John Steppe, Cedar Rapids Gazette, July 24, 2019
Juliza and her husband, Alejandro Edenilson Cortez Amaya, left El Salvador and crossed the U.S. border at El Paso, Texas, on May 19. They were separated two hours after arriving and held at separate detention facilities. She was released to the Catholic Worker House and he was returned to Mexico to await his asylum hearing.
The Iowa City Catholic Worker House raised over $20,000 toward legal fees and costs of living for migrants seeking asylum in Iowa after launching a campaign Thursday, on National Refugee Day.
Legal scholars, asylum seekers, and human rights advocates delivered testimonials at the Iowa City Public Library.
Kate Hennessy said she and her mother Tamar, the daughter of Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker, “spent decades trying to figure out who Dorothy Day was.” Plenty has been written about the late social justice advocate, including her own thoughts in the Catholic Worker newspaper and in other publications. But none of it touched on the Dorothy Day that her family knew and loved.
IOWA CITY —The University of Iowa Newman Catholic Student Center, Tau Omega and Catholic Worker House are hosting an event featuring Kate Hennessy, granddaughter of Dorothy Day and author of “Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty.”The event will be held Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at the Newman Catholic Student Center and is open to the public.
The granddaughter of Dorothy Day, a prominent Catholic, writer, social activist, and co-founder of a movement dedicated to serving the poorest, will speak Thursday, Sept. 27, at St. Ambrose University, Davenport.
In addition to being Day's granddaughter, Kate Hennessy also is an author, having written "Dorothy Day: The World Will be Saved by Beauty: An Intimate Portrait of My Grandmother."
She will speak from 6:30-8 p.m. at Christ the King Chapel, 518 W. Locust St.
In August, Iowa City Catholic Worker House announced the creation of a new community land trust that now owns the 2,800-square-foot house of hospitality at 1414 Sycamore St. The trust formally establishes the organization’s framework, ensuring that it can continue to provide hospitality and refuge to the poor and oppressed well into the future.
'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.
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.
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.
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.'
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.