Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, visited Newburgh last Wednesday to officially open a new office for Catholic Charities at 280 Broadway.

The office and center is located on the lower level of the building.

According to Shannon Kelly, CEO of Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster Counties, this new office space will now house a variety of Catholic Charities services that include immigration and legal services, case management services, a food pantry and behavioral health services. With the location being on Broadway, this will be a more centralized location for the community.

Kelly has only served as CEO for about a year, but she has been a part of the Catholic Charities network for the past 15 years.

Kelly welcomed all those gathered for this occasion and was grateful to see many partners and supporters in attendance. She noted that Catholic Charities served 36,000 residents in 2021, and looks forward to continuing the work and offering services to those in need in the immediate community.

“Thank you for the invitation to be here and thank you especially for all the work that you do,”the Cardinal said. “Even more than what you do is who you are, people who respect the dignity of every human person.”

Orange County Legislator Genesis Ramos said that eight years ago, she interned with the Office for New Americans which was back on Liberty Street and is grateful to see the work continuing to be done by Catholic Charities in the community, especially in Newburgh.

“It is truly a pleasure to see the growth of the organization, to see how far it is coming,” Ramos said.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus welcomed the Cardinal and thanked him for coming to the City of Newburgh and shared he is proud to be a partner of Catholic Charities and will continue to be a supportive partner in future endeavors.

“You [Catholic Charities] are actually making a difference, helping people when really they might not have any options,” Neuhaus said.

Also in attendance were Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, who also shared words of gratitude and support for the celebration. Orange County Legislator Mike Anagnostakis, City of Newburgh Police Chief Anthony Geraci, City of Newburgh Police Commissioner José Gomérez, and Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler were also recognized during the ceremony.

As the ceremony concluded, a blue ribbon was unrolled and Dolan made his way to the center of the crowd. After a brief cut, the ribbon split and applause followed and marked the official opening of the new office.