Category: Catholic Worker movement

“Building and Sustaining Nonviolent Communities” at Agape this Saturday

It’s time for the annual “Saint Francis Day” at the Agape Community in Ware, Massachusetts. This year the centerpiece is a talk on “Building and Sustaining Nonviolent Communities” by the great Mike Baxter.

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Mike Baxter with an axe

Annual St. Francis Day at Agape Community: Saturday, October 3, 2015, 10am-evening * 2062 Greenwich Rd., Ware, MA 01082 * 413-967-9369

Please bring a brown-bag lunch and food to share for dinner.

Mike Baxter’s talk will be at 10:15am.

“Mike Baxter is a professor of Religious Studies at Regis University in Denver, CO. A co-founder of Catholic Worker houses in Phoenix, Arizona and South Bend, Indiana, Mr. Baxter also served as the national secretary of the Catholic Peace Fellowship.”

Facebook event

The Pope, To Congress, Namechecks Dorothy Day And The Catholic Worker

I follow everything Pope Francis does with interest, and so far his trip to the US has been a real treat. But I was not prepared for his address to Congress to include my great hero Dorothy Day as one of four great Americans. Nor was I prepared to hear him name the “Catholic Worker movement” that has so shaped my adult life. Via Rocco Palmo, here’s part of that speech. The mention is brief enough that I’d call it more of a namecheck than anything else.
Continue reading “The Pope, To Congress, Namechecks Dorothy Day And The Catholic Worker”

Donna will leave Worcester’s Mustard Seed

Telegram & Gazette:

On June 1, Ms. Domiziano, an unpaid volunteer of nearly 30 years, will finally be leaving. However, her missive came not from God, she says, but a formal letter.

…The organization’s founders had, via a letter delivered by a local pastor, informed her of vital changes to the operation that would drastically limit her autonomy.

Continue reading “Donna will leave Worcester’s Mustard Seed”

Ron Wehrle, 1936-2014, RIP

Ron Wehrle, beloved member of Worcester’s Catholic Worker community, passed away on Monday. His funeral was this morning.

For some classic shots of Ron brandishing his cigar, re-watch this lovely video about Worcester’s Catholic Workers:

A Life Worth Living from Doug Rogers on Vimeo.

Continue reading “Ron Wehrle, 1936-2014, RIP”

Happy birthday, Catholic Worker!

Today in 1933, the first issue of the Catholic Worker newspaper was sold on the streets of New York City. The paper eventually gave its name to the community that was creating it, which blossomed into a decentralized movement now active around the world, performing the works of mercy and opposing the works of war.

At the 75th anniversary gathering (held in Worcester!) many remarked that the CW seemed as vital as it had ever been. On this 80th anniversary, it feels just as lively.

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Image: Rita Corbin.

No arrests in Worcester panhandling civil disobedience

In an act of civil disobedience against Worcester’s new anti-panhandling ordinances, three Worcester residents today begged for money on the median in Lincoln Square, directly across from police headquarters. The event was held on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, which Christians mark with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

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Gordon Davis, a blind anti-discrimination advocate, held a bucket reading BLIND and represented the disabled. Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, a Catholic Worker who has housed the homeless in Worcester for decades, was dressed as St. Francis, himself a beggar. Robert Peters, a long-time Buddhist meditator, dressed in the robes he wears as a lay Buddhist.

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At least four people called the police to complain. According to the supporters demonstrating legally on the nearby sidewalk, the only police response was one officer giving the thumbs-up when he drove by.

In a statement, Chief Gemme said that “Today, between 1 and 2 p.m. there were 21 calls for service throughout the city. None of these calls were regarding panhandling.” (I’m not sure what the difference is between a call for service and these calls. Maybe there were 21 911 issues?)

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None of the beggars was arrested, cited, or warned. “This is a victory for Worcester,” said Schaeffer-Duffy.

Womag has more pix. The T&G reports “$14.68 collected,” all of which will go directly to those in need.

Mason Street Musings

From the September 2012 issue of The Catholic Radical. [PDF]. Illustration by Sarah Jeglosky, 1987.

“You are evil!” S. shouted only an hour after he called us “good people.”

In truth, I can’t really blame him. He has a bad temper, especially when he’s drinking, but he’s otherwise a decent person. He came by looking for specific help, which Claire agreed to give to him. While the details were being worked out, he talked at me, effectively slowing down my work on a garden shed behind our house. When I started losing patience, I thought, “S. is Jesus,” but that was a pretty big stretch under the hot sun. Then he told me that he had been writing letters to Jesus. I couldn’t resist asking, “Have you gotten any letters back yet?” Ignoring me, he went on to disparage his family and to praise the Catholic Worker. “They live in a house, but this is a home,” he repeated several times. I feared this was a prelude to a request to move in with us for what must be his ninth or tenth time in twenty years. Continue reading “Mason Street Musings”

Carl Paulson, RIP

Carl Paulson, legendary stained glass artist and Catholic Worker, has died.

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Carl Paulson and Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus at the 2008 Catholic Worker National Gathering in Worcester. Carl was recognized at the event as “the oldest Catholic Worker.”

The obituary below was sent in by Ken Paulson.
Continue reading “Carl Paulson, RIP”

Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, Athlete

Nice T&G article about Catholic Worker and Pie & Coffee contributor Scott Schaeffer-Duffy’s love affair with running:

He vividly remembers the date — Feb. 11, 2009 — when his mission to fitness began. That April, he ran in the Jay Lyons Memorial 5K and finished in a most-respectable 31 minutes, for a first-timer among the 50-59s. He was in the process of dropping 48 pounds from his 6-foot frame, yet he was now driven to drop his times considerably as well.