On a Tuesday last November I was in a planning meeting with some executives of a local social service agency who were talking about the problem of food insecurity in Houston. It is a growing problem and an interesting discussion, but I said nothing, partially because I was late but mostly because I was exhausted…. continue reading
The Trickle Down Economy Is Alive and Well at Casa Juan Diego With So Many Poor: Tears Roll Down Instead of Wealth
February 24, 2014 by
The Perils of Professionalism Or a Revolution of the Heart
October 2, 2013 by
My most recent trip to the Mexican Consulate was to accompany one of our guests who needed their help. At Casa Juan Diego, we spend a lot of time waiting in lines at various Consulates. Our guests need the services they offer, but the Consulates often seem overwhelmed by the number of supplicants. We did… continue reading
Hospitality and Honeybees: Worker Bees Inspire Catholic Worker
July 3, 2013 by
Casa Juan Diego’s hospitality has been stretched to new limits in recent months as we welcomed a colony of honeybees to make themselves at home in our garden. The ecological importance of bees is undisputed, but so are the heart-wrenching obstacles to their survival. An absence of honeybees and their pollination work would greatly destabilize… continue reading
How It All Began
June 18, 2013 by
We debated about calling the new/old section in the Archives, “What Were You Thinking?” or “The Early Years” or “Our Kids Think This Is Normal?” or “Giving It All Away” or “The Fire Years,” or “Youthful Energy,” but we chose “How It All Began.” In 1980 something very profound was happening in our community. Homeless refugees… continue reading
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
Why Are Cuban Refugees Coming to Casa Juan Diego and Catholic Charities in Houston?
April 9, 2013 by
For more and more new Cuban refugees, the perilous journey to the U.S. is coming to an official end at Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Over the past ten months, the agency’s midtown office has brimmed with scores of bedraggled immigrants, many having just made the 2,400-mile journey from Ecuador by any means… continue reading
Our Lady of Guadalupe in My Life – and Answer to Prayers
December 2, 2012 by
It was exactly one year ago that I moved to the city of Houston. Starting a new life is not easy. One has to start from zero and try to adapt as quickly as possible. When I arrived here, I felt very alone, without realizing that I never was. Besides having my husband,… 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
The Homeless, the Sick, and the Injured
November 1, 2012 by
Life in Houses of Hospitality is full of interesting events and surprises, together with painful, even tragic, stories. We never know who will come to the door. Today a woman arrived from Iowa who was fleeing domestic violence. She had found a place to stay with a family, but the family friend she had brought… 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
