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A Haiku: Reflection After Mass at Casa Juan Diego

Parents gathering Candlelight consolation Tearful Eucharist              

Thy Will be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven: Eschatology and Our World Today

When I became a Catholic many years ago, somehow I got the idea that earthly concerns were not very important in the light of eternity. My instruction in the faith did not teach that, but the very idea of the transcendent reality of God and life someday in the beatific vision led my mind to… continue reading

Living Beyond Politics: A Post-Election Reflection On Dorothy Day

Last fall, political pundits of various stripes informed us that the upcoming 2024 election would be the most important one of our lifetimes. Never mind that we have been told this every presidential election year in this century—this time it was really true. Many of us heeded the warning, absorbed ourselves in the promises of… continue reading

Gustavo Gutierrez. R.I.P.

When I arrived at the University of Notre Dame to begin my Ph.D. in Theology, the very first course I took was with the Peruvian father of liberation theology Gustavo Gutiérrez. I knew him by reputation since I had read his groundbreaking first book, A Theology of Liberation, and I was very excited to meet… continue reading

Christmas Letter

Dear Friends of Casa Juan Diego, The joy of Christmas comes as a great gift, breaking into the despair, sadness, and fear of violence that surrounds us and others in many parts of the world. All the hype about Christmas shopping (since July 4) simply cannot drown out the Good News of this Silent Night:… continue reading

The Incarnation: Receiving the Lord in the poor, the stranger, the broken-hearted

It seems that sometimes we Catholics neglect to mention that the Lord Jesus explicitly told us why he was sent by the Spirit of the Lord, as he quoted the Old Testament prophecy. Recent experiences reminded us. We received a call from a hospital asking if we could accept an 18-year old mother of tiny… continue reading

Catholic Workers and Food

The guests living in our Casa Juan Diego Houses of Hospitality, along with the Workers who live and work there, eat the same food, together. Our meals are simple, nourishing, and lovely at times. Feeding and serving food happens all the time at Casa Juan Diego as an act of generosity and love. Food, however,… continue reading

Becoming a People–The Peter Maurin Conference, Chicago, September 6-7, 2024

The Peter Maurin Conference was, from the beginning, a labor of love. A group of 12 gathered over Zoom in early 2023 to discuss plans for a Peter Maurin conference in Chicago. Why Chicago, for a conference dedicated to a man born in France, who became famous in Union Square, and was buried in New… continue reading

Review: Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion: A Graphic Novel

Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion, Written by Jeffry Odell Korgen and Friar Mike Lasky, OFM Conv., Illustrated by Christopher Cardinale, Pauli’s Press, 2024. With the canonization process moving ahead for Dorothy Day, interest continues to grow for the Servant of God who famously said, “Don’t call me a saint. I don’t want to be dismissed that… continue reading

Can We Survive the Storms Around Us? Insights from Henri de Lubac, SJ

Sometimes we ask ourselves how we can keep going in the midst of the storm around us, the people with all their needs, their anxieties, the traumas they carry with them, their health problem. We have to ask the Lord to be with us each day as he calmed the sea for the disciples during… continue reading