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
A Meditation on the Incarnation
November 26, 2019 by
Reflection on the Good News announced by the angel on that Holy Night when Jesus was born brings to us an awareness of the profound beauty and reality of the Incarnation, but also the contrast of the harsher reality of the world of that time, as well as that of our own time in history…. continue reading
Bishop Ramazzini, Friend of the Poor, Named a Cardinal
September 8, 2019 by
We received with joy the news that Bishop Ramazzini of the Diocese of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, is one of the new Cardinals that will be created by Pope Francis at the October consistory. Mark and Louise Zwick met Bishop Ramazzini in the in his former Diocese of San Marcos. They were concerned about the plight of… continue reading
Dorothy Day, The World Will Be Saved By Beauty, and Notre Dame Cathedral
April 21, 2019 by
Killeen spent eight weeks last year as a part of the Summer Service Learning Program of the University of Notre Dame Individuals, corporations, and even educational institutions like the University of Notre Dame have collectively donated over $1 billion toward the reconstruction of the Cathedral in the days following the tragic fire at Notre-Dame in… continue reading
Who Needs Christmas?
November 27, 2018 by
Many wish someone would do something about Christmas. The feast is a national pastime which often has little to do with the meaning of the word Christmas or its origins. Beginning preparations for buying things have just about moved back to the fourth of July. Some feel we need a new independence day to declare… continue reading
Homily of Archbishop Gómez at Closing Mass of the V Encuentro: You Are the Spiritual Heirs of Juan Diego.
October 28, 2018 by
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ: Our Gospel reading today begins with these words: “Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey.” This is our story, yours and mine. This is the story of the Church. We are his disciples. That means that at some point in our lives, each one… continue reading
Saint Oscar Romero, a Doctor of the Church?
August 20, 2018 by
At Casa Juan Diego we received with great joy the news from the Vatican that Blessed Oscar Rome will be canonized on October 14, 2018 in Rome, alongside Pope Paul VI, who gave Monseñor Romero unconditional support in a difficult time in El Salvador. In 2015 when Archbishop Romero was beatified, Pope Francis declared him… 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 Incarnation Brings God’s Prodigal Mercy to the Peripheries
December 9, 2017 by
Several years ago a priest visited us at Casa Juan Diego and noticed our book, Mercy Without Borders newly published by Paulist Press. When he asked where it was available, someone told him, through amazon.com. The priest laughed and laughed, saying how funny that was—our being down here hidden away with the poor and our… continue reading
New Pastoral Letter From San Salvador: I See Violence and Strife In the City
June 3, 2016 by
El Salvador is again overwhelmed with violence. At Casa Juan Diego we are very aware of the critical situation for Salvadorans because of the refugees who come to our doors and tell us their stories. In response to a crisis situation in which the death toll from homicides is one of the highest in the… continue reading
