History

CCS has existed for more than 70 years as a private sector agency. It was first incorporated in 1932 as Catholic Welfare Bureau Inc. with the mandate to consolidate the activities of several English Catholic service agencies, which existed in Montreal at that time. Today, the Agency is known as CCS-Catholic Community Services Inc.

Over the years our mandate has changed with some services having been assumed by Government or other agencies. The remaining services have been adapted and new services have been developed to meet the changing needs of the individuals, the families and the communities we are serving. However, we are very cognizant of our strong historical ties to the Irish-Catholic and English-speaking community in Montreal. During the past few years we have updated our Mission Statement and our logo to better reflect the fact that we are serving a much broader community than our historical roots suggest. Today, it is this broader community that we depend on for our funding, for our volunteers and for our clients. Our mission statement expresses who and what we are today and how we serve others. The origins and tradition of CCS shape the manner in which social services are understood and how we continue to give primacy to the dignity of each human being who requires our services.

As CCS approaches its 77^th anniversary, our goal is to keep developing a tradition of social service delivery that remains faithful to new developments in policy and offers an enlightened response to the social well-being of our society.

Our mission

CCS is a not-for-profit community organization, which develops and provides a continuum of support services, primarily in English for families and individuals of diverse ages, cultures and religions in the Greater Montreal area. We work in collaboration with our clients, volunteers and staff, offering innovative programs which foster self-reliance through empowerment.

Our values

We are committed to:

• Building networks of support and mutual aid to empower individuals recognizing the rights and needs of each, regardless of race, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion or language.
• Striving to deliver innovative and responsive services and programs, guided by the evolving concerns of our community.
• Working in partnership with the community at large and other community organizations and our funding partners. Our partners are kept fully informed of our goals and priorities, and are an integral part of our planning process.
• Fostering a work environment of continuous improvement and creative thinking for all our staff and volunteers and where:
  • They are encouraged to develop their full potential.
  • They are able to openly discuss and resolve issues.
  • They are empowered, informed, and supported in communicating their ideas directly, regardless of their position in the organization.
  • They share across work groups and functions and learn from one another in order to achieve their objectives.
  • They are confident that their work is respected, appreciated and recognized by CCS.

CCS Board of Directors

Honorary Chair
Most Rev. Anthony Mancini V.G.

President
David Dussault

Treasurer
Tom Boushel

Secretary
Margaret Healy

Past President
Father John E. Walsh

CCS Senior Leadership Team

Francis D'Souza, Director of Administraive Services
francisd@ccs-montreal.org

Filomena Manno, Manager, Almage Senior Community Center
filomenam@ccs-montreal.org

Rosemary Silletta, Manager, The Good Shepherd Community Center
rosemarys@ccs-montreal.org