“I have not yet resisted unto blood,” Dorothy Day commented, after surviving a drive-by shooting at Koinonia Farm. She had endured many hardships–jeers, threats, and insults, being shoved into paddy wagons and jailed–but her acts of protest against war and social injustice had never put her life at risk. She had never been shot… continue reading
Love in Action at Casa Juan Diego During COVID-19
June 10, 2020 by
Weeks before the formal stay at home orders were issued, we were planning as best we could to take care of our guests and the many community members we serve. Casa Juan Diego is a literal hive of activity throughout the day, with constant interaction of staff with both guests and community. We have on… continue reading
Open Letter To My Friends: Reflections on the Death of George Floyd
May 31, 2020 by
In the last few months, I’ve had to have conversations with my kids about things I shouldn’t have to. They have asked questions about why black people seem to have been hated by other races from what they’ve been learning. I need to get something off my chest. Please oblige me. Let me… continue reading
Activate Catholic Antibodies Against the Coronavirus and the Virus of the Soul
May 4, 2020 by
Facing Crises With the Antibodies of Catholicism How does one continue the Works of Mercy in the midst of a pandemic? How can one help to keep faith and hope alive when people are worried and anxious and ill and some in their desperation become angry and have even sought scapegoats? We often hear of… continue reading
Solidarity and the Unity of Suffering
March 14, 2020 by
Evan is a Catholic Worker at Casa Juan Diego. He came to us from a Trappist monastery. Growing up, it was a tradition for my family to travel into downtown Chicago to see a stage rendition of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Though I knew the story well, it never failed to excite my imagination, perhaps… continue reading
The Joy at Casa Juan Diego Is Fuller With You In It and With Your Help
March 14, 2020 by
Meg is a Catholic Worker at Casa Juan Diego. She graduated last year from the University of Notre Dame. “The only answer in this life, to the loneliness we are all bound to feel, is community.” Dorothy Day, The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day, p. 184 Passing through the front door to… continue reading
Death While Waiting at the Border
November 26, 2019 by
A few days ago, we received word that the brother of a current guest of Casa Juan Diego, who had been forced to await his day in a U.S. Court in one of the refugee camps just across the border in Mexico, had been murdered. We don’t know the details yet, but a fellow migrant,… continue reading
Raising a Prophetic Voice: Civil Disobedience,Divine Obedience and the Catholic Worker
November 9, 2019 by
Casa Juan Diego is a busy place, powered by an amazingly hard-working core of full-time, live-in Catholic Workers and aided by a vast and varied troop of part-time volunteers. Multi-tasking is a must, since the phone and the doorbell never stop ringing. Meals and meetings take place against the background hum of the immigrant mothers… continue reading
“You Shall Not Wrong Any Widow or Orphan”: Seeking a Better Way Than Family Separation
August 1, 2019 by
One of our guests sat weeping in our office as she contemplated her future. Her husband was in immigration detention and the possibilities for his release were not good. Our Honduran guest (we will call her Suyapa), eight months pregnant, had been released while her husband was sent to further detention in Georgia. Their baby… continue reading
Ben Salmon, Catholic Conscientious Objector
July 22, 2019 by
Michael J. Baxter co-founded and lived and worked at Andre House in Phoenix (1984-88) and the Peter Claver Catholic Worker in South Bend (2003-09). He directed the Catholic Peace Fellowship from 2001-2012. He currently teaches Religious Studies and Catholic Studies at Regis University in Denver and is completing a collection of his essays on Catholic… continue reading
