Dorothy Day wrote these reflections on the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego after a pilgrimage to the Basilica in Mexico City. It was in 1531 that Our Lady appeared to the Indian Juan Diego (his Spanish name given him at his baptism.) There were not many Catholics then among the Indians,… continue reading
A Letter on the Priesthood
June 1, 2002 by
Dear Friends, I’m off this weekend to see four men ordained Holy Cross priests at Notre Dame. We all started off together as college freshmen 10 years ago. When I talked to them a couple of weeks ago, one of them told me that their morale is low, as is that of most of the… continue reading
The Seductive Power of Using Violence: Innocent Victims Killed in Afghanistan
April 1, 2002 by
John is a scientist at a local oil company. He coordinates Casa Juan Diego’s medical clinic at Casa Maria. Once again the U. S. finds itself trying to destroy evil with violence, this time by attacking Afghanistan. While the stated target is Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban, innocent civilians have become the victims. These… continue reading
Challenge of Peace in the Holy Land: Jesus must Weep over Jerusalem
April 1, 2002 by
Brother Mark Gruenke is one of the founding members of the holy hour for peace held at the Rice University Catholic Student Center each Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. My pilgrimage to the Holy Land has helped me to realize how much my own spirituality is sacramental and incarnational. One of the things that most… continue reading
Casa Juan Diego – the Work of Many – and the Sufferings of Immigrant Women in Houston
April 1, 2002 by
Juanita called to ask if she could come to Casa Juan Diego with her three children. The police had taken her husband to jail the night before because he had beaten her and he would soon be released. She was afraid to be in the house. This was not the first time she had been… continue reading
ENRON: A Perfect Company to Work For? Reflections of a Guilty Bystander
April 1, 2002 by
James came to volunteer with the immigrants at Casa Juan Diego, the Houston Catholic Worker, after hearing a talk at St. Cyril’s Church, where the pastor insists that the Catholic Workers speak periodically. James came from a family of refugees on the run, but he was able to receive a good education and training. He… continue reading
Poverty of Family Forces Guest of Houston Catholic Worker to Immigrate
February 1, 2002 by
We reached the river at midday. For hours beforehand we had walked through the mountain without speaking, careful to avoid Mexican authorities. Arriving at the shore, we uncovered a small boat, dropped in what belongings we had and began to paddle. In ten minutes time we crossed to the other side, beginning another leg of… continue reading
Catholic Peace Fellowship Revived
February 1, 2002 by
Long before the horror of September 11, plans for the revitalization of the Catholic Peace Fellowship, along with a meeting scheduled for November 11, were in process, led by original CPF founders Jim Forrest and Tom Cornell. Exactly two months after terrorist attacks on New York and Washington rallied a stunned and outraged country to… continue reading
Review of John F. Kavanaugh, S.J., Who Count As Persons?: Human Identity and the Ethics of Killing (Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2001)
February 1, 2002 by
By Alfred J. Freddoso, University of Notre Dame These are bleak days for moral theory in mainstream professional philosophy. At the heart of the matter lies our inability, within contemporary liberal democracies, to come to a consensus on the deep issue of what we are as human beings and where our true good lies. Because… continue reading
A Call to Change America: How would Dorothy Day Respond to an Attack such as September 11?
February 1, 2002 by
The tragedy of September 11 has given us the opportunity to re-evaluate how we live and how we relate to other countries. We don’t want this to be a lost opportunity. Those who take the spiritual life seriously have to ask the question, not only why did this happen, but what is God asking of… continue reading
