A couple weeks after the death of Pope Francis, a former coworker of William J. McCarthy Jr. compared the retiring executive director of Catholic Charities of Baltimore to the late pontiff.
Asked what made working with McCarthy so good, Mary Anne O’Donnell, retired chief administrative officer of the agency, said, “It was his compassion, similar to Francis. It was about the people.”
She said for McCarthy, “It’s as important how we do it and why we do it, not necessarily what we do. That was a hallmark of his leadership.”
O’Donnell talked with the Catholic Review before an annual Catholic Charities fundraising gala, which this year included farewells to McCarthy as he prepares to leave the agency in June after 16 years at the helm. While certain projects were touted as highlights of his time – including perhaps his favorite project, a new intergenerational service center in Mosher – O’Donnell said it is that staff were colleagues. “That’s his signature,” she said.
O’Donnell was one of many providing an evening of accolades for McCarthy, who has worked seamlessly with the agency’s 2,000 employees, 8,000 volunteers and more than 10,000 donors. Established in 1923, Catholic Charities is the state’s largest private provider of human services with more than 80 programs in 200 locations.
Archbishop William E. Lori said that when he came to the archdiocese in 2012, one of his first days was spent touring some of Catholic Charities’ facilities with McCarthy, whom he called compassionate and competent. He said on such visits, including one to a site in Mountain Maryland, he “met people who cared, who loved those they served.” He said that kind of attitude of workers starts at the top.
He listed a number of accomplishments during McCarthy’s tenure, and noted that he “did them because he loves his neighbor.”
Archbishop Lori said that because anything he said in tribute would be “woefully inadequate,” he had enlisted the help of Pope Francis before his passing to award the Cross Pro Eccelsia et Pontifice (“For the Church and for the Pontiff”) to McCarthy. The honor, given only by the pope, is the highest that can be given to someone in the church for service.
Terri Becks, immediate past president of the Charities board and emcee for the evening, said McCarthy has the heart of a social worker with a business background. McCarthy came to the charitable agency with background as a lawyer and bank executive.
She noted that McCarthy often talks about the 2007 death of his teenage daughter, Erinn, after a three-and-a-half-year battle with bone cancer, and how she inspired him with her courage and encouraged him to do more to serve others.
“Erinn called him to serve,” Becks said. “It’s not just Bill’s legacy but Erinn’s too. He was more open and empathetic to the people around him because of the way he was called.”
Several civic leaders praised McCarty for his cooperation with communities all around the region.
U.S. Rep Johnny Olsewski (D-Md. 2), former Baltimore County executive, presented a congressional citation, and noted that McCarthy lives the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan and embodies the vision of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV. “Especially at a time when too many leaders are sowing fear, the need for compassion has never ben greater. … Bill truly is his brother’s keeper.”
State Comptroller Brooke Lierman presented citations on her behalf and another from Baltimore City Comptroller Bill Henry.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-46) recalled how he was elected as a new state legislator shortly after McCarthy started at Catholic Charities. Ferguson’s district includes Cherry Hill, which needed renewal. At a meeting with McCarthy, Ferguson assumed Catholic Charities would step up from the start, but he said McCarthy told him the agency could not do so until he saw significant public investment.
After the public sector repaved Cherry Hill Road and built two new schools, Catholic Charities made a major investment to rebuild Cherry Hill Town Center, creating a place for a variety of services, including a Safe Streets location and a branch of Chase Bank. “Cherry Hill has been this beacon of light and hope for a neighborhood that deserves it more than almost any other,” Ferguson said, noting that McCarthy inspired others to work together.
Noting that McCarthy has a “Gospel-rooted heart,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott presented a citation as well. He said that a year after a “horrific, horrific shooting in Brooklyn,” that neighborhood’s Safe Streets program, sponsored by Catholic Charities, was able to mark 365 days without a homicide in the neighborhood.
Safe Streets employs “violence interrupters” who were formerly incarcerated to engage the community and defuse difficult situations. “Bill saves lives because he backed credible messengers with resources and trust,” Scott said.
The mayor drew laughs from the crowd as he challenged McCarthy to join a 50-plus parks and recreation basketball league, now that he will have time in retirement.
Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier also presented a citation, noting “there is so much love in this room, I can’t even stand it.”
Two videos of tribute and gratitude to McCarthy regaled the crowd of about 800, more than the 500 who typically attend the annual event.
In his remarks in response to the adulation, McCarthy turned the tables on his colleagues, praising again five Catholic Charities employees who had been honored earlier in the evening with the agency’s Mission in Action awards.
He said this work is not about one person. “What’s truest about us is we become what we are meant to be in community. … I have found the meaning of my life by walking beside you,” he said.
He thanked Archbishop Lori for his vision, leadership, mentorship and friendship, and his wife, Maria, for being a great listener and challenging him when he needed it.
When McCarthy met Pope Francis in 2016 when Archbishop Lori brought a small group of interfaith leaders to the Vatican to ask for prayers for Baltimore, McCarthy gave the pope an apron from Our Daily Bread and explained to the pope about the food program and other services to help people. He said the pope shook his hand warmly, thanked him and said, “Now do more.”
After Pope Francis appointed him to an apostolic commission to investigate a church-sponsored university in Madaba, Jordan, he recalled sitting in a meeting room at the Vatican and seeing the pope engaging with the crowd at a papal audience in St. Peter’s Square, visible outside the window. The experience reinforced that we are all neighbors, not because of who we know or in what circles we live and work.
“We simply belong because we all belong to God. Tonight, looking back on my time at Catholic Charities, I know that God clearly loves me. …
“Together, we fed the hungry, sheltered the unhoused, advocated for the marginalized, cared for the sick, and nurtured the vulnerable,” McCarthy said.
“While I appreciate the expressions of thanks and all the nice things said tonight, please know that I always felt that I got the better end of the deal. Thanks to you, I’ve experienced the true happiness of living a life of purpose and being in collaboration with an amazing group of people,” he said.
McCarthy took a moment to welcome his successor as executive director, David W. Kinkopf, who will take on the role full time in July. He said he had confidence the new director will be able to meet the challenges ahead with “compassion and love.”
McCarthy admits he has never taken a two-week vacation – ever. While he expects to be tapped for consulting and other community boards in his retirement, he will finally take a long vacation this September, a 16-day trip to Croatia, the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany.
Email Christopher Gunty at editor@CatholicReview.org
This story was updated May 16 to correct the spelling of Erinn McCarthy’s name.
To view more photos from the event, visit https://catholicreview.smugmug.com/2025-Catholic-Charities-Dinner or click through the slideshow below:
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