NEWS BRIEFS

Nov. 19, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

Catholic Charities CEO headed to Minnesota

Paul Martodam, whose name has been synonymous with Catholic Charities in Phoenix since 1993, will leave his post as chief executive officer at the end of the year.

He’ll take up similar duties for Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It’s the Twin Cities’ largest social service agency where visits to the food shelf increased 91 percent from September 2008 to 2009.

Martodam will be the first non-priest CEO since a 1977 merger of multiple agencies created the organization. It now aids some 35,000 people in crisis annually.

Martodam spent 12 years with Catholic Charities in St. Cloud, Minn., before heading to Phoenix.

During his time in Arizona, Martodam increased the organization’s revenues from about $8 million to more than $35 million annually.

“Besides the obvious administrative skills that he has gained over these years, he has a deep spirituality that motivates his enthusiasm for this ministry. I look forward to working with him in the years to come,” said Archbishop John C. Nienstedt, of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who appointed Martodam.

Cathedral to host annual Blue Mass

Hundreds of law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical crews will gather at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral next week for the annual Blue Mass.

The liturgy, now in its 19th year, gives Catholics a chance to give thanks for those who lay their lives on the line to protect parish communities daily. The names of those who sacrificed their lives this past year will be read, and a candle will be lit in their honor.

Mass begins at 10 a.m., Nov. 24, at the cathedral, 6351 N. 27th Ave. For more information, call (602) 354-2112.

Catholic-owned business installing free heating, cooling

Hobaica Services, Inc., a Phoenix-based heating and cooling contractor, is asking the local community to nominate deserving people they know who are in need of a new home heating and cooling system.

Hobaica Services will install them for free with no strings attached during the holiday season. The outreach is part of the company’s BEGIN program — Business Entities Getting Involved in our Neighborhoods — that will give away one system per week in November and December.

Candidates must currently not have a working heating and/or cooling system. Nominations will be accepted throughout the program.

“During these troubling economic times, we wanted to focus our attention on the particular needs in the community that we can help directly,” said Paul Hobaica, president of family owned and operated Hobaica Services, Inc. The company has served Phoenix since 1952.

For more information and nomination forms and rules, visit www.hobacia.com or drop off forms at the corporate offices  located at 7027 N. 27th Ave.