A few days ago we launched madisoncatholicworker.org and our site is live! And now welcome to the St. Francis House blog.
Here we can keep up to date with the latest happenings at St. Francis Catholic Worker. I mentioned the
Madison Catholic Worker with a few people this
morning and it was enthusiastically received.
It is a project that is in the thoughts and hearts of many in Madison, I
think... I encourage others to post comments with
thoughts and hopes on a Catholic Worker project in Madison.
I had an experience this week that was a well-timed
motivator for encouraging this project along.
I have been a part of the Dane County Jail Ministry team for a few years. This week five of our team went as usual to
the Thursday night jail ministry. The theme that night was “asking God for what you desire.” I was not feeling particularly enthusiastic this
week. Sometimes I think the Rolling Stones might have gotten it right, “You can’t always get what you want” though you might
get what you need. But I was evangelized
by one of the inmates at the end of our service who came up to me and said that
the discussion reminded him of an old gospel hymn, “Jesus is on the
Mainline” Just call him up and if keep at it long enough you can get to God. That is the point. We might not
get what we want but we will get nearer to God and God is ultimately the only
thing that we really desire – God is the fulfillment of our deepest wants. I went home and learned that hymn – which I
discovered has been performed by everybody from the Mississippi Mass Choir to
Aerosmith.
But the reason for my sharing this is that I was evangelized
by that inmate on Thursday and found hope and encouragement through him. Working with the poor can be like that. We don’t offer much but we gain tremendously
if the poor can forgive us our better-than-you charitable attitude and if we
can open our hearts a little. It is
often the rich who have the biggest barriers because we think we have so much
to loose if we let go. But God is
already there with the poor – so if we put up a barrier to poverty – we put up
a barrier to God. Can we lower our barriers even a little?
I think this Catholic Worker project might be
a way to do that. By living closely with
and being connected with those who have less and even more so being one
with the poor, by accepting our own poverty, “them” turns into “us” and true charity
and communion can begin. So here’s to
hoping for a greater authenticity in our relationships to one another including
the least (which is sometimes ourselves).
And also here’s to hoping that St. Francis Catholic Worker might be a
vehicle to that greater openness of heart to God in our neighbor.
Adam, I can't tell you how excited I was to read your first post. I know that you and I have been dreaming and scheming about starting a Catholic Worker house here in Madison for the past year or so. Your insightful and articulate first blog post and your well designed website speak well, I trust, of what will follow. We have begun. May God guide us and send others to us that want to share in this undertaking. I realize just how much work will be involved in carrying out our dream. I am both frightened and thrilled.
ReplyDeleteI want to offer my skills and talents to this project. You and I have been dreaming and scheming for over a year now as to how to open a Catholic Worker house in Madison, the time seems right to move forward. In my view, we bring diverse and complementary skills to the project, yet share a deep faith commitment and desire for social change. The project will need your youthfulness energies, , intelligence, creativity and technological know-how. Your natural inclination toward contemplation and prayer will help anchor us as well. I offer my financial as well as my brick and mortar experience home remodeling and repairs, knowing that keeping up a Cathlic Worker House will require lots of hard physical work and carefull planning. St. Francis was called to build a church. He later had to reinterpret what that meant. I am sure we will be reinterpreting our dream many times over as well.
Today, at a church coffee I was chatting with Carol Rubin, the president of MOSES, a local community organizing effort aimed at reducing the jail and prison population in the state of Wisconsin. I told Carol what you and I are up to. Carol was quite enthusiastic about our dream and wondered if we might want to focus those who have been release from the state and county correction system. It seems natural, given our weekly volunteer work at the Dane County Jail. I Perhaps that's the right direction, but in truth I want to maintian a “vagueness of hope” and not yet commit to any one population group. Naturally, a house of hospitality will certainly give us an option to offer to those coming out of the correction system. What and how much? So many needs, so many choices.
To make this project succeed, I sense we need to start small. By limiting the goals and scope, we will have a better chance of gaining some momentum. From what I understand of the Catholic Worker movement philosophy, we enjoy a certain freedom of Spirit in what we build. The only real expectations are the ones we place on ourselves. As for me, I echo what Schumacher wrote: Small is Beautiful. As others join us we surely will be able to do more and dream bigger. For now, however, lets set our sights on attainable goals.
I had an offer today from the realtor who is searching for a house for us. He offered to take care of snow removal for the future property. With spontaneous offers of this type, I continue to feel hopeful.
More to come.
As someone who grew up in Madison I will pray from afar that God blesses your work and community.
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