Early this summer when Mark had surgery on his ear for skin cancer, he was told he must strictly limit his physical activities for two weeks. He had to have his ear dressed and bandaged each day, along with a place on his face where skin was removed for a graft on the ear. He… continue reading
Government Detention Center for Children and Families Closing: The End of the T. Don Hutto Center for Families
October 1, 2009 by
There is rejoicing in Texas because the government has announced the closing of the T. Don Hutto For-Profit Family Jail for Immigrants. Protests and lawsuits against the privatized 512-bed detention center run for the government by the Corrections Corporation of America focused on its cruel treatment of children who were imprisoned there in substandard living… continue reading
Pope Benedict XVI Cites Focolare’s Economy of Communion as Economic Model
October 1, 2009 by
In his new encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) , Pope Benedict pointed to the Economy of Communion as a promising economic model. The Economy of Communion in Freedom, as it is officially called, is a network of businesses linked to the Focolare Movement. The Economy of Communion was launched in 1991 when Focolare founder… continue reading
Interview with Focolare’s Economy of Communion Business
October 1, 2009 by
The Houston Catholic Worker Interviewed Joan Duggan and Tom Rowley the Economy of Communion – Joan Duggan and Tom and JoAnn Rowley are co-owners of “Finish Line,” an Economy of Communion educational services business specializing in tutoring. Joan is on the Board of the Economy of Communion for North America. HCW : Thank you both… continue reading
Encyclical Caritas in Veritate: People-Centered Economic Ethics Must Embrace All the Stakeholders, Not Just the Stockholders
October 1, 2009 by
Pope Benedict’s XVI’s social encyclical, Caritas in Veritate , took the economic world by surprise. While readers on the right and the left were both waiting for more statements about capitalism and socialism, they found instead a challenge to Catholics and other people of good will of “a profoundly new way of understanding business enterprise” (40)…. continue reading
The Roots of Christian Non-Violence
October 1, 2009 by
It would be a serious mistake to regard Christian nonviolence simply as a novel tactic which is at once efficacious and even edifying, and which enables the sensitive man to participate in the struggles of the world without being dirtied with blood. Nonviolence is not simply a way of proving one’s point and getting what… continue reading
It’s All About Usury
June 1, 2009 by
With all the turmoil in the financial industry, you would think that there would be a national conversation of money and lending. You would think that this would be a good time to re-examine the way we create money and the way we lend it. You would think, especially, that it would be a good… continue reading
The Story of my Journey to the United States Begins With Poverty
April 1, 2009 by
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
William T. Cavanaugh, Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire, Eerdmans, 2008, 115pp., $12.00 (pbk) ISBN: 9780802845610
April 1, 2009 by
William T. Cavanaugh’s recent work, Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire , is a timely read for those seeking to reflect upon the manner in which their Christian faith can be brought to bear not only on their consumer habits but also on the market framework within which those habits are instilled and fostered. Instead of… continue reading
Being Pro Life is Hard in a Consumer Culture
April 1, 2009 by
Decisions about life are affected by the dominance of the economic factor in our lives. In our culture, for a woman to accept an unwanted pregnancy may require heroic virtue. Pregnancy, for some mothers, is such an intrusion that it would completely turn their lives around. Even for Catholic women, it is hard to avoid… continue reading
