The recent death of Father Daniel Berrigan, S.J., the famous anti-war priest, reminded me of a retreat he gave in Houston well over twenty years ago. I was a brand new Catholic convert, a pacifist and a Dorothy Day admirer, full of eagerness to serve and sacrifice. Here was a priest, heavily influenced by the… continue reading
New Pastoral Letter From San Salvador: I See Violence and Strife In the City
June 3, 2016 by
El Salvador is again overwhelmed with violence. At Casa Juan Diego we are very aware of the critical situation for Salvadorans because of the refugees who come to our doors and tell us their stories. In response to a crisis situation in which the death toll from homicides is one of the highest in the… continue reading
Why Are We Deporting Thousands Of Children Alone?
May 13, 2016 by
We wrote in the last issue about the Central American children who come to the United States alone and the mothers with children who are escaping imminent death in their countries but are the first to be deported when they arrive. Now the news is even worse. The Department of Security is sending deportation officers… continue reading
Personalism in Our Daily Lives
May 3, 2016 by
Joanna, a graduate of Wyoming Catholic College, is a Catholic Worker at Casa Juan Diego. I came to Casa Juan Diego some months ago, and as I made the long drive from home down to Houston, Texas, I began to wonder more and more as the wheels of the car brought me closer and closer… continue reading
A Voice Crying Out In the Desert
May 2, 2016 by
Mark, a Catholic Worker at Casa Juan Diego, graduated from Texas A & M University. I come from a family of migrant workers. My grandparents would travel from the Texas border to Wisconsin, Montana and Wyoming during the summer months to work in the fields and work as laborers. My parents would also go up… continue reading
Rutilio Grande, SJ: Homilies and Writings
March 31, 2016 by
Book Review: Rutilio Grande, SJ: Homilies and Writings. Edited, Translated, and Annotated by Thomas M. Kelly. College-ville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2015. Reviewed by Mark and Louise Zwick On February 13, 1977, Mark stood next to Rutilio Grande, the priest who would soon be assassinated, as he waited in the procession to begin Mass. It was… continue reading
The Poor Are the Wealth Of the Church
February 26, 2016 by
One of the most interesting stories of martyrdom in the early Church is that of St. Lawrence. Lawrence was a deacon in Rome in the year 258. Pope Sixtus ll put him in charge of the treasury of the Church. Lawrence suspected that the Roman emperor would be looking for anything of value in the… continue reading
Christmas All Year Long at Casa Juan Diego
February 9, 2016 by
As I finished my seventh Christmas season at Casa Juan Diego, I was amazed, just as I am amazed every year, by the generosity of our supporting community. The people of Houston give their money and their time open-handedly to keep our doors open and our pantry full, not just at Christmas, but throughout the… continue reading
From the Inside Of the Inn Door
February 9, 2016 by
Shannon McPherson came to join in the work of Casa Juan Diego from the Bruderhof Community There’s one character in the Christmas story who really dropped the ball. The inn keeper of Bethlehem had this incredible opportunity to show hospitality to the baby son of God, and he shut the door on him. I, however,… continue reading
Letter of Thanksgiving
January 31, 2016 by
Recently, a prominent theologian from a seminary was visiting us. When the issue of how we raise money for Casa Juan Diego came up, a Catholic Worker blurted out, “We pray a lot.” “Give me a copy of those prayers. I demand a copy of those prayers,” the theologian humorously insisted. Unfortunately, there is no… continue reading
