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Crossing from Guatemala to Casa Juan Diego With Much Faith

By an Immigrant Woman From Guatemala Many, like us, day by day see the great need to immigrate to the United States. There are many reasons. We want to better our quality of life for our families and ourselves. We want our children to have a profession, and we want to offer them what perhaps… continue reading

A Devastating Journey North for a Migrant from Honduras to the United States

I left Honduras with a plan of arriving in the United States.  When I got to Guatemala, that same day I crossed Guatemala, arriving at the border with Mexico. I crossed the river in a large inner tube of a tire of a tractor or car. After crossing the river, I arrived in Tapachula, Chiapas,… continue reading

A Mother’s Dream and a Plea for Immigration Reform

I give thanks to God every day for his great love and protection. For many years Casa Juan Diego has given us refuge and we are grateful for all they do for us. I am a mother who loves her two sons. The older was born in Mexico and the younger was born here in… continue reading

His Daughter Died of Sadness. Separated From Her Father By Economics As She Lay Dying

Andy and Blossom Wright were Catholic Workers in Houston for eight years. They now live in Wisconsin and recently visited with their four children. We asked Andy’s help in getting Daniel to the bus station. “Ella se murió de tristeza.” She died of sadness. This was the analysis of Danielʼs housemate here in Houston, the… continue reading

Mary, Model of Hospitality

Lauren, a recent graduate from Villanova University, is a Catholic Worker in Houston. At the Annunciation, Mary responded to Gabriel’s announcement of her role in salvation history with perfect humility, wisdom, and faith, saying, “Be it done unto me according to thy word.” With that statement, she offered herself as the vessel that would shelter,… continue reading

A Mother’s Commitment: Inspired by Dorothy Day and a Hurting Mother

  A mother’s path of selfless loving and caring for others could lead to true spiritual heights, Dorothy Day observed in her journal in 1948. She was staying in the West Virginia farm house of her daughter Tamar, who was expecting her third child. Dorothy had come to help care for the house and her… continue reading

The Homeless, the Sick, and the Injured

 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

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

Some Sins Cry Out to Heaven

Daniel Ortiz, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, has spent a year at Casa Juan Diego living and working with the poor. He will soon be replaced at our men’s house by another Notre Dame graduate. I had just finished arranging the food that we picked up at the Food Bank when Balmori and Gregorio walked… continue reading

The Story of my Journey to the United States Begins With Poverty

My story begins with the poverty in our country, El Salvador. Due to the lack of work, very low salaries and the lack of a basic food basket for the family and the debts that stack up that many times we cannot pay, I had to leave my country. I couldn’t pay for my house…. continue reading