One of the most damaging influences in the discussion of workers’ rights and the application of Catholic social teaching is Fr. Robert Sirico, a member of the Oratorians and the director of the Acton Institute. With great cleverness he eliminates any opposition to his laissez-faire economics by using the “S” word against critics and against… continue reading
NAFTA Corridors, Trans-Texas Corridors, Divide the Nation and Cheat the Workers
April 1, 2008 by
In early 2008 major protests by landowners throughout south Texas have been featured regularly in the press. Thirty counties in Texas have protested the seizure of hundred of thousands of acres of prime agricultural land by the Texas Department of Transportation for NAFTA traffic for a four football fields-side complex of tollways and high-speed rail… continue reading
Church and State and the New “Serfs”
April 1, 2008 by
We have three men living at Casa Juan Diego’s Houses of Hospitality with such serious injuries that they shuffle instead of walk. We have three men in wheel chairs who don’t walk at all We have three men who have lost a leg and await protheses so they can walk and work. We have three… continue reading
Is Houston a Sanctuary City?
February 1, 2008 by
Accusations have been made that Houston is a sanctuary city which harbors and supports immigrants instead of running them off and deporting them. Houston is a sanctuary, they say, a holy place for immigrants seeking employment and a new life, a place of protection. If Houston is a sanctuary city, it has escaped us. This… continue reading
Catholic Bishops Resist Anti-Immigrant Laws: Christ is Present in the Suffering Poor
February 1, 2008 by
Recent events surrounding immigration “enforcement” have drawn the attention, the concern, the ire, and the resistance of Catholic Bishops in the United States. The anti-immigrant prejudice in the United States has been seized upon by legislators in some states in order to enact awful laws. These laws in states such as Oklahoma and Georgia are… continue reading
The Economic Crisis of 2008-2009: When Bankers Rule
February 1, 2008 by
Easy Essay by Peter Maurin Modern society has made the bank account the standard of values. When the bank account becomes the standard of values the banker has the power. When the banker has the power the technician has to supervise the making of profits. When the banker has the power the politician has to assure law and order in the profit-making… continue reading
Ordination Demands Deaconal Commitment: Bishop Flores Invites Deacons in Galveston-Houston Archdiocese to Live Matthew 25
February 1, 2008 by
We recently attended the ordination of transitional deacons for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, especially for Miguel Alvizures, whose story was in the last issue of the Houston Catholic Worker. Six deacons were ordained, including one for the Diocese of Dallas and one for Victoria; seminary students from those Dioceses also study at St. Mary’s Seminary for… continue reading
Saint John Chrysostom, One of the Great Fathers of the Church’s Social Doctrine
February 1, 2008 by
The life and teachings of St. John Chrysostom, Holy Bishop and Teacher, resound in every century and even today elicit universal admiration. It can be said that John of Antioch, nicknamed “Chrysostom”, that is, “golden-mouthed”, because of his eloquence, is also still alive today because of his works. An anonymous copyist left in writing that… continue reading
Labor Unions: Catholic Teaching Versus the Libertarians
February 1, 2008 by
Many politicians, I need hardly remind you, are very unsympathetic toward labor unions. You may think this simply means that they are siding with harsh employers who want to pay their workers as little as possible for interminable hours of toil. It is not as simple as that. Anti-unionism has a long, and sometimes surprising,… continue reading
The Man in the Street or A Warning
February 1, 2008 by
Matt, a recent graduate of the University of Dallas, is a Catholic Worker in Houston. My stomach is nice and full of delectable delights as I write this article. I only mention this because the guy digging through the dumpster, who was the motivation for the article, had a decidedly empty stomach. It is always… continue reading
