CCUSA President Rev. Larry Snyder Receives 2014 Bishop Francis J. Mugavero Award

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Catholic Charities USA President and CEO, Rev. Larry Snyder, received the 2014 Bishop Francis J. Mugavero Award at the annual convening of the New York State (NYS) Council of Catholic Charities Directors in Albany, N.Y.  The NYS Council of Catholic Charities Directors honored Rev. Snyder for his significant and sustained contribution to the work of charity and social justice on a statewide or national level.

The NYS Council of Catholic Charities Directors recognized Rev. Snyder for being a "tireless advocate for poor and vulnerable members of society." Previous Bishop Francis J. Mugavero Awardees include: the first recipient of the Catholic Charities Award in 1989, Bishop Francis Mugavero; Sister Serena Branson; Monsignor Charles Fahey; Monsignor John Conniff; Bishop Joseph Sullivan; Monsignor James Murray; Monsignor John Gilmartin; Sister Una McCormack; Sharon Daly; Thomas DeStefano; Monsignor Robert Lawler; Bishop Howard Hubbard; Bishop Matthew Clark; Monsignor Emmet Fagan; John Tynan; Sr. Maureen Joyce; Sr. Donna Franklin and Jack Balinsky.

"I am honored to accept this award on behalf of CCUSA and our local Catholic Charities agencies nationwide," Rev. Snyder said. "As Catholic Charities agencies, we are the tangible expression of our Lord's commitment to bind wounds and alleviate injustice. We are grateful to the NYS Council of Catholic Charities Directors for recognizing our important work and the value that it brings to communities across the country."

Today's award builds upon Rev. Snyder's long-standing and life-long commitment to charity and social justice in the world. As the leader of CCUSA since 2005, Rev. Snyder helps oversee the national office of more than 160 local Catholic Charities agencies nationwide that provide help and create hope to more than 10 million people a year, regardless of their religious, social, or economic backgrounds. Rev. Snyder is the author of Think and Act Anew: How Poverty in America Affects Us All and What We Can Do About It. The book calls on our nation to commit to supporting innovative approaches to combating poverty and spotlights effective and efficient programs being run by Catholic Charities agencies across the country. Just six months after his arrival at CCUSA, Snyder led the network's response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, in which more than 110 Catholic Charities in the Gulf Coast and beyond provided immediate and long-term aid to more than one million hurricane victims. In 2007, he was named to the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, which oversees the Church's charitable activities around the world. He was also president of Caritas North America from 2006-2011. In all these roles Father Larry Snyder has been an exemplary advocate for those on the margins of society.

The NYS Catholic Conference represents the bishops of New York State in matters of Public Policy. The role of the Conference is to seek justice, fairness and charity for all, with a particular emphasis on the poor and vulnerable.

For more information on the NYS Catholic Conference, click here.

About Catholic Charities USA
Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is leading a national movement to end poverty in America. In communities across the country, Catholic Charities member agencies are helping individuals and families in poverty achieve their full potential. Together we are dedicated to creating a life of opportunity and self-sufficiency for each of the 46 million of our brothers and sisters struggling to make ends meet. CCUSA was founded in 1910 on the campus of Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. as the National Conference of Catholic Charities. For more than 100 years, CCUSA has guided and supported the vast network of Catholic Charities agencies nationwide in a common mission to serve, advocate, and convene. For additional information, please visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.

SOURCE Catholic Charities USA