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Living the Gospel in a Secular Society

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

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

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

“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

The Catholic Worker: A Model for Church and World

This video will give those who never had the opportunity to hear Mark Zwick speak (or who would like to see and hear him again as recorded) the opportunity to hear and see this talk given at the University of Notre Dame. The heart of the Catholic Worker as lived at Casa Juan Diego is… continue reading

A Thanksgiving Letter

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

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

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

Hurricane or No Hurricane—Why Don’t They Just Go To Work?

In the days and weeks after the massive floods in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey, even the harshest judge of the poor could hardly ask, “Why don’t they work?” Water, in some places deep enough to submerge grown men, trapped people in their houses, streets or neighborhoods. No one could go to work. Work places… continue reading

Portraits from the Early Catholic Worker Movement

Dorothy Day and The Catholic Worker: The Miracle of Our Continuance. Photographs by Vivian Cherry, Text by Dorothy Day, Edited, with an Introduction and additional text by Kate Hennessy Reviewed by Susan Gallagher More than 80 years have passed since the founding of the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933 and despite myriad challenges, its work… continue reading