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Liturgy, Theology, Poetry, and Slaughter in Our World

Some years ago Allison Ogle, one of the dedicated young Catholic Workers at Casa Juan Diego, introduced us to her fiancé (now her husband) Jonathan Ciraulo. Jonathan was a graduate student of theology at the University of Notre Dame; he has since received his doctorate and is teaching at St Meinrad’s School of Theology. The… continue reading

Pro-life After Dobbs – God Will Say, Where Are the Others?

Prolife After Dobbs – Who Will Care for the Mothers and Babies?   The joy of many after the Supreme Court ruling to leave abortion decisions to the states should spark a big response among Catholics to respond to many more pregnant women who will be in need. Prolife groups who give baby furniture, diapers,… continue reading

A Celebration of Juan Diego at Casa Juan Diego Houston

We were inspired by a sermon on St. Patrick’s Day this year at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (online at 6 a.m. on weekdays) as the celebrant of the Mass reminded us of how the patron saint of a place looks out for the people of that parish or other place named for the saint, from heaven…. continue reading

Christ and the Common Destiny of Humanity

“His blood has made one kingdom out of all nations in the Mystical Body of Christ” – Henri De Lubac In his January 10th speech to the Vatican Diplomatic Corps this year, Pope Francis reminded them (and all of us) of our common destiny among world crises: “The issue of migration, together with the pandemic… continue reading

Thanksgiving Letter

No government agency guarantees the future of Casa Juan Diego, but it continues to survive, thanks to you all. We have received so much. Of course, the generosity is not meant for us (we are not paid), but for the many hundreds of women, men, and children who stay at Casa Juan Diego, for the… continue reading

Christmas and Precarity

What we celebrate in our Christmas Masses is true. God has entered human history in the Word made flesh, the Second Person of the Triune God. As Jennifer Newsome Martin, put it in her study of the work of Charles Péguy, French poet of the Incarnation, in Communio this year, “With the resounding fact of… continue reading

Casa Juan Diego Services Disruption

Monday, November 29 to Friday, Dec 17, 2021 Because of City construction, Casa Juan Diego’s buildings on Rose Street will be closed on the above dates to all but foot traffic on the sidewalk. Rose Street between Shepherd and Durham will be closed in both directions. No vehicles of any kind will be allowed in… continue reading

‘Don’t Worry, This Is a Catholic House’

Published in Commonweal Magazine. October 25, 2021 Our work at Casa Juan Diego in Houston, Texas, changed abruptly during the first months of the pandemic. Because of the lockdowns and emergency restrictions at the U. S. Mexico border, fewer refugees arrived from Latin Amieica. We were busier than ever, however…. To Continue reading the article,… continue reading

New Migrants Arriving at Casa Juan Diego – Can you help?

I had commented to our (few) Catholic Workers last week that the Lord was having mercy on us, giving us a break, because a number of families or individuals who had been living at Casa Juan Diego were moving on. But we soon realized that some of the people among the many thousands who were… continue reading

How To Locate An Immigrant in Detention

If you are trying to locate an immigrant or refugee in detention, the government has provided a site to assist. The address is https://locator.ice.gov/odls/#/index. You will need to put in the first and last name, the country of  origin, and either the A# or the birth date.