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
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
End Forced Medical Deportations with Houses of Hospitality
June 12, 2013 by
Robby Caceres was a young, undocumented day laborer who was cut down by a heat stroke while working on a roof last summer. Dazed with grief and fear, his brother and a cousin, also young 20-somethings, came to Casa Juan Diego with a plea for help. It turned out Robby’s heat stroke was no ordinary… continue reading
Immigration, the Invisible Hand of Agribusiness, and Farm Workers
March 31, 2013 by
Mark Muller is the Food and Community Fellows Program of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy About a year ago, Don Lassus reviewed the book Tomatoland in the Houston Catholic Worker. This article takes the perspective of the campaign to address the mistreatment of the agricultural workers in Immokalee, Florida, in the larger context… continue reading
A Just Immigration Reform Will Suspend Deportations While Applicants Wait
March 9, 2013 by
Hope has emerged from the first steps toward immigration reform under discussion in the U. S. Congress. There seemed to be a new bipartisan willingness to tackle the issue of the millions of undocumented people already in the United States. We hope and pray that this effort does not get bogged down in political concerns… continue reading
Deferred Action: Half a Loaf is Way Better Than None, But It Is Still Half a Loaf
November 26, 2012 by
Like 9/11, the June 15th announcement of the new policy of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was, for me, one of those moments when something so shocking happens that you remember forever where you were and what you were doing. I have so much invested, professionally and personally, in meaningful immigration reform that my reaction… continue reading
Dorothy Day Prayer Card Inspires Migrant
September 27, 2012 by
Caleb is a student at the University of Notre Dame. He spent several months living and working at Casa Juan Diego this summer. Three months ago I was fully initiated into the Catholic Church through the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation at my school, the University of Notre Dame. That day I was surrounded by… continue reading
Dreamers Brought As Children Can Apply
September 7, 2012 by
Monica is a Catholic Worker in Houston. Since the Obama administration announced a plan to defer the deportation of some undocumented immigrants while granting them permission to work, we’ve been receiving calls at Casa Juan Diego about the details of how to apply to the so-called Deferred Action for DREAMers program. Some inquiries have even… continue reading
US To Stop Deporting Many Undocumented Youth
June 15, 2012 by
The Associated Press reported this morning that the Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to many young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The policy change, announced Friday by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who… continue reading
What Dorothy Day Has Meant To Me
April 18, 2012 by
By Dawn McCarty, Ph.D., LMSW Almost every day I hear and read about the problems caused by undocumented workers. They take our jobs, overcrowd our social services, take away resources from our children and get away with breaking the law with complete abandon! You would think they are some powerful alien group who threaten the… continue reading
The Perilous Intersection of Immigration Enforcement and the Child Welfare System
March 30, 2012 by
by Mark and Louise Zwick A national tragedy is taking place. While we argue about whether people should be here or not, families are being torn apart without any recourse. Children are being separated from their parents and may never see them again. A new study from the Applied Research Center, entitled “Shattered Families: The… continue reading
