Commenting here on a breaking news story such as the children from Central America in custody at the Texas border runs the risk that the situation may have changed drastically by the time you read this. On the other hand, it is fascinating to look at current events “with a Bible in one hand and… continue reading
Babies in the River – Urgent Humanitarian Situation, Part 2 – Breaking News and St. Basil
August 14, 2014 by
Babies in the River: “Urgent Humanitarian Situation,” Part I
July 1, 2014 by
President Obama recently called the explosion in the number of migrant children crossing our southern border without parents or caretakers an “urgent humanitarian situation.” Ninety thousand children this year, some as young as five years old, making a journey alone that is incredibly dangerous even for adults, many of them beaten, robbed, forced to sell… continue reading
The Trickle Down Economy Is Alive and Well at Casa Juan Diego With So Many Poor: Tears Roll Down Instead of Wealth
February 24, 2014 by
On a Tuesday last November I was in a planning meeting with some executives of a local social service agency who were talking about the problem of food insecurity in Houston. It is a growing problem and an interesting discussion, but I said nothing, partially because I was late but mostly because I was exhausted…. continue reading
The Perils of Professionalism Or a Revolution of the Heart
October 2, 2013 by
My most recent trip to the Mexican Consulate was to accompany one of our guests who needed their help. At Casa Juan Diego, we spend a lot of time waiting in lines at various Consulates. Our guests need the services they offer, but the Consulates often seem overwhelmed by the number of supplicants. We did… continue reading
Deferred Action: Half a Loaf is Way Better Than None, But It Is Still Half a Loaf
November 26, 2012 by
Like 9/11, the June 15th announcement of the new policy of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was, for me, one of those moments when something so shocking happens that you remember forever where you were and what you were doing. I have so much invested, professionally and personally, in meaningful immigration reform that my reaction… continue reading
What Dorothy Day Has Meant To Me
April 18, 2012 by
By Dawn McCarty, Ph.D., LMSW Almost every day I hear and read about the problems caused by undocumented workers. They take our jobs, overcrowd our social services, take away resources from our children and get away with breaking the law with complete abandon! You would think they are some powerful alien group who threaten the… continue reading
“For the Worker Is Worthy Of His Hire”: Reflections On Day Laborers
February 18, 2012 by
Biblical scholars have suggested that the day laborers of Jesus’ time were at the very bottom of the working ladder. Even slaves were better off, in the sense that they had someone to protect them – they had value as the owner’s investment. I knew before I came to Casa Juan Diego that the day… continue reading
A New Mandate for Immigration Reform
August 1, 2011 by
As a social scientist by trade, my tendency to categorize human behavior carries over to my work as a Catholic Worker. I have noticed that there are basically two different types of guests that receive care, support and hospitality at Casa Juan Diego: those newly arrived, and those that have been in the United States… continue reading
American Madonna: Crossing Borders with the Virgin Mary. Orbis Books, 2010.
February 1, 2011 by
I enjoyed reviewing Deirdre Cornell’s new book, American Madonna: Crossing Borders with the Virgin Mary , partly because it is an excellent book, partly because I met the author in central Mexico in the early 1990s. I never forgot her; she is one of those people that linger in your memory. With my own research and… continue reading
The Sins of the Fathers? How Immigration Policies Promote Child Neglect
October 1, 2010 by
A few months ago a mother and father with two children arrived at the door of Casa Juan Diego unexpectedly–distressed, homeless, with very few clothes or possessions. I got the mother and children settled and comfortable in a room at our women’s house and the husband went to our men’s center. I did not see… continue reading
