Catholic Family Service has been serving the Amarillo community since 1932.  The earliest records available show that a Diocesan Catholic Charities existed in 1932.  That office was created by Bishop Rudolph A. Gerken, the first Bishop of the Catholic Diocese in Amarillo.

 

But it was not until 1935, in the midst of the “Dust Bowl” and depression years that Bishop Robert E. Lucey, second Bishop of Amarillo, organized the Catholic Welfare Bureau and tied in with the Amarillo Community Chest.  Those were hectic years for Amarillo, which at that time had a population of around 50,000 people.   At the time, federal relief was dumped back into the laps of the local communities, and Amarillo was not prepared for it.  Bishop Lucey engaged himself whole-heartedly in the struggle.  He located a trained social worker in California and asked her to come to the city.  Miss Rosa Fortuny started working on March 1, 1935 from a building located at 1321 E. 10th Street.

 

Ms. Fortuny joined forces with other agencies then operating in the city and started creating programs.  She must have been a real go-getter!  Within three months, there were daily sewing classes for women being conducted, quilts were made from discarded, donated clothing, classes for girls were held weekly.  Cooking classes were organized at Guadalupe school cafeteria, feeding approximately 114 children a day.  In addition to the sewing and cooking classes, Ms. Fortuny organized athletic activities and Boy and Girl Scout troops.  Weekly clinics for children and mothers were organized through the generosity of Amarillo physicians and the local hospitals.

 

These early depression-era beginnings formed the foundation of the present multi-service agency which Catholic Family Service, Inc. has become, serving the community and offering services to people of all faiths, races and ages. We serve the neediest in the community, young and old.  

Please stop by and visit us at 200 S. Tyler Street!  Our services include an emergency Youth Shelter, a Youth Activity Center, Adoption and Foster Care services, Low Cost Rental Units, Citizenship and Immigration services, Interpreting services, a Refugee Resettlement Program, the Inter-Faith Hunger Project, and Adult Eye Care. We look forward to meeting you!