Catholic Charities of Diocese of Wilmington to Honor Xavier DeCaire 
with Msgr. Reese Award April 18 at Annual Tribute Dinner

February 15, 2024 – Wilmington, DE – Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington will recognize Xavier DeCaire with the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award for exceptional dedication and unwavering support of local communities throughout his life at this year’s Annual Tribute Dinner at Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington on April 18.

Catholic Charities honors outstanding people who have demonstrated a deep commitment to addressing the well-being of our communities’ most vulnerable people. The Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award, created in 1989 in memory of community activist and longtime director of Catholic Social Services, the forerunner of Catholic Charities, is presented each year at the tribute dinner.

“Heartstrings of Hope” is the theme of this year’s dinner.

“In addition to his other philanthropic endeavors, DeCaire has been a resolute steward of Catholic Charities because of the profound impact their programs have had throughout Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore,” said Samantha Wallace, interim executive director of Catholic Charities.

DeCaire graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., and received the highest honors conferred by the National Alumni Association through the Simon Brute Medal award in 2023. He received the Pride of the Mount award in 2018, served on the board of directors on the Mount for nine years, and is now a trustee emeritus. A graduate of Salesianum High School, he has been a lifelong supporter of Catholic education.

He has supported Catholic Charities by serving on the Board since 2013, securing sponsorships for major events, and promoting the social services programs throughout the community. In addition, he has served on the Boards of St. Anthony’s Community Center Delaware, and the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides grants in support of medical research and education. “His Catholic faith inspires his tireless efforts for those in need in our surrounding communities,” Wallace said.

His philanthropic efforts include positions as former Chairman of the Board at Wellness Community Delaware, and the University and Whist Club, and as the former President of the Caesar Rodney Rotary Club. He is the current Chairman of the Board at the Delaware American Cancer Society. As a volunteer at Operation Smile, a medical charity that performs free surgeries for children with cleft palates, he travelled throughout South America. He later founded Kids with Confidence to cover surgical costs for children with facial anomalies, in the absence of insurance.

DeCaire’s career includes working as a partner at George J. Weiner Associates and as an agent for New York Life Insurance Company. He is a recipient of the 2007 Small Business Council of America Humanitarian of the Year award, which his son, Nic DeCaire, received in 2019, making them the only father-son award recipients to date. Xavier and his wife, Maria Elena, have three children and five grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. Xavi and his wife are parishioners at St. Mary of the Assumption in Hockessin.

Of his tenure in Catholic Charities, DeCaire stated, “It has been truly remarkable to see all the excellent work that Catholic Charities does. I am very humbled to receive this recognition, but the real recognition goes to the employees of Catholic Charities for the work they are doing.”

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington is a faith-based, social services organization, delivering critical direct care human services to individuals and families in Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

 For information about sponsorship opportunities or attending the Heartstrings of Hope Annual Tribute Dinner, please visit https://www.ccwilm.org/events/cc-dinner/