Never Again Is Now!
Growing up, my dad remained silent about what happened to him, unless I asked questions. I don’t think he was able to fully accept what his own government had done to him and his community during WWII. As a sansei, or third generation Japanese American, I feel compelled to be his voice now and speak out against racial injustice and hatred.
What Home Is
Rebuilding begins with secure, stable relationships. Our guests live with us and share weekly meals as well as household chores. We support them in meeting their goals, whether that’s getting a driver’s license, earning a GED, paying off debts, opening a checking account and saving money, or getting into residential detox. Slowly, we become community.
Personalism in Action
There are days I yearn to make a difference at scale, the way my brother does, eliminating malnutrition, hunger, and poverty for thousands. Yet, I know my calling is different. My calling is to work with the two, three or four individuals we can house at one time at Dandelion House, or the 120 to 160 people who come to us for a hot meal on Fridays.
A World Beyond War Is Possible
If we think of Hiroshima at all, we rightly think of all who died that day. I’ve been thinking more recently about all who survived. What was it like for my father to attend school with classmates, every single one of whom had lost siblings, parents, or relatives that day? What is the collective trauma of a generation that grew up in a nuclear wasteland?
Calling Things by Their Names
I felt invited to a new way of seeing, and how learning the different names of birds is a path to intimacy, to entering into a more personal relationship with creation. It was as if I was getting to know my non-human neighbors in a similar way to how we first share our names when introducing ourselves to someone we don’t know.
Our Daily Rhythms
Tadaima. Okaeri. Itadakimasu. Like the greetings heard around the house that meter our days, the ordinary rhythms of daily life – work, school, chores, meals – provide the cadence of our life in community. Yet it is precisely this ordinariness that begins to heal what needs healing in each of us, Catholic Workers and guests alike.
In the Heart of Winter
Winter is the contemplative season. The days are shorter, trees and other plants go dormant, and the world seems to slow down. We are naturally less active, giving us a chance to turn our attention from the outer landscape to our inner heartscape. Perhaps we sleep more, and let the world of dreams speak to us. We sit. We read. We pray.
Personalism and the Catholic Worker
The gift of life at the Catholic Worker is the gift of freedom to be ourselves. Here, we are empowered to be who God created us to be – people in community, offering the world the gift of our authentic selves. It’s quite simple, what we do. In response to houselessness, we offer a room; in response to hunger, warm food; in a world of loneliness, community; amidst meaninglessness, prayer; in the face of nuclear madness, protest.
The Ties that Bind
As wars rage and migrants and refugees seek a place to land, as the very ecosystems on which we depend unravel and countless species go extinct, as our houseless neighbors struggle for survival in the shadow of obscene material overabundance, how do we manifest our inherent connectedness in ways that bring hope and healing to a world that seems to be fraying at the seams? How do we strengthen the ties that bind us to one another so that we can be a refuge and home for those who lack such connections?
¡Louis Vitale, Presente!
Our dear friend, Franciscan friar, and peacemaker Louis Vitale died. He helped found various peace initiatives, including the Nevada Desert Experience protesting the Nevada nuclear test site, as well as Pace e Bene, known for its training course in nonviolence. He was arrested on hundreds of occasions for nonviolent acts of civil disobedience against war. He took inspiration from Jesus of Nazareth, Francis of Assisi, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.