The message of Pope Francis has swept the world, inspiring Catholics and the media, some previously disillusioned Catholics, and even atheists. His new Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, profoundly illustrates why this is so. In the style which has become familiar in his papacy of less than a year, Francis challenges us to… continue reading
The Joy of the Gospel – Option For the Poor is Fundamental; Wealth Does Not Trickle Down
February 10, 2014 by
Christmas Letter 2013
December 14, 2013 by
Dear Friends, The spirit of Christmas – Jesus being born poor in a stable – is an indomitable force, despite the efforts of consumerism. The poor tell us “that God chose his Son to be born like the rest of us so that we can realize that we are important.” But Jesus and Christmas belong… continue reading
Volunteer Opportunities
November 9, 2013 by
How You Can Help: Full-time Catholic Workers – Live and work at Casa Juan Diego. Assist Catholic Workers on a half-day weekend shift Volunteer doctors and dentists needed for our clinic. Assistants need to help organize charts. Help distribute food once a week early Tuesday mornings Assist our master gardener in our organic garden Be… continue reading
Immigration And the Next America: Renewing the Soul of Our Nation
August 30, 2013 by
Reviewed by Mark and Louise Zwick Amid discussions about comprehensive immigration reform our thoughts go to the people we know, especially the families which have been torn apart in recent years by an unprecedented number of deportations. Two-parent working families have suddenly become separated. Mothers and children now live in poverty and may not see… continue reading
From a Middle-Class Lifestyle to Voluntary Poverty and a Dramatic Experience in El Salvador
August 29, 2013 by
On Our Way We had it all. Or, we had the usual for middle-class people: four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two babies, two cars, two bank accounts and a good salary. People respected us at the city gates as the Bible says. What would be next? A cottage on the lake, a boat- a large one,… continue reading
An American Family’s Journey: Experience of the Church in El Salvador in 1977
July 27, 2013 by
We arrived in San Salvador on January 27th. The house we were to rent for $50.00 a month was located in a marginated area near the river and the dump. It had running water and electricity and was to be shared with a Salvadoran family. The only problem was the dust. It poured in constantly,… continue reading
Pope Wants a Church of the Poor and For the Poor, But a Well-known Catholic Writer Rejects Saint Francis of Assisi
July 5, 2013 by
The very first thing our new Pope did was to choose the name of Francis for St. Francis of Assisi. No Pope has ever been named Francis before. If Pope Francis had not done anything else, just claiming the name of Francis would have had a tremendous impact. (Para leer este artículo en español, haga… continue reading
How It All Began
June 18, 2013 by
We debated about calling the new/old section in the Archives, “What Were You Thinking?” or “The Early Years” or “Our Kids Think This Is Normal?” or “Giving It All Away” or “The Fire Years,” or “Youthful Energy,” but we chose “How It All Began.” In 1980 something very profound was happening in our community. Homeless refugees… continue reading
Casa Juan Diego, New Catholic Worker House, Opens to Serve the Poor
June 16, 2013 by
Casa Juan Diego is the result of allowing ourselves to dream. The vision of a Catholic Worker house on Washington Avenue in Houston established to serve the poor and Spanish speaking first came to us in 1979 while working in St. Theresa’s social service office. We had been readers of Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker paper… continue reading
Habemus Papam – We Have a New Pope Francis – What Does This Mean For the Catholic Worker?
March 18, 2013 by
Not only do we have a new Pope, we have a new, new Pope. Everything about him is unique. He is the first non-European Pope since the 8th century. He is the first Jesuit Pope Even more significantly, however – he is the first Pope Francis. The very first thing the new Pope did was… continue reading
