'Risking it all:' Immigrants, refugees tell of coming to United States
From a man who won the diversity visa lottery in Congo to a woman who escaped gangs in Honduras to seek political asylum, refugees and immigrants shared their stories Monday with children at the Catholic Worker House. Two dozen junior high students participated in a “teach-in” at the house Monday afternoon as part of a three-day summer camp called Catholics in Action. The students heard stories of the immigrants and refugees, as well as joined in on a prayer vigil and attended a bilingual Mass.
Father James Martin: Blindly following the law is not “biblical.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s recent use of the Bible to justify the Trump administration’s wantonly cruel migration policies, which now include tearing children away from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, was disgraceful. ... To rebut Mr. Sessions, one could easily respond with a line in that same passage in which St. Paul says, “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Rm 13:8-9).
Vatican challenges us to transform our greedy financial system
Oeconomicae et pecuniariae quaestiones, a new authoritative Vatican ethics in economics document, strongly challenges the grave moral injustices of the dominant global economic system that is increasingly putting profit before people. It states: “No profit is in fact legitimate when it falls short of the objective of the integral promotion of the human person, the universal destination of goods, and the preferential option for the poor.” .
Pope Francis condemns killing of Palestinians near Gaza border
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned the killing of Palestinians near the Gaza-Israel border, saying the deaths would only lead to more violence, and appealed for dialogue to bring justice and peace to the Middle East.
Pope Francis Takes on Wall Street
Pope Francis continued his blossoming crusade against the inequities of late capitalism ... an attempted corrective against what he called the "growing influence of financial markets," increasing inequality, and "enormous" numbers of people still living in abject poverty. ... Especially notable are the document's criticisms of hyper-technical financial instruments like derivatives and credit default swaps ... as tools for "gambling at the risk of the bankruptcy of a third party."
Dorothy Day is one of the most significant figures in the history of American Catholicism. Although she died at the age of 83 in 1980, her life and spirituality offer an example of how much good a layperson might accomplish by faithfully following the teachings of Jesus.
Free clinic provides much-needed relief for ICCW guests
Iowa City-area family physician Dr. Tom Novak and his daughter, Nicole Novak, recently approached Iowa City Catholic Worker about the idea of starting a foot clinic at Catholic Worker’s hospitality house. Nicole formerly served as a resident volunteer at a Catholic Worker house in Ann Arbor, Mich., and saw the kind of impact foot clinics had there.
Iowa City Catholic Church Wants Permanent Fix For DACA
Father Rudy Juárez at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Iowa City wants Congress to support young undocumented immigrants. Iowa's conference of Catholic Bishops is defending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program at a time when its future is unclear.
Catholic Committee of Appalachia
STATEMENT ON STRIKE OF WEST VIRGINIA STATE EMPLOYEES
The Catholic Committee of Appalachia expresses its admiration and support for the teachers and service personnel in all 55 counties of West Virginia currently on strike.
Dorothy Day's granddaughter, Kate Hennessy, Speaks
“Don't call me a saint. I don't want to be dismissed so easily,” Dorothy Day said. Her granddaughter, Kate Hennessy, has done neither. She discusses her new book about her grandmother with Western Michigan University Radio
Catholic Worker Houses Remain a Place for Protest and the Poor
The Catholic Worker Movement promotes simple living, nonviolence, and doing the "works of mercy," actions like feeding the hungry and caring forthe sick. Best known are the hospitality houses, where the hosts and those in need live together like family. Catholic Workers also routinely protest violence and militarization.
10 Catholic priests arrested in protests in Congo
Protests against the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo have resulted in the arrest of 10 Catholic priests—a sign of the government’s willingness to defy church authorities at the forefront of the movement to oust its authoritarian leader. The protests against President Joseph Kabila on Jan. 21, called by the church’s Lay Coordination Committee, began after Mass and resulted in clashes in which six people were killed and more than 100 wounded, according to the United Nations.
ICCW Starts to Look for 2nd Property
The demand for emergency housing is so great in Iowa City, Catholic Worker House leaders now are preparing to buy a second house nearby to double the shelter capacity and offer more programming, said David Goodner, co-founder of the Iowa City program and a core volunteer. 'We have a major donor who is going to buy the second house for us,' Goodner said. The new house likely would serve as a hub for free weekday breakfasts, which have been lacking in the area, Goodner said. 'We also want to add free haircuts, foot care clinics, and add more showers and washer/dryers so more people can do laundry and bathe.'
Wilad Akreyi receives Pacem In Terris Award
By Thomas Geyer - Quad-City Times - October 23, 2017
On Sunday, October 22, 2017, Widad Akreyi, “co-founder of the human rights organization Defend International, earned her place among the world’s brightest brokers of peace when she was presented with the Pacem In Terris Peace and Freedom Award during a ceremony at Christ the King Chapel at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. Looking over the crowd of about 100, Akreyi said she was proud ‘to be the first woman born in Kurdistan’ to receive the award.”
Catholic Church leaders condemn Trump administration’s decision to end DACA
By Kevin Clarke - September 5, 2017
Reacting to the move to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the bishops said, “Today, our nation has done the opposite of how Scripture calls us to respond. It is a step back from the progress that we need to make as a country.”
'Break mirror of narcissistic culture,' says Pope Francis
By Junno Arocho Esteves - September 5, 2017
Speaking to young people of the Shalom community, Pope Francis warned them of the sadness caused by narcissism … "It is the sickness of the mirror," the pope said. "Young people, break this mirror! Don't look at the mirror because the mirror deceives," he said. "Look outside, look at others, escape from this world, from this culture we are living in that is consumeristic and narcissistic."
Catholic bishops condemn white supremacist rally that left one dead in Charlottesville
By Michael J. O'Loughlin - August 12, 2017
White supremacists hate all those whom God loves the most: the poor and the marginalized, immigrants, refugees, and the disabled. The economic dislocation and spiritual destitution these white men feel is the result of powerful forces outside of their control, and not the work of the least of these, our brothers and sisters. We pray that God's love and mercy will open the hearts of those deceived and distorted by the christian identity movement and white supremacy. Repent, and forgiveness can follow.
Regina students build Little Free Pantry for Catholic Worker House
By Lindsay Steele - July 20, 2017
IOWA CITY — It “may be but little,” to quote William Shakespeare, but the Little Free Pantry at the Catholic Worker’s hospitality house is making a big impact on neighborhood food insecurity. Catholic Worker volunteer David Goodner said people began using the Little Free Pantry, which was installed last month, right away. “We filled it twice in the first 48 hours,” he said.
Why telling the truth is crucial right now
By Carly Goodman, from AFSC - July 11, 2017
Dishonesty from the administration seems designed to destabilize faith in our institutions and to make us doubt our own perceptions of what’s real and what’s false. That is why we need to stay committed to telling the truth, and to stay focused on building a more peaceful and just society.