Forced separation of children and parents at the United States’ southern border, as a tool of a new, harsher immigration policy, shocks the conscience with its brutal indifference to the enduring injury it causes children and its callous neglect for human dignity. As the count of children separated from their families has grown into the… continue reading
“When I Was Hungry”: A Reflection on Volunteering At Casa Juan Diego Men’s House
May 28, 2018 by
My wife, Blossom, our 2 children (at the time), and I left Houston in 2003. In 2010, we began returning each year for one week. These have been rich experiences, both in the privilege to encounter Christ in the poor and in the camaraderie and fellowship we share with Mark, Louise, their family and the… continue reading
Traumatized Migrants Find Healing at Casa Juan Diego
May 28, 2018 by
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” the opening words of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities,describes nicely our recent experiences at Casa Juan Diego. Hurricane Harvey, with the heaviest rainfall in the recorded history of this country, would seem to qualify as the worst of times, except… continue reading
How To Avoid the Student Loan Catastrophe: Student Loans and the Evil Of Usury
May 28, 2018 by
The Student Loan Catastrophe; Postcards from the Rubble, by Richard Fossey. ISBN 978-1-5485-9171-7 Reviewed by J. Rick Altemose, Ph.D., a former Catholic Worker at Casa Juan Diego. Let’s start with a pop quiz. Of the following people, which one faces a “catastrophe?” PERSON A, a wheeler-dealer whose habit of taking extreme business risks worked out… continue reading
How Mark Zwick Met Dorothy Day and the Seeds Were Planted For the Houston Catholic Worker/Casa Juan Diego
May 20, 2018 by
Mark visited Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker on several occasions. One visit was with his mother Florence to Peter Maurin Farm on Staten Island in 1956, when they spent the better part of a day with Dorothy. Mark sometimes accompanied his mother to New York when she went on buying trips for her family department store… continue reading
Living the Gospel in a Secular Society
May 10, 2018 by
It often seems challenging or almost impossible to live out the Sermon on the Mount. Implementing it even in small ways often involves creative thinking outside of the usual patterns of thought as well as discernment about what is happening in our world. A friend recently told us that she went to her parish to… continue reading
The Sorrow and Beauty of Goodbye at Casa Juan Diego, the Houston Catholic Worker
March 19, 2018 by
More often than we’d like, we have to say goodbye. The work of housing people on their journey has taught me that. But the pain of parting has taught me about the importance of it too. Our houses of hospitality are temporary; they are not meant to be a permanent home. Therefore, inherent to the… continue reading
Pope Rejects Possession of Nuclear Weapons; Catholic Worker Pacifism Influences Church Teaching
March 8, 2018 by
“To be true followers of Jesus today also includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence,” Pope Francis said in his January 2017 World Day of Peace message.1 The issue of nonviolence has particular urgency in this moment, when more nations are acquiring nuclear weapons, when reckless, bellicose rhetoric prevails, and when false alerts of incoming missiles… continue reading
The Catholic Worker: A Model for Church and World
February 2, 2018 by
This video will give those who never had the opportunity to hear Mark Zwick speak (or who would like to see and hear him again as recorded) the opportunity to hear and see this talk given at the University of Notre Dame. The heart of the Catholic Worker as lived at Casa Juan Diego is… continue reading
Hurricane or No Hurricane—Why Don’t They Just Go To Work?
November 21, 2017 by
In the days and weeks after the massive floods in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey, even the harshest judge of the poor could hardly ask, “Why don’t they work?” Water, in some places deep enough to submerge grown men, trapped people in their houses, streets or neighborhoods. No one could go to work. Work places… continue reading
