About us

Catholic Social Services of Augusta was founded in downtown Augusta, Georgia, in August 1969 by Sister Celine Fahy, a Missionary Franciscan Sister who had been principal of Immaculate Conception School, a Catholic School in Augusta’s inner city, for many years. 

Having experienced the dire poverty of so many neighborhood families, Sister Celine dedicated the rest of her life to responding to these needs. With the confirmation and blessing of Bishop Gerard Frey of Savannah, Sister Celine opened Catholic Social Services of Augusta in a little yellow house on the 1100 block of 12th Street, across from the Catholic School. 

The ministry of Catholic Social Services grew from home visitation, food and clothing provision, and outreach to the elderly, the sick, and the homeless, to providing emergency assistance needed for shelter, utilities, emergency transportation and other crisis intervention. 

As Sister Celine’s vision and zeal in addressing poverty and injustice grew stronger, her health began to deteriorate. Shortly before she died in 1983, the “little yellow house” was closed, and CSS moved to a somewhat bigger, more secure “red house” provided by St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church, located on Arsenal Avenue. In time, a food pantry was added onto the red house, and a clothing distribution site was opened nearby.

In 1999, Catholic Social Services purchased property at 811 12th Street in Augusta (four blocks from the site of the “little yellow house”), closer to partner agencies in the downtown outreach network and to so many of the struggling people the agency serves. 

In 2006, a retired grocery store on Broad Street was leased to house the Catholic Social Services Thrift Store. In July 2020, CSS purchased a 17,000 square foot building at 3229 Wrightsboro Road to expand the thrift store. With this expansion came a greater ability to serve more struggling people in the CSRA. 

In January 2025, CSS purchased a 10,000-square-foot building at 2620 Georgetown Drive in South Augusta to house the Outreach Office and serve a greater number of people while centralizing the outreach effort. 

Today, CSS offers assistance with utilities, food, personal hygiene items, medical costs, local transportation, and clothing.

The faith, the vision, and the good works of Sister Celine Fahy, inspired by Jesus Christ’s command to serve one another, continue to inspire the staff and volunteers of Catholic Social Services as they strive to live the mission and fulfill the ministry that began in a little yellow house on 12th Street.