St. Joseph—Catholic Worker House in Manhattan
I spent the summer of 2006 at St. Joseph, the motherhouse of the Catholic Worker Movement begun by Dorothy Day. She was a writer, a Catholic, a visionary. I had admired her endeavors to live out the sermon on the mountain in the gospel of Matthew. So I found myself serving the soup kitchen, mopping the floor, giving out the clothes to the homeless in the heart of America—Manhattan, and, so called, the fourth world, that is, the slums in the developed countries.
During my stay, I met Fr. Dan Berrigan S.J. who is well known for his peace-activities, and Dorothy Day’s granddaughter. Above all, I became a friend to the homeless, and the Catholic Workers who voluntarily lived in poverty and promoting peace and social justice. Matt had been there six years after graduating from Harvard University; Tanya nine years from Boston College; Paul studied in Louvain, Belgium; Carmen was the peace activist; Jim was the guitarist and my roommate. They were all unique, and yet lived as Catholic Workers.
As Dorothy Day said, love in action is harsh and dreadful. But, I was able to practice what we believed in the gospel through the Hospitality House where we shared meals with the homeless, taught one another through Friday Night Talks, made manifestos of the vision of the better world through the Catholic Worker Newspaper and the demonstrations. They taught me how to be a good Christian without feeling superior or defensive.
The value in the gospel is radical enough to challenge us and salvific to give us hope. I have learned that what I dream alone remains a dream, what I dream with others can become reality. The Catholic Workers are Christians as well as authentic humans who care for others by choosing to live the life of the Prince of Peace.
The Catholic Workers are the fourteenth Christ.