Catholic Multicultural Center

🌎 Today is World Cleanup Day! 🌎

We’re proud of the difference CMC volunteers make in keeping our community space clean, healthy, and welcoming year-round. Every hour volunteered and every helping hand makes an impact!

Thank you to our incredible volunteers for giving back and making a difference! When you head out for your daily walk today, grab a garbage bag and pick up some trash along the way. Every little bit helps keep our neighborhoods clean and beautiful!

This month the CMC and African Center hosted a community field trip to Token Creek County Park! Participants were able to enjoy a free picnic, and transportation thanks to partner organization BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin! Hikes were lead by BIPOC Birder and Southern Wisconsin Birding Alliance volunteers, using binoculars to spot and identify different bird species while enjoying a beautiful day in nature!

Stay tuned for our next environment group outing!

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15th- October 15th

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the rich cultures, histories, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic communities—and especially the immigrants and families who bring their strength to our community.

As an organization serving Hispanic immigrants, we are honored to stand alongside the individuals and families who call our community home. We recognize the courage it takes to build a new life, the traditions that connect generations, and the many ways Hispanic immigrants enrich our workplaces, neighborhoods, schools, and communities.

This month and throughout the year, we remain committed to creating a welcoming community where Hispanic immigrants and their families can access support, build connections, pursue opportunities, and thrive.

We celebrate your stories, honor your contributions, and are proud to be part of your journey.

¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana!

As the sun sets this evening, our Jewish friends and neighbors begin celebrating Rosh Hashanah—the Jewish New Year and the start of the High Holy Days. 🍎🍯

We are so grateful for our partnership with Madison's Temple Beth El. For nearly a decade, they have helped to serve our free community meals and tend our Food Pantry Garden. Each year, they also spearhead a food drive and raise funds to support CMC's food programs.

To our friends at Temple Beth El and everyone celebrating: Shana Tovah! We wish you a sweet, happy, and prosperous New Year. Thank you for working with us to repair the world.

CMC's Community Field Trip with the African Center for Community Development is this Saturday! Please join in this half-day trip to Token Creek County Park, where we will enjoy the outdoors with hikes led by Madison-area birders. Transportation, shelter at the park, and snacks will be provided! Please register using the QR code or link in the flyer!

In September 1882, about 10,000 workers marched through New York City to make the case for shorter hours and safer working conditions. Twelve years later, the first Monday in September became a national holiday.

In between, in 1891, Pope Leo XIII wrote Rerum Novarum, insisting that a worker is a person before he is a wage and that pay should be enough to actually live on. That letter became the cornerstone of Catholic social teaching, and American Catholics built on it by founding the National Conference of Catholic Charities in 1910. Catholic Charities of Madison has carried the same conviction across southern Wisconsin since 1946.

Eighty years in, it stays practical. It looks like job search assistance at the Catholic Multicultural Center, where guests work toward employment that can support a household.

Happy Labor Day from all of us at Catholic Charities of Madison. Learn more at CCMadison.org.

September is Citizenship Month! English literacy is an important part of gaining citizenship and autonomy for many immigrants and refugees in our community. CMC's free English classes offer students the chance to gain the confidence and skills needed to speak English more effectively, making everyday life easier in a majority-English-speaking community.

Check out our updated English class schedule to join our Fall classes, starting 9/14!

Every day, people in our community are fighting addiction — and every day, recovery is possible.

On International Overdose Awareness Day, Catholic Charities of Madison stands with the individuals and families across southern Wisconsin touched by addiction and overdose. Through 5 Door Recovery, we walk alongside people seeking a way forward — offering treatment, support, and a place where dignity comes first, no matter where someone is starting from.

Recovery isn't out of reach. If you or someone you love needs help, 5 Door Recovery is here.

Learn more at: 5DoorRecovery.org

All are welcome to join our last environmental program event of the year, a community field trip to Token Creek! This event will take place on Saturday, 9/12, from 8:45 am to 12:30 pm, meeting at the CMC on 1862 Beld St. Transportation, a shelter at the park, and snacks for the group are included. We will have a shorter accessible hike and a longer, more challenging hike available to those who would like to participate. Trained birders will also be joining to lead the hikes!

Please sign up using the QR code in the flyer or with this link- https://SL1NK.com/INDIANLAKE

We hope to see you there for this fun outdoor event!

This week at the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC), we kicked off a new Food Service Job Training cohort. Dina, CMC’s trainer, is teaching participants how to chop, slice, sanitize, and work safely in a commercial kitchen, while our dedicated volunteer ESL teachers help them learn the vocabulary and phrases they’ll need on the job.

One trainee, Wencio, who is an electrical engineer originally from Cuba, heard about the program after joining CMC’s ESL classes a month ago. A lifelong learner, he’s eager to expand his skill set and says the training will let him take on more responsibilities at his current workplace.

Each person in the program has a unique story, but everyone shares the goal of gaining practical skills to support themselves and their families. After the course ends, CMC staff will help trainees prepare for the ServSafe exam and apply for employment using their new certification.