“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
Father Alejandro Solalinde Guerra Coming to Casa Juan Diego
April 15, 2018 by
Father Alejandro Solalinde Guerra is well-known in Mexico for his work with migrants and for courageously withstanding many threats of violence as a result. When Houston Boy Scout Inti Chavarria completed his Eagle Scout Project (a playground for the children living at Casa Juan Diego), he decided to invite Fr. Solalinde to his Court of… 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
A Thanksgiving Letter
January 20, 2018 by
Dear Friends, If we thanked everyone as much as we should for what they have done for all the poor of Casa Juan Diego, we wouldn’t have time for anything else. We could not survive without the constant support of people and parishes who celebrate their gratitude by their generosity each month and especially at… continue reading
Christmas Letter
December 9, 2017 by
Dear Friends of Casa Juan Diego, It is difficult to write our Christmas letter this year because Mark Zwick is no longer with us. His spirit lives on, however, and we share some of his thoughts and ours in this letter. From the beginning, Casa Juan Diego has depended on people who believed in Christmas,… 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
