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What is New in Hospitality at Casa Juan Diego in Houston

Casa Juan Diego is a a part of the Catholic Worker movement. We depend totally on donations We do not receive government funding. We are a very few people working without salaries. Casa Juan Diego’s hospitality includes new refugees arriving every day.  We have been at capacity especially for the past eight months. We can only… continue reading

Casa Juan Diego Christmas Letter 2023

Dear Friends, The miracle of Casa Juan Diego continues. Our houses are full to overflowing with new refugees and their families who arrive each day. These guests have to be fed, clothed, and relocated. We cook a lot of meals. In addition, many, many people come to our food distributions each week. We purchase quantities… continue reading

The Children of Casa Juan Diego in Houston

As we prepare for Christmas, I find myself rejoicing at all the new babies and children that have found refuge at Casa Juan Diego. At times, we have relatively few children, but then immigration authorities will deliver so many that we have almost more than we can handle. Because the work of our house is 24/7… continue reading

Casa Juan Diego in Houston, Saint Juan Diego, and a New Life in Christ

Two years ago, God blessed me with the opportunity to be a Catholic Worker for the summer. Before arriving in Casa Juan Diego, I was not entirely sure what living there would entail, but I knew I wanted to spend my summer doing service and learning more about the Catholic faith. One of the requirements… continue reading

Two Hours in the Life of a Catholic Worker at Casa Juan Diego in Houston

I am often asked what we do here at Casa Juan Diego. My usual answer is we provide hospitality to new immigrants from around the world, which means we live in community together and care for each other. Yet this is just a part of our work; we also serve and respond to the larger… continue reading

Good Food Isn’t a Luxury at Casa Juan Diego in Houston

In Javier Zamora’s memoir Solito about his “trip” in 1999 as a lone, nine year-old from El Salvador to the United States to join his parents, he recalls the few tasty meals he ate during his harrowing six-week journey that took three attempts to get across the U.S.-Mexico border. There was the fried, fresh fish… continue reading

All Things Bright and Beautiful: Reflections on God’s Transforming Love at Casa Juan Diego

Kacie came to Casa Juan Diego as a Catholic Worker after graduating from the University  of Notre Dame to spend the better part of a year here before going to medical school. It is 3 o’clock in the morning. While the tight-knit team of Catholic Workers would normally be fast asleep – exhausted from the… continue reading

Veronica’s Veil – Working Amidst Impossible Situations at the Houston Catholic Worker

Marjorie began  as a Catholic Worker at Casa Juan Diego this past summer after her graduation from Saint Francis University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In Catholic tradition, there is a saint named Veronica who, as the story goes, was so overcome by the sight of Jesus carrying his cross on the road to be crucified that… continue reading

Our Guadalupe Truck Disappeared – Update

Update  Phone calls before 6 am are not so unusual for Casa Juan Diego, but it isn’t usually the police calling. The Baytown, Texas, night shift was calling to let us know that we could pick up our stolen truck from the impound yard. It had been reported as abandoned in a local bank parking… continue reading

On Pilgrimage and the Three Magi

“So now tomorrow I start off again ‘on pilgrimage,’ for we have here no abiding city.”   [Dorothy Day, On Pilgrimage, Eerdmans] Over many decades, Dorothy Day’s column in The Catholic Worker was entitled “On Pilgrimage.” It seems that she viewed her whole life as a pilgrimage. In her columns and in her book, On Pilgrimage,… continue reading