Episcopal Charities

Executive Director Matt Berryman visited St Michael and All Angels, Berwyn at the gracious invitation of Rector, The Rev. Jaime Briceno.

At the heart of their ministry is The Angels Bilingual Preschool - an important offering of love and service to the families of the community in Berwyn offering affordable preschool and childcare services to the working people of the Berwyn community. The Center is open from Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Parish decided to create an infant, toddler, and preschool child care center, named The Angels’ Child Development Center. Its purpose is to provide working parents with much needed assistance in the care of their children in a nurturing environment that fosters educational growth and healthy development.

What a joy it was to see the work of this parish and this important flourishing ministry being offered to the working people of their surrounding community.

Thank you, Fr. Briceno, for the invitation and for the work you and the teachers of The Angels School do on a daily basis! 🌷

PARISH PARTNER GRANTS - APPLY ONLINE - JUNE 10

On June 10, 2026, Episcopal Charities will publish a link to our Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 2026-2027 Parish Partner Grants Cycle! Stay tuned so that you and your parish community are available for a fruitful partnership with Episcopal Charities this year! 🌷

Please share this with all parishes, clergy, and partner organizations that may have an interest in working with Episcopal Charities in the Diocese of Chicago to build a more just and merciful world. 🌷

Communion, in Catholic theology, is not a feeling of spiritual warmth. It is a participation in the Body of Christ that carries radical obligations — to the poor, the stranger, the enemy, to peace. It is a table the powerful do not preside over. They are guests at it, like everyone else.

Arthur Holquin

Episcopal Charities Executive Director Matt Berryman joined Trustee Ida Butler and Board President Rebecca Cacayuran at St Augustine’s in Wilmette this morning as guest preacher. Special thanks to The Rev. Nadia Stefko, Rector, for the gracious invitation.

The economy of Easter is one of extravagant grace - not even death holds sway when love like this is unleashed on the world. The love of a prodigal father for his son, the sharing of all things in common as any has need, the shepherd who calls each of us by name, forgiveness lavishly given without reserve, without caution.

It was wonderful to be at St Augustine’s this morning and wonderful to celebrate Easter together.

We are delighted to be with St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Wilmette this Sunday to celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Easter and the politics of resurrection.

Matt Berryman, Executive Director of Episcopal Charities, is guest preacher.

📍 1140 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091
🌐 www.staugustineswilmette.org
🕤 9:30 AM Eucharist

Adult Forum and conversation to follow. All are welcome to join us for worship and conversation!

I stand with my brother in Christ, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, in his courageous call for a kingdom of peace.

As I prepare to visit Rome later this month to meet and pray with Pope Leo, I am mindful of his call to keep our eyes open to the suffering of the world, and our gaze fixed on our crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ – the image of the invisible God, in whose image and likeness every human being is made. In him, we recognise that we are children of the one Father and members of a single human family. Prayer is not an escape from the world, nor a turning away from injustice; rather, it is a turning towards God in the midst of it, confronting evil, seeking God’s will, and becoming instruments of transformation and peace.

Read my full statement on my website.

This post closes our 2025 Grants Series with the partners who started it all. These organizations, strong and stable, are a witness to the power and impact of faithful giving in our Diocese for many many years.

For years, Episcopal Charities has walked alongside these seven organizations as they grew into pillars of their communities.

Holy Family Ministries.
Shelter Care Ministries.
Primo Center.
Lawrence Hall.
ReVive Center.
Youth Guidance.
St. Augustine College.

They have become self-sustaining, deeply rooted, and vitally important to the people they serve across Northern Illinois.

As we move toward a more strategic, impact-driven grantmaking model, we honor their continued legacy and ministry within the Episcopal Charities family of Ministry Partners. Their strength is a testament to what faithful, long-term investment can do for the most vulnerable. They are a reminder that the work of justice is measured not in seasons, but in generations.

Thank you to the many faithful givers over the years who have given to Episcopal Charities so that we could partner with these wonderful organizations.

episcopalcharities.org

Parish Partners — $73,750 in Grants

There is a moment in every Eucharist when the body of Christ is blessed, broken, and given. And in that mystery lives a call: that we who receive it are ourselves blessed, broken, and given…to our neighbors, to our communities, to a world in need. Our Parish Partner grants fund the churches who have heard that call and answered it.

In 2025 - 26, across the Diocese of Chicago, 17 Episcopal congregations are stepping out beyond the sanctuary doors: building food pantries, welcoming migrants, housing the displaced, feeding the hungry, and offering dignity to those society has overlooked.

From Summer in the City for young people to migrant family housing in Berwyn to a choir that builds community for those affected by dementia, these one-year grants turn faith into action.

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” — Matt. 18:20

www.episcopalcharities.org

Impact Non-Profit Partners — $331,750 in Grants

When we say “impact,” we mean it. Quite a few of these ten organizations across Northern Illinois are newer to our family, and for many of them, our funding isn’t supplemental. It’s foundational.

From Saint Leonard’s Ministries walking alongside returning citizens, to Waukegan to College opening doors for first-generation students, to Care for Friends serving meals with dignity to neighbors experiencing homelessness…this is where transformation begins.

At the margins. In the forgotten places. Among the people the systems overlooked.

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.” — Isaiah 1:17

episcopalcharities.org

The Catalyst Project Fund was initiated in 2025 as a key component of Episcopal Charities' new strategic plan. Notably, EC launched Project PEWS, providing comprehensive support through trainings, forums, and workshops aimed at empowering and protecting Caribbean and African immigrant communities.

Looking ahead, we anticipate catalyzing further impactful initiatives. We invite your feedback on potential opportunities for EC to serve as a catalyst in your community. Let us know if we can be helpful!