I enjoyed reviewing Deirdre Cornell’s new book, American Madonna: Crossing Borders with the Virgin Mary , partly because it is an excellent book, partly because I met the author in central Mexico in the early 1990s. I never forgot her; she is one of those people that linger in your memory. With my own research and… continue reading
Justice in Economics is Not Socialism: The Catholic Worker and Workers
February 1, 2011 by
In some people’s eyes, the words Worker and Catholic Worker give the Catholic Worker movement a bad name, even today. We were quite surprised when someone we had known for twenty years introduced us to a colleague as people who could explain the good parts of socialism. “What?” we said. “We are not socialists!” “Then… continue reading
All the Way to Heaven: The Selected Letters of Dorothy Day. Edited by Robert Ellsberg, Marquette Univ. Press, 2010
February 1, 2011 by
I would not go so far as to say that I have been steeped in Dorothy Day lore, but I have been a Catholic Worker for a while, and we do talk about Dorothy quite a bit around here at the Houston Catholic Worker. I am surrounded by people who know an immense amount about… continue reading
Compelling Story of Casa Juan Diego
February 1, 2011 by
Book Review Mercy Without Borders: The Catholic Worker and Immigration. Paulist Press, 2010. Few former Ohioans, if any, have done more for the poor and the immigrant than Mark and Louise Zwick, who created Casa Juan Diego in Houston to help the thousands upon thousands of immigrants and refugees who have come from Latin America… continue reading
Prayer Sustains the Works of Mercy at a Catholic Worker House of Hospitality
February 1, 2011 by
People often ask what exactly it is that we do at Casa Juan Diego, and it’s easy to begin by listing off the activities that fill our days. We tend to the needs of the men, women, and children living in our Houses of Hospitality, we distribute food to the community, we receive and organize… continue reading
The Sins of the Fathers? How Immigration Policies Promote Child Neglect
October 1, 2010 by
A few months ago a mother and father with two children arrived at the door of Casa Juan Diego unexpectedly–distressed, homeless, with very few clothes or possessions. I got the mother and children settled and comfortable in a room at our women’s house and the husband went to our men’s center. I did not see… continue reading
Do We Help People Who Shouldn’t Be Here? Works of Mercy and Immigrants
October 1, 2010 by
Why Help People Who Shouldn’t Be Here? At Casa Juan Diego we do not help people who shouldn’t be here. At Casa Juan Diego we simply practice the Works of Mercy: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick and imprisoned. Biblical Imperative The Bible says… continue reading
The King of Kings, the Migrant of Migrants: Do Not Fear, Do Not Mistreat the Migrant
October 1, 2010 by
From Archbishop Wenski’s (Archbishop of Miami) homily on immigration reform at a welcome Mass upon his arrival in the Archdiocese, for the myriad ethnic com-munities of Miami. Our world today is increasingly globalized: Pope Benedict XVI said that globalization has made us all neighbors but it has not made us brothers. Part of the globalization… continue reading
Popes Teach Respect for Life and Social Justice
October 1, 2010 by
Some opportune remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class: Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum Life in many poor countries is still extremely insecure as a consequence of food shortages, and the situation could become worse: hunger still reaps enormous numbers of victims among those… continue reading
Living With the Human Side of the Church
September 1, 2010 by
We recently received an e-mail from a former Catholic Worker in Houston wondering if we could share ideas about living with the human side of the Church. She specifically asked about Dorothy Day’s reflections on this thorny question. This young friend, filled with faith and commitment to the poor, had had a conversation with another… continue reading
