Chicago Catholic Worker

A Blog on Now and Then for the Clarification of Thought Regarding

St. Francis House Catholic Worker

White Rose Catholic Worker

Su Casa Catholic Worker

Soup Kitchen Once Associated with St. Francis House

” … we were not asked to do this work …”

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January 28, 2011 - Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church

Praying Vespers or Compline was a regular part of Kenmore Avenue life. Other hours of the Divine Office were prayed at times, but Vespers and Compline were prayed virtually every day for years. Jim usually hosted; and people sat on the floor of the living room near the lobster trap or the black vinyl recliner. Most of the time people said Vespers, but occasionally substituted the shorter Compline . Folks would come over , books would get passed to those who did not have their own . There were copies of both the Daughters of St. Paul version ( cheap)) and the Catholic Book Publishiong version. Someone was named “Boss”; someone was reader, opening hymns were suggested and one was selected and there was a side1 and side2. Then Office began. From beginning to end, it was 15 or 20 minutes. Sometimes there was entirely optional socializing before or after.

A few people thought that Office was elitist and preferred to say the Rosary. And there were folks who did pray the Rosary communally. Both practices date back to the earliest days of the CW and neither practice is currently used in either of the north side houses . Some people had learned to say office by association with religious communities, mostly Benedictine or Franciscan. Most newcomers to Kenmore picked it up in a few days and it may be the most lasting legacy of that era that they can say it now and chant the Salve regina.

Prayer was physically incorporated into the structure of the house. Mark converted the northwest corner attic room into a prayer room, large enough or one person or two friendly people. There was carpet and some icon-esque pictures as furnishings.

January 27, 2011

Typically, when some community is formed or strengthened, some other communities are weakened. The exceptions are those rare instances such that folks with minimal social interactions form groups . For example, some isolated widows may group together and form a type of community either by intention or by chance. At a domestic level, if wife joins a club, her family or marriage may suffer. At a neighborhood level, if some group of do-gooders decides to have para-liturgies on Sunday morning, the parish community and the Church will suffer because that group competes with Mass. As in all else, there is no creation without destruction and much good id f oft lost.

In these parts, the longest surviving community is that of the soup kitchen. Soup has been going on for more than 35 years. Children of some of the early volunteers are now considered regulars. This success over the long haul is primarily due to Jim’s dedication. But it is also his wisdom . It is a community of limited commitment, limitied goals, simple goals, and extremely important and understandable goals. Everyone is important, no one is essential

January 26, 2011

The silent retreat given by Fr. Hugo was an incomparably important element of Dorothy Day’s spiritual formation. She highly encouraged others to attend it regularly as she did. Fr. Hugo gave it for decades from the 1940s through the 1980’s. Denise, Mark, Lynn and others from the St. Francis house took it, sometimes more than once.

One of the parables from the retreat sought to illustrate the notion of attachment, but it also had a lesson in accountability. As this story goes, the superior of a friary once inadvertently delegated the writing of the annual begging letter to one of the more simple-minded friars. The tradition was for this letter to highlight a particular expense of the friary . One year it was clothes, another, shoes, another cleaning supplies, and so forth. This well meaning friar wrote the begging letter about the needs of the friars to have tobacco and the letter was sent out before it could be changed. The reaction of the friary donors was unpleasant but spiritually salutary, illustrating the value of openness.

St. Francis used to be fairly open. When Mark ran the house and held the checkbook, if one lived in the house, one could see the checkbook and the house daybook. We who lived there were free to answer any questions from non-residents as we saw fit. And Joe, who edited the house newsletter but did not live there , kept people apprised of projects and changes and the like. Most importantly, though, anyone who had an interest could walk through the door or knock and enter, virtually at any time. And anyone could see for himself what transpired there and decide how they wished to contribute. Most of the folks who lived there were open about their Catholicity, folks were invited to say rosaries or the Office or go to Mass. Recent visits to St. Francis house during the day revealed no signs of activity and the newsletter from the house was somewhat sparse on details.

White Rose Catholic Worker has the openness of a younger house. Their budget is published and what they do is published. This promotes trust.

January 24, 2012

Folks from the White Rose Catholic Worker have visited with Karl, who is now 74. Karl was in NY as early as 1955 and ran one or two CW houses in Chicago in the sixties. He was at the conference at De Paul in May 1974 which was one of the events that led to the founding of St. Francis House. That is all described in the June 1974 issue of the CW, available on archives. Karl was married his second wife Kathy in the nineties. Sr. Joellen officiated at the ceremony down in the Japanese Garden in Jackson Park. . In any case he now lives in Nashville . I am not sure when Karl left the Church ; his account of his conversion was that it was to please Dorothy and never really took. The June 1974 CW also mentions the various Franciscan communities that Dorothy visited on her trip here: the Gospel Family and the Beacon Street Franciscans. The archive is very easy to search.

Sometime in the 80’s or 90’s Karl built a plywood “Peace House” on a trailer and hauled it around. It was a picturesque little cottage that fit on a utility trailer. It may have been a combination home-on-the road and a prop around which to stage speeches or demonstrations. Much to Karl’s credit, there were no reports of highway disasters associated with wind, rain, highway patrol or other hazards of the road.

When D Day dies in 1980, there was a prayer service at St. Thomas of Canterbury. The only people who actually had known Day were Jim and Karl and Kris . After others had made many sentimental speeches, Jim opened his remarks with “ Once you really got to know Dorothy, she was just another crabby old lady ….” There was an immediatre hostile reaction from the crowd until Karl stood up to agree with him.

January 23, 2012

Miracle Story

Thinking again of the land across from St. Francis Catholic Worker brings thoughts of Rosalee at her worst and her subsequent gentling Rosalee was a regular house visitor , a street person. She spoke a great deal, usually barely coherent, making odd connections between words and phrases. But on occasion, she would get on a roll of bad behavior and get banned from the house for some duration. And sometimes she would sit on the steps of the abandoned six flat across the street and curse. And curse and curse. For hours. Sometimes the profanity was dull repitionn of the regular words. At other times it was vulgarity and profanity more imaginative and exotic than heard before or since. That, however, was not the miracle.

The miracle was that Mark and Lynn took Rosalee into their apartment home at some time when they were married and even after John was born. And she stayed there. And her behavior calmed and pleasanted. Mirabile dictu, vero.

The story of Rosalee amazes more than all others. But it was not the only story of “Christ rooms” or “Christ couches”. Kathy, Kris and Sr. Joellen gave hospitality to Old Ray and Frank for weeks on end, especially in the winter. When old Ray was too drunk or boisterous to stay inside the apartment, these women would let him stay outside on the landing with blanket and pillow. On many occasions, ,Kathy would have to clean up the piss before she went to teach. Kathy would have to get up very early because she had a long commute. Kathy, Kris and Sr.Joellen lived at 4743 Kenmore, the “do gooders ghetto”. Jim and Paul and Roger and Rick and others also did various types of hospitality. Joe and his roommate let Jimmy H stay sometimes, which allowance also required some piss-cleaning on occasion. At the most primitive level, Lynn and others would leave their cars unlocked on Kenmore so people could sleep there.

Most of this was before David Buer sfo started shelter. But that is a whole set of other tales.

Thus it is good and traditional that QWhite Rose Catholic Worker has friends, associates, and hangers on who are offering hospitality privarely..

January 22, 2012

“Someday you will be able to take your children here and say ‘I helped build this slum’” --- Herzog

Herzog, the most talented and cultured man we have ever known , made this remark about the Habitat for Humanity project across the street from St. Francis Catholic Worker house. Margarita, the parish housekeeper at the time was given the opportunity to obtain a townhouse on land that had been vacant for years. A few people from the parish and none from the house helped her obtain the required number of donated hours. The project does not appear to have turned into a slum yet, so perhaps Herzog’s prediction will not be true. There was much vacant land around the St. Francis house; now there is little. There are condo buildings all around; no doubt some of the owners are underwater on their mortgages. There is a significant gang presence on Lawrence and Kenmore. In some respects it is as dangerous as it ever was. Soup kitchen continues to be filled.

White Rose Catholic Worker occupies a dwelling above Minion Hair Creation and is located next to a Salvation Army Thrift store with a parking lot. Down the street are many grocers selling products at prices immigrants can afford. It is an excellent site from which to obtain goods and services: a girl could get her hair done, go shopping for a dress and frying pan, and fetch lentils and onions within a few hundred feet. Things are no quite t so handy at St. Francis house. The bike shop that Tim started nearby is still going strong. And the Army Navy surplus on Broadway is still there. That store has been there for at least 50 years and has been run by the current manager for decades. St. Thomas is only a block and a half away. It was a handy place to go when some rest was needed from being at the house. Fr. Rochford and Fr. Kehan and Fr. Simon were always good hosts . That is not to say that Fr. Costello, the current pastor, is not a good host.; he is a very gracious host , but only to those who come by and ring the bell or call.

January 21, 2012

Count Clemens August Graf von Galen, the Bishop of Munster preached so effectively against Nazi practices that his sermons inspired young men and women to risk execution and eventually be executed for distributing copies of his sermons and similar works. The name of the group of German students and friends who were so inspired , and later executed, was “The White Rose”, apparently taken from the name of a novel about peasant exploitation in Mexico. Bishop Count von Galen, “Lion of Munster” was later elevated to the rank of cardinal much more importantly, he was beatified in 2005. The story of his life and works is an amazing story of courage and resolve and sanctity. His warnings about the sanctity of life are still timely. The Jesuits can take credit for his early education.

On the topic of religious orders’ association with CW houses, Franciscans were very important in the early day of St. Francis house. Kris , who founded the house, was then --- and may still be an sfo. Equally important to the early history was the Gospel family nearby. Some Franciscan brothers lived in community with a few lay people and were general do-gooders. David Buer was one such lay person. He eventually went pro and became and ofm out west where he does protesting and good deeds. However, David is no longer allowed to compete in amateur spirituality contests like Roger, sfo, is. Lots of others went through the CW either before or after attempts at religious life or seminaries.

Unhappily, several priests who had been associated with the house are active priests no longer: Roy Bourgeois, Bill Pecquet, Len Kreusel and maybe some others.

January 20, 2012

Of how many children was Dorothy Day the mother ? The answer is not “one”.

There are 170 people on Gitmo. Many of them deserve imprisonment. Most of them are being treated humanely.

Over a million children are murdered prior to their birth every year.

Much CW effort is devoted to protesting Gitmo. There is no reason to believe that the marginal reward of this effort will be anything more than nothing.

No CW effort --- organized as CW effort --- appears to be devoted to slowing down the death rate of abortion. And anecdotal evidence is that some efforts by others are successful. Some lives are saved., with no thanks to CW housed. Unless you consider Roger and Rick.

Are these guys “Workers” ? The movement would do well to claim them.

January 19, 2012

“Smoon-yoh” -- A phrase used to greet by some Indians in Mexico as related by Roger

What brought that greeting to mind was Roger. And what brought Roger to mind was mud and Franciscans .And what brought mud to mind was White Rose Catholic Worker having a craft program. What brought Franciscans to mind was David, ofm and Kris sfo and Roger sfo and the copy of famous Franciscan crucifix that Fr. Simon pained for St. Thomas of Canterbury. Rather than choose one subject, this entry will discuss two. First crafts and mud, then Roger.

“Mud” is one of the names of drywall compound, which is mostly gypsum plaster. Its obvious use is to fix walls. But it can be used like plaster-of-Paris as a craft material. So art can be produced at the same time one is becoming familiar with the material that encloses us indoors and helps protect us from fire. Many homes have a bag of it in the basement. So the use of mud was suggested as part of a crafts evening. Another suggestion for crafts was the creation of mason bee-blocks. Bee blocks are said to attract mason-bees to gardens and allow the bees to flourish. Larger mason bee populations might mitigate the affect of some of the problems affecting honey bee apiaries. In any case, bee-blocks are easy to make and hold the prospect of helping gardens and observing bees. But no honey is harvested.

Roger is an accomplished mudder ( and an accomplished man of prayer and an accomplished maintainer of buildings and an accomplished mechanic and an accomplished user of dynamite ). He learned “smoon-yoh” when he journeyed with a Franciscan missionary to a very remote part of Mexico. These particular Franciscans operate Marytown, across the lake from the seminary. Roger continues to help at Marytown while but works at the seminary. Roger’s distinct responsibilities in Mexico were to fix vehicles and buildings. If he could not fix a vehicle, then it would be very difficult to have it fixed for weeks.

Roger had been a member of the St. Francis House community many years ago . He and Mark enclosed the attic in drywall and mud and added insulation. They enabled the attic to be used as a sleeping place and saved energy. Anyone who works with drywall knows that the most difficult part of the installation is the cutting and taping and mudding and sanding and sanding . Generally, the more full sheets of drywall that can be used, the less cutting and taping and mudding and sanding is necessary. But to save money. Mark and Roger used lots dryall scraps, ends and pieces discarded by others. This meant they committed to a lot of extra dirty, difficult work in cramped quarters with minimal circulation. The term “white martyrdom” is used to distinguish witnessing via uaster life as opposed to black martyrdom, witnessing via acceptance of death. But getting covered by gypsum dust underthose conditions could be considered another type of white martyrdom.

For whatever reason, Roger was not regarded as a Worker by the group managing the house ( the “ruling junta”, to use David Stein’s term. David is now or recently was the head of the “ruling junta” ).Roger was not invited to meetings to discuss how the house was run or even given a key to the house. But one night Roger summoned to himself a great deal of authority. One of the “ruling junta” had taken a guest for her lover. And on one night that lover was drunk and abusive and loud. Roger awoke that night to the commotion, saw various others confused. In that moment of grace, Roger was not confused. He opened her door and told Bob to leave right now. And he saw to it that Bob did leave and he told him to not return. And no one questioned Roger’s standing that night. That was a rare moment. Roger’s good deeds were typically those of prayer and plastering and are too many to be retold.

January 18, 2012

Playwright Jacob Junsten was kind enough to provide the script of a play he had written for St. Francis House. It was performed a while ago and was well received by those who saw it. He will return this spring to produce a play based on the last 90 minutes of the life of Joan of Arc. Current scholarship questions her pacifism, though it is certain she never supported nuclear weapons. The same opinions are held regarding Saint Nuno of Saint Mary ( Nuno Alvares Perira).

White Rose Catholic Worker occupies a rented house . St. Francis Catholic Worker House is owned by a faceless corporation ( Northside Sanctuary House, Inc) whose principal is Catherine. She is married to Mike now and lives on the south side. She started coming to soup when she went to St. Scholastica decades ago.

There is an advantage to renting: a landlord typically wants to make sure the building is taken care of and is protected by some insurance. That might not be the case when the dwelling is owned by a corporation .

If a guest should be injured at White Rose Catholic Worker, the victim could, and most likely would, seek redress through the owner’s property insurance company. On the other hand, when someone sustains a substantial injury at St. Francis House, he will have to retain a lawyer and file suit against Northside Sanctuary House, whose only asset is the house. And that will be the end of the house.

It was a happy surprise to find out that White Rose Catholic Worker has some chickens in the backyard. This is legal in Chicago and there is even a feed store on Belmont Avenue very near the Kennedy. It speaks well of the neighborhood if the chickens remain safe from rats, dogs, and other chicken snatchers. At an earlier time, that would have been impossible at St. Francis house and I doubt it would be possible to try keeping them . Chicks are sold at the feed store on Belmont if they ever wish to try.

January 17, 2012

“If one has integrity, nothing else matters. If one does not have integrity, nothing else matters” ---Alan Simpson

What’s important, the big over which you have at best a trivial say, or the small, over which you have much power ? Is it our obligation to protest the enslavement of Christians in Nigeria or their persecution in Iraq or that there are some innocent people imprisoned in Gitmo ? Or is it more of an obligation to shovel our neighbor’s walk or write letters to folks in local jails or help our kids study or tell them about Servant of God Fr. Vincent Capodono, MM . Members of protest clubs must acknowledge that, if freedom of conscience means anything at all, it means that others may well be called to ignore the protests.

One good fellow and wonderful economist , Art, who came to St. Thomas had been illicitly permitted to preach. When Fr. Simon thought it best to end that practice, Art’s objection was this: he felt seriously called to preach. The argument was advanced that Fr. Simon was equally or perhaps more strongly called to prevent it. Art’s objection to that response was it could not be so; it is a waste of energy ( was it said dhe was a good economist ?) . But the end was: God can waste energy; it comes with omnipotence, a quality theologians are more suited to deal with than economists.

One day a few years ago, Cardinal George dropped by the soup kitchen on very short notice. He came with his driver and sat down at one of the tables. When Jim brought him some of the chili, the cardinal asked what it was and Jim told him. The cardinal said that it’s Lent and it’s Friday . And Jim told him that what appeared to be meat was soy protein. The cardinal asked “Do they ( the guest) know that ?” Jim started to answer and he was interrupted and everyone went on with the meal . The cardinal talk to some folks at the table and went on his way like all the other guests.

January 16, 2012

The constraints of a solution to the Gitmo problem:

No prisoners can be brought to the US with federal funds.

No precedent can be established whereby battlefield prisoners or combatants against the United States can be regarded as entitled as suspects under any domestic criminal justicve system.

Prisoners who are cleared to be released have to be taken someplace that will both accept them and where they will be safe. There are no prisoner cleared for release who can be moved any locations that meet those criteria.

No precedent can be established whereby battlefield prisoners or combatants against the United States can be granted permanent visas to reside in the United States.

Due process by tribunals and trials takes lots of effort and time if done well.

The problem seems beyond solution.

January 15, 2012

“Every wave think it’s the first wave on the beach” ---Stanley Vishnewski

Talking about the CW in Chicago led a friend to repeat this quote and then raised a curiosity about the actual origin of the quote. It did not seem likely that it originated with Mr. Vishnewski.But a Google search on part of the phrase led to it’s quotation in a 1993 book Voices from the Catholic Worker . And it seems that Stanley Vishnewski may have actually coined the phrase.

The stories the book as related by Fr.Jack Keehan, Denise, Jim and Mark are accurate recollections of a happier time, sentimentally recalled. By the time of the books writing, St. Francis House had already started its decline. The house had been supported by people who came to Soup Kitchen and met people from the house. There was in that earlier time a friendly exchange of goods and services between the parish food pantry and the house and the soup kitchen, which was regarded as a joint effort of the parish and house. When Fr.Richard Simon began his pastorate at St. Thomas of Canterbury , he questioned some of the liturgical irregularities that had taken root at one of the Masses by people from St. Francis House . These led people from the house to boycott the parish and the soup kitchen. The outcome is that the house began its decline ; parish Mass attendance and finances and service to the poor improved and ; soup kitchen donations and volunteers increased . All operations in the parish operations continue to do well now. The parish school ids run by Ms. Boyd who has achieved results entirely beyond what was expected years ago. The book Voices from the Catholic Worker is available as an e-book and those interested in CW history are encouraged to obtain the work.

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January 14, 2012

The White Rose Catholic Worker on Devon houses cheery industrious people who do nice things. Those folks garden, process produce, share food, and offer some hospitality. These activities are all commendable and these practices should be encouraged for more people and forevermore. These cheerful people’s production of basil pesto appeared especially wise ; that food is tasty, simple, full of important nutrients and versatile. The production of pesto is an excellent tradition.

It is disappointment that such cheery , industrious people invoked the name of Catholic Worker when more honest alternatives were available. These nice folks are Protestant in how they write and speak and how they worship. It is a disappointment especially when one considers how very much Ms. Day gave up to become formally Catholic. That steep price, in the natural order, was paid by both her and her daughter and perhaps her grandchildren and great grandchildren. But in Day’s mind the trip was worth the toll in the supernatural order.

There is perhaps a silver lining to the cloud of that mis-naming by the white rose group. Specifically, perhaps, that the choice of names reveals some recognition of the value of the Catholic Church and some latent desire to be part of it. And there is no apparent malice in the misleading name. Of course, according to our most recently convicted former governor, there was no malice in his actions. He was just pursuing his own end.

White Rose house still does profess some Christianity. I don’t know that is still the case at St. Francis House. It abandoned Catholic affiliation years ago The silver lining to that cloud is that the soup kitchen started by the house at that time is still operating more than 30 years later by the same temporary director. Fortunately, that director is no longer teaching full time as well.

I was told that Su casa CW is still very catholic and operates in an old friary. The fellow in charge ran St. Francis house for a while