It was a great shock to us to hear of the death, by heart attack, in Paris of Emmanuel Mounier, at forty five. Mounier was the guiding spirit in the French personalist movement, and founder and director of Esprit, the magazine which is the organ of the movement. Mounier, who was the child of peasants,… continue reading
We Urge Our Readers to be Personalist
March 1, 1995 by
We are urging our readers to be neither collectivist nor individualist,but personalist. This consciousness of oneself as a member of the Mystical Body of Christ will lead to great things. We are working for the Communitarian revolution to oppose both the rugged individualism of the capitalist era, and the collectivism of the Communist revolution. We… continue reading
“Embarrassed by the Article in the Houston Chronicle?” and Other Questions
December 1, 1994 by
It happened this way. Sue David, Catholic Worker, left us a note saying Lori Rodriguez of the Houston Chronicle was coming in the morning to talk about Barbara Jordan’s new recommendations on getting control of our borders. We knew Barbara’s recommendations and while we were uncomfortable with them, we were still reeling from the devastating articles of Proposition 187… continue reading
Transfiguration Spirituality CHRIST DID NOT DIE FOR GOLD
September 1, 1994 by
We write this on August 6. This day is indelibly branded and engraved on our souls. It is the day, August 6, 1945, that our father died (Mark’s father, Herman Sebastian Zwick, died when Mark was a young teenager, leaving a family of twelve children). This changed Mark’s life. It is also the day, August… continue reading
The Politics of Free Obedience: What is a Lay Catholic To Do?
August 1, 1994 by
How can liberals stay in the Church after the recent Papal letter against the ordination of women and that Catechism of the Catholic Church that may have beautiful concepts but has exclusive language? How can conservatives stay in the Church? Some have already left, saying that Pope John Paul II is much too liberal (followers of LeFebvre, for example)…. continue reading
Who Will Inherit the Legacy of Dorothy Day? The Questions
May 1, 1994 by
Will the Catholic Worker movement survive without Dorothy Day? Who will inherit her legacy? Can the real spirit of Dorothy Day continue? Some wonder, “Where are the profound leaders who can take up the mantle of Dorothy Day?” Should the New York Catholic Worker (The Catholic Worker house that Dorothy founded, with Peter Maurin) become… continue reading
Clericalism Hurts Lay People
January 1, 1994 by
It was a tense situation. It could have been any church group, but all members of this group were active church members. They were very upset. A center of hospitality did not have a person immediately available to answer a question about accepting a battered woman in a dangerous situation, so the church group had to send this… continue reading
Should We Dump Them on the Street?
December 1, 1993 by
Since 1980 Casa Juan Diego has received thousands of refugees, Spanish speaking battered women and children. It has been the Inn to many homeless pregnant women. It is Saturday morning. There is much to do. Martha, a battered woman, abruptly interrupts our work with a visiting volunteer youth group from a local parish to insist… continue reading
Do We Need the Eucharist or the Church?
October 1, 1993 by
Potential volunteers call Casa Juan Diego to see if there is any group not connected with religion that gives hospitality to immigrants and refugees. Some would like to join in the work, but are uncomfortable with religion. Our answer to this question is no. We know of no one that can survive day after day,… continue reading
