Anne joined Casa Juan Diego as a Catholic Worker at Casa Juan Diego on August 1, 202,0 after her graduation from St. Mary’s College in Indiana. I was welcomed at Casa Juan Diego with the simple instructions given by Louise Zwick to all new Catholic Workers upon arrival: ring the doorbell when you’re here. When… continue reading
Fratelli Tutti, New Encyclical of Pope Francis
October 8, 2020 by
“FRATELLI TUTTI With these words, Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavor of the Gospel.” Thus begins the third encyclical of Pope Francis, with words that could change all of our lives if we take them to heart. Pope Francis teaches… continue reading
Catholic Social Teaching, Matthew 25 and Land Reform: Blood in the Fields and In the Streets
August 29, 2020 by
“In the eschatological parable of the sheep and the goats, Christ identifies so closely with the hunger, thirst, homelessness, nakedness, sickness, and imprisonment of others that he takes on their afflictions and they become his own.” (Blood in the Fields, p. 206) The demonstrations and protests of 2020 in response to the death of George… continue reading
Federal agents are expelling asylum seekers as young as 8 months from the border, citing COVID-19 risks
August 26, 2020 by
Thousands of migrant children have been expelled by the Trump administration since March. Some have been held in hotels without access to lawyers or family. Advocates say many are now “virtually impossible” to find. from THE TEXAS TRIBUNE AND PROPUBLICA AUG. 4, 2020 https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/04/border-migrant-children-hotels/. A teenage girl carrying her baby arrived at the U.S. border… continue reading
The Devastating Effects of Immigration Detention
August 24, 2020 by
In 2013, early in his papacy, Pope Francis’s first trip outside Rome was to minister to the immigrants who were in detention on the island of Lampedusa. There he famously decried the “culture of indifference” which allows the world to ignore the sufferings of migrants and refugees, and instead he called for a culture of… continue reading
Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century
August 19, 2020 by
Book Review John Loughery & Blythe Randolph, Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2020. Can any single work capture and convey the story of Dorothy Day’s endlessly fascinating and significant life? Religiously precocious child born to nominally Christian parents. Radical journalist and activist in her teens. Bold bohemian in… continue reading
Dorothy Day at Koinonia Farm
July 30, 2020 by
“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
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
Exhausted Catholic Workers rest with social distancing
March 31, 2020 by
Our CW’s at Casa Juan Diego, pictured below, are risking much to provide food to the poor and continue housing immigrants and refugees. One man walked from east Houston to receive food this morning because so many pantries have closed. We are preparing many things also for the sick and injured each day, the paralyzed… continue reading
