They’re coming with guns. The Minute Men are coming to the corners of Casa Juan Diego armed to the teeth to confront the immigrants who come to earn money to support their children-something we never knew was treasonous. Violence, however, is not new to immigrants. The moment they hopped on a train to come North,… continue reading
The Love of Christ Towards Migrants through the Stories of Immigrants at Casa Juan Diego: How Did It Occur To You To Do Such a Thing?
August 1, 2005 by
The following is a talk given by Mark and Louise Zwick at the University of St. Thomas Summer Institute in Houston on Immigration. The talk was entitled “The Love of Christ Towards Migrants,” the same as the title of a document recently published by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant… continue reading
Abandonment of Injured Immigrant Workers: Appeal for Help
August 1, 2005 by
“The chicken comes home to roost” is a phrase that applies to the disaster that has attacked the immigrant community. The rejection of sick and injured immigrants by our society is among the sins that cry to heaven for vengeance. The marked increase of immigrants in recent decades has seen the employment of more and… continue reading
Train, Friend or Enemy for Central American Immigrants?
June 1, 2005 by
Jake was a Catholic Worker in Houston until very recently. He will be going to medical school in the fall. The hiring hall at Casa Juan Diego sits alongside a railroad line. Several times every morning a long freighter rumbles by, blaring its horn as a greeting and a warning, holding up traffic and waking… continue reading
Celebrating 25 Years: Casa Juan Diego Opens to Help Poor Immigrants and Refugees in Houston
February 1, 2005 by
This article appeared in the first edition of the Houston Catholic Worker, May 5, 1981. Casa Juan Diego is the result of allowing ourselves to dream. The vision of a Catholic Worker house on Washington Avenue in Houston established to serve the poor and Spanish speaking first came to us in 1979 while working in… continue reading
Searching Through the Mountains in Guatemala for the Family of an Immigrant
December 1, 2004 by
Miguel, originally from Guatemala, is a seminarian for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, studying at the seminary in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. He spent several months at Casa Juan Diego this summer. We have no idea how he managed to get to Houston from Guatemala, but one day Epimelio was at Casa Juan Diego’s door and the… continue reading
Are the Immigrants Terrorists? What I Learned at Casa Juan Diego, the Houston Catholic Worker
December 1, 2004 by
“No man really knows about other human beings. The best he can do is to suppose that they are like himself.” – John Steinbeck Ricardo is a seminarian with the Scalabrini Fathers and Brothers, studying at the Catholic Theological Union. He spent several months at Casa Juan Diego this summer. Ricardo is studying to be… continue reading
Why We Will Not Vote for Bush or Kerry
October 1, 2004 by
Many of us are struggling with the issue of how to promote a culture of life and a civilization of love. It is an issue that is of special concern during this season of election. The ancient question of how Catholics can participate in the political process and remain committed to the truth seems especially… continue reading
On Helping People at Casa Juan Diego: Unsuccessful Love
August 1, 2004 by
Jonathan is a Catholic Worker who will be studying journalism at Columbia University in the fall. Jonathan came to us through his uncle, Ken Cooper, who shares the Houston Catholic Worker with the students in his classes in a Catholic high school in Washington, D.C. In my first month as a volunteer at Casa Juan… continue reading
Reflections after One Year at Casa Juan Diego, the Houston Catholic Worker
February 1, 2004 by
Randy, a Catholic Worker in Houston, is a graduate of Texas A&M. It’s getting cold again, and I can’t help but be reminded of my first few weeks here at Casa Juan Diego. I arrived in late fall; and shortly after, the temperature dropped. I was relieved, though, because I was just plain sick of… continue reading
