenant House of Texas published in their annual report (page 28) that it is a “Community Partner” with Planned Parenthood.
Given that Covenant House openly hired a pro-abortion former employee of Planned Parenthood without any concern, and that the Texas branch of Covenant House is actually partnered with Planned Parenthood, the charges that Covenant House has referred or taken young girls for abortion in three different locations (Alaska, Minnesota, and Toronto) is far more plausible. And its blatant disregard for the physical, spiritual and mental health of young people suffering gender dysphoria is beyond disgraceful. But in addition to all of this, we have been able to confirm that Covenant House is promoting and distributing all forms of contraception, including abortifacients.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Population Affairs (OPA), both Covenant House in Pennsylvania and Covenant House in New Orleans are recipients of Title X Family Planning funds, which strongly implies contraception and condoms.
With this as a strong lead, we began investigating Covenant House in Pennsylvania and quickly learned that it was identified on the Office of Population Affairs website as providing both male and female condoms. We also cross-corroborated the address and confirmed that the address provided by OPA is the same as what Covenant House PA provides on its own website.
The Covenant House in New Orleans webpage for “Health and Wellness” indicates that they have a partnership with the Tulane School of Medicine, saying:
“This past year, 2,078 residents and community youth benefited from on-site adolescent healthcare, provided in partnership with Tulane Medical School.”
On a website called “Bedsider,” which is dedicated to listing clinics that provide birth control, the Tulane doctors identify Covenant House as the location of its drop-in clinic. The listing shows that they are providing both injectable pill forms of contraception and indicates that the clinic “provides Title X services to residents of Covenant House ONLY” (emphasis original)
The Covenant House Alaska website shows that its clinic provides “birth control and reproductive services.”
Lower on the page, Covenant House Alaska provides a link to Bedsider as a “helpful resource” to “explore birth control options.”
And clicking through the link shows a crass display of all manner of contraception ranging from condoms to withdrawal to IUDs, injectable contraception, and birth control pills.
According to the government project “Get Screened Oakland,” the Covenant House in Oakland and its project called “DreamCatcher” are locations where young people can obtain condoms, free of charge. The address provided for Covenant House by the Get Screened program is the same as provided by Covenant House in Oakland.
Conclusion
We could have provided dozens of examples of Covenant House’s promotion of homosexual and transgender ideologies, which appears to be its most prominent endeavor of late. But given what we found, it is 100% clear that Covenant House is NOT a Catholic organization, it doesn’t even come close to adhering to Catholic moral teaching, and it is absolutely NOT a safe organization to support with Catholic funds.
What we provide is that Covenant House has a history of taking girls to abortion clinics, it has a universal policy forcing staff to address children by their “preferred pronouns” and allowing them to dress in whatever manner is most comfortable to them, and it is providing and promoting all forms of contraception.
This is shocking! Our CWL donates to them to help the victims of human trafficking.
Thanks for your investigative work to bring this to light. The list of authentic Catholic charities to be supported by authentic Catholics continues to get shorter.
True+
Sorry to learn this but thank you .I supported Covenant House for years .What about Houston?
Since you asked, I just looked and found Covenant House Texas’ Annual Report from 2018 showing that they are a “Community Parenter” with Planned Parenthood. I’m updating the report now to reflect what I found.
We sent support to CH during the early 1990s. Their letters were gut-wrenching and persuasive, and they seemed to be providing truly Catholic care to the most vulnerable. But in 1995 we received a very strange letter from them about a little girl who reported having visits from an imaginary “friend” who was urging her to commit suicide. Did CH recognize the obvious possibility of diabolical influences? No. They turned the poor kid over to “trained psychologists”. We complained to them about this. The note we got back from Sister Mary Rose was not something that we found reassuring. We never sent them another donation.
May God grant a return of the days when all Catholic charities give assistance to souls as well as to bodies.
Amen+
I’m indebted to the investigative work of the Lepanto Institute. CH, which I once contributed to, is not only not Catholic, it seems to be in opposition to every Catholic moral teachings.
I thank God for Michael and the work of Lepanto,…….their work is tectonic.
Again- we thank our Lord and God.
JF Lombardi
Chicago
I am so disturbed about this . I have donated monthly for over 25yrs . I must stop . Do I call CH ? But I do want this to be all factual / honest .
May God come to their rescue and help the young kids as well. Catholic should be taken away from the identity of Covenant House !
We do what we think best. I have supported them approximately 35 years with regular donations. On the positive side, we have very likely helped rescue many disadvantaged kids over the years. Regardless of the use made of their assets, our donations perpetually remain an act of charity by way of intention, but I will discontinue support immediately.
Unreal how organizations can promote themselves as Catholic and their own local
Diocese does nothing. At least you bring it to light, but seems so very little is done by the Church to rectify these matters. What more can be done? How do we effect reform on a deeper level?
How very sad to learn of this. I had donated to Covenant House also, thinking it was Catholic.
It is rather sickening to see how some people will use and try to hide their evil intentions under the name of the Holy Catholic Church. Imagine how many people have been fooled over the years and have given generously with a sincere and honest heart.
Shame on these people who have done this to so many well intentioned people.
This is shocking, I have donated to CH for years. Thank you for this information, I will not contribute again.
For several years prior to 1989, I contributed to CH but stopped when I learned of Fr. Ritter’s transgressions. Now, many years later, CH has started sending me requests for contributions, in spite of the fact that I have moved twice in the ensuing years and have remarried, thus changing my name! I wasn’t hiding from them but still can’t figure out how they found me! I’m glad I never re-started my contributions. How sad that they state they are Catholic!
I’m cancelling my monthly donation to them. Thank you for the expose.
Thank you, Lepanto Institute. I have been a donor for many years but, will no longer give any money to covenant house. This is heartbreaking!
Father Ritter resigned, because he did not want to deter from the organization’s work, Covenant House does much good but your investigation reveals how Satan worms his way into even Catholic charities and orders, the Legionaries of Christ is but one example. We are living in dark day, I am a donor and will take this to prayer.
I was a donor but after reading about their activities against the Church’s teachings I will never contribute again!
I have donated to Covenant House for almost 40 years, but this year I did not. I had a gut feeling (from the Holy Spirit, I am guessing) that something was amiss. I saw on FB that they were pushing the LGBT agenda. This sickens me that they oppose pro-life Catholic teaching and are promoting gender ideology nonsense. Why hasn’t Cardinal Dolan of NY come out and exposed them ???
Thank YOU for exposing them.
Thanks for sharing this! does anyone know any alternative organizations that provide similar work, that uphold Catholic values?
I have now stopped contributing to Covenant House and removed them as the charitable beneficiary of my estate. This causes me great pain and sadness! I really am concerned for the safety of so many youth who are lost, abused, and homeless! I was part of a small group of students who met with Fr Bruce Ritter before his speaking engagement at Stanford in about 1985 and have been contributing regularly since I started working in 1987. These latest scandals are not surprising. It stems from the revolt against Humanae Vitae in 1968 and the subsequent scandal with so many Catholic colleges and universities that do not hold to Catholic moral principles and bishops and clergy that avoid speaking on these issues. I have also discontinued monthly contributions to CRS, Instead, I am increasing contributions to Aid to the Church in Need and Catholic Near East Welfare Association and put them as beneficiaries.
I had donated to help those unfortunate children since 1998. Upon reading the Lepanto research I stopped, in 2022 (or thereabouts) but am still receiving mailings from them. I thought I should check to see if they had stopped their un-Catholic behavior, and harm to the children. They have not. They seem to be even more involved, adding abortion and transgender. Thank you Michael. This must be very difficult for you to discover this sad behavior on so many once Catholic charities.