It is the end of an era for the diocesan Office for Social Concerns.
Mark Huddy, who served as director and Episcopal Moderator for Catholic Charities and the Office for Social Concerns, retired Dec. 10 after leading the office for 31 years.
He served under four bishops during his time as director: Bishops Emeritus James Griffin and Frederick Campbell and Bishops Robert Brennan and Earl Fernandes.
Reflecting on his more than three decades of service, during which he also served on the diocesan Bishop’s Council, Huddy expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve, and for his staff.
“It’s been wonderful,” he said. “I’ve worked with just amazing people over the years.”
Also retiring is Erin Cordle, associate director for the Office for Social Concerns. After Huddy joined the diocese in 1993, he hired Cordle in 1998.
In her role, Cordle has served as the diocesan director for several United States Conference of Catholic Bishops programs, including Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Campaign for Human Development. She oversees the local and national grants process for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development as well.
Huddy’s staff also included Jerry Freewalt, who died earlier this year. Huddy hired Freewalt in 1995, and he worked alongside him for more than two decades.
Under Huddy’s leadership, the Office for Social Concerns has worked to meet the needs of others through coordinating respect life Masses and conferences, rural and urban immersion programs, adult and youth retreats, parish missions, rural life celebrations, disabilities inclusion conferences, immigration projects, statewide legislative advocacy days and senior citizen day celebrations among many other activities that impacted thousands.
“There was just a whole plethora of great things that we were able to accomplish,” Huddy said. “Jerry and Erin built on that over the years, and I think that we were able to contribute to expanding people’s faith and belief in our Lord and in what He calls each one of us to do and to be.”
In addition to leading the office, Huddy served as chair of the Ohio Catholic Rural Life Conference and a member of the Tri-Diocesan Mobile Ministry Steering Committee, which meets the needs of rural Catholic immigrants in northeast Ohio.
He also served on the board for the Joint Organization for Inner-City Needs (J.O.I.N.), Catholic Social Services, Inc., St. Vincent Family Services, St. Stephen’s Community House, The Villas of St. Therese and Birthright of Columbus.
While using his gifts and talents to serve others, Huddy shared that his various roles taught him a lot in return.
“I was blessed to be able to have the opportunity to learn a lot of things I didn’t know. Over 31 years, I’ve tried to be a pretty good student – seemed to work out pretty well,” he added with a laugh.
“When you have an opportunity to learn, to grow, to use the skills that you develop in learning, I think those are the kind of things that make you want to stay in a place.”
Remaining in the position for three decades might be somewhat of a surprise, perhaps even for Huddy himself.
After graduating from Ohio State University with a bachelor’s in English and earning a juris doctorate from the University of Cincinnati, a career in law seemed to be the path ahead of him. Huddy began his career as an attorney in the 1980s.
He served as an associate attorney for the Columbus firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease and as real estate counsel for the Limited, Inc. He was also a visiting professor at Capital University Law School, director of development in the College of Humanities at the Ohio State University and executive director of the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers.
While he had a promising career in law, he recalled one aspect missing from the various legal positions he held: his faith.
“My wife and I went on a trip to Medjugorje, really a pilgrimage, in 1989 and that had a major impact in changing the direction of my life,” he said. “We came back from that pilgrimage, and I decided I wanted to do more things with the Church.
“I ended up on an advisory board for J.O.I.N. and somehow I got appointed to a commission that Bishop Griffin created on ethics and human life. Those were my early kind of expansion into the Church world from the legal world.”
Once he began serving the Church in such capacities, more doors began to open. As Christ said in Scripture, ask and you shall receive; knock, and the door will be opened unto you.
“In 1993, an opening developed at the Department of Social Concerns, and there was another attorney who I respected, who had run that office for a number of years, and she was going to become principal of (the former school, Columbus) Christ the King,” Huddy said.
“I always had joked to my wife that Lois had the perfect job. She was able to integrate her faith life and her work life together.”
Huddy recalled applying for the position and being granted an interview.
“I was offered the job and then I had to decide whether I really meant what I said or not because it was a sacrificial kind of position to take, from a salary position, and we had three children at that time.
“It was a very good choice to make and never been unhappy making it – had to rely on trust in God a number of times over the course of time just to make things work, and God never disappoints.”
After serving for five years as the office’s director, Bishop Griffin asked Huddy to be vicar for Catholic Charities and Social Concerns in 1998. Huddy’s title was later changed to Episcopal Moderator under Bishop Campbell.
Huddy said the position gave him a chance to work with charitable agencies serving in the diocese such as Catholic Social Services.
Other charities he worked with include St. Vincent Family Services, which provides behavioral health care to children, and St. Stephen’s Community House, which serves individuals with fewer resources, specifically in Columbus’ Linden neighborhood.
Huddy’s years of service to the diocese were marked with accomplishments, including a papal honor.
On Christmas day last year, Bishop Fernandes surprised Huddy during a morning Mass at his home parish, Gahanna St. Matthew the Apostle, bestowing on him the honor of Dignity of a Papal Knight of the Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great. The bishop presented Huddy the award during Mass.
The Order of St. Gregory the Great is a papal award bestowed on one of the faithful in a diocese who has served the Church on the local level. It is granted by recommendation from a bishop.
While having officially retired earlier this month, Huddy will serve as a consultant to the office for the time being. He said he will be available to take phone calls and answer questions at least through February.
He left confident that the next era of the office will be strong well into the future.
“It’s been a blessing,” he said. “I’m very happy to have been able to be here.”