One Sunday in July, at my parish church, a homeless man sat on a bench outside. Just before Mass started, he walked in to attend. Then, after Mass, he stood under an awning where his fellow congregants greeted one another. He was ignored. Yet everywhere this man sat or stood, Christ was present in his… continue reading
Through Hell to Hope: Migrants Trying to Reach the USA
February 28, 2023 by
On September 23, 2022, my husband, my daughter and I decided to undertake a journey for a better future, for a better quality of life. We are from Venezuela, but had been living in Peru. Everything was going well when we started out in Peru, then Ecuador. Our nightmare began in Colombia. We entered into… continue reading
Our Guadalupe Truck Disappeared – Update
February 17, 2023 by
Update Phone calls before 6 am are not so unusual for Casa Juan Diego, but it isn’t usually the police calling. The Baytown, Texas, night shift was calling to let us know that we could pick up our stolen truck from the impound yard. It had been reported as abandoned in a local bank parking… continue reading
On Pilgrimage and the Three Magi
February 5, 2023 by
“So now tomorrow I start off again ‘on pilgrimage,’ for we have here no abiding city.” [Dorothy Day, On Pilgrimage, Eerdmans] Over many decades, Dorothy Day’s column in The Catholic Worker was entitled “On Pilgrimage.” It seems that she viewed her whole life as a pilgrimage. In her columns and in her book, On Pilgrimage,… continue reading
Christmas Letter 2022
December 12, 2022 by
The Spirit of Christmas is very important to Casa Juan Diego. We cannot survive without it. We ask your prayers that the Spirit of Christmas be with us—that there will be “Room in the Inn.” We remember with the birth of Jesus our shared heritage with the Jewish community. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was… continue reading
Poco a Poco: A Catholic Worker Reflects on Life at Casa Juan Diego
December 3, 2022 by
It is the season of giving and receiving. Some would say it’s the best time of the year. The days sandwiched between late November and Christmas are a special time hopefully spent with the ones we love. This is one of my favorite times of the year, and I think we can all agree that… continue reading
Casa Juan Diego and the Healing of Trauma
November 26, 2022 by
Seven months ago, I was attacked and robbed by two carjackers. They had a gun, and one of them grabbed me from behind. You cannot predict what you will do in a fight or flight situation like this, but apparently, I fight. I managed to get away with only minor physical injuries, but the loss… continue reading
A Christmas Feast for the Whole Universe, From Many Countries Migrants Come to Casa Juan Diego
November 26, 2022 by
“The star came to rest above the place where the child was. At the sight of it the wise men were filled with great joy, and that great joy should fill our hearts as well. It is the same as the joy the shepherds received from the glad tidings brought by the angels. Let us… continue reading
There’s Water on the Floor Again at Casa Juan Diego
October 12, 2022 by
We celebrated our 40th anniversary a couple years ago. Some of our buildings should already have received a letter from the Queen, were they British, given their age. Our main building, constructed of steel and concrete due to prior fires, opened in 1987, so it is now 35 years old. In Houston, the clay… continue reading
The Eyes of Faith
August 28, 2022 by
Hans Urs von Balthasar references the idea of the Eyes of Faith from Pierre Rousselot. Below is a slightly adapted reflection on the Eyes of Faith from the Houston Catholic Worker, February 2, 1995. Faith changes things, and hopefully, it changes us so that we can see with the Eyes of Faith. With faith we… continue reading
