Death Penalty Witness

L to R: Dave and Frank downtown on Fridays.

The death penalty is no laughing matter, but it is easy to trade a few smiles while holding a sign on the witness line.

I often struggle with the effectiveness of such a vigil. However, we are standing right outside of the State Capitol building as well as the offices of the Governor and numerous other government personnel. Lawyers, street vendors, judges, beggars, senators & representatives, students, bus riders, office workers of all types, tourists and others walk and drive past us every Friday. It is important that they realize there are people out there who are opposed to the death penalty. We are a visual reminder to them that folks care about this. We are a support to others who want to take a similar stand. We are a healthy challenge to those who don't.

As Daniel Berrigan and numerous other peacemakers have said, we are called to be faithful, not effective. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't take reasonable steps to be effective, either. Some folks scatter seeds in the wind, but a wise farmer will cultivate organized rows. The important thing is not to get too hung up on the results of our action, because we may never see them.

Standing the heart of downtown as folks mill around on their lunch hour is a good time and place to be doing this. I'd love to see the vigils expanded. Wouldn't it be great if folks were holding a sign at that very place five days each week? What if a rotation of people were doing this all day long? What if we had people all up and down the street in multiple locations? Folks would really take notice.

Grapes, Raspberries, Seed Starting and Final Introductory Meeting

Above, Fr. John discussing the finer points of grapes with Bob on Friday.

Our community garden was given a wonderful treat this past week. Fr. John, a local grape enthusiast and expert, offered us grape starters from his family's farm in southern Ohio. He also offered to give a public tutorial about planting and pruning grapes. We did this on two separate afternoons, this past Friday and Saturday.

There is a lot more to proper grape planting than I ever could have imagined! Fr. John showed us the nuances and tricks he has learned over his years tending grapes. We first dug large holes around the fencepoints. A special root hormone and beneficial fungi were placed around the roots. We used last year's compost, which is rich and ready to use, mixed with some topsoil and peat moss to put in the holes. The grapes were then planted, thoroughly watered, and covered up. They were also snipped to no more than two buds per plant.

Midge (the dog), Jean, Paul, Perry, Zeila and Joan look on during Saturday's planting tutorial.

After the planting, the group traveled a couple blocks to the home of one of our garden leaders, Orchlene. She had some unruly grapes in her backyard, so we got a chance to learn how to prune grapes and get them ready for the new year. I probably need to witness this a couple more times before I feel comfortable, but all of us did learn a lot. While doing that, we dug up 7 red raspberry plants that had spread like wildfired and were interfering with her grapes. Later in the day, we planted all 7 at the St. James community garden.

One of Orchlene's freshly-pruned grapes, pictured on the left.

We had plans to start a perennial garden this year, and the offer of grapes came serendipitously right after that. Also, the raspberries that Orchele would have just thrown away were like gold to us--buying 7 raspberry bushes would have set us back quite a bit if we were to buy them at a nursery. It is amazing how these pieces come together. The sad part is that we won't see any fruit from these this year and quite possibly not even the next, but when it comes we'll be so glad we did this!

The prior Saturday, Joan and Orchele led a seed starting session at the Catholic Worker house. Over a half dozen folks come out to plant several trays of seeds for the community garden as well as for themselves. There are over 15 trays of seeds perched in windows throughout the Catholic Worker house. They are sprouting nicely. We have several trays of marigolds (perfect as an organic repellent to garden pests), tomatoes, peppers, Brussels sprouts, cabbage--you name it.


A tray of new sprouts upstairs in the Catholic Worker house.

Planting our own seeds saves a great deal of money, and it brings us one step closer to the whole life cycle of our garden. We have been blessed with quite a bit of seeds still left over from last year as well as donations from folks this year. Fr. John also gave us a large zip lock back full of dried hot peppers--each full of seeds!

Zeila worked hard to save seeds last year, especially from marigolds. This year, we are going to focus on saving more seeds so that we can be a totally self-sufficient garden!

We had our third and final Garden Tutorial meeting last night. Suzanne "Queen of the Compost" led us in a presentation about the finer points of composting. Kirk followed that up with a round of "Garden 101" principles. We were happy to see a nice representation from the Latino and Vietnamese communities. Zulma gave a presentation at the Spanish language Masses last weekend, and we also got some participants from our ESL classes.

Romero

Today, March 24, 2010, marks the 30th anniversary of the martyrdom of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador:

A prayer on the 30th anniversary of Romero's martyrdom

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

Amen.

(Prayer written by Bishop Ken Untener, attributed to the words of Archbishop Romero.)


From Pax Christi:

Oscar Romero is often called the "Martyr of the Americas of the 20th Century." He served as the Archbishop of San Salvador for three years. The murder of one of his dear friends, Father Rutilio Grande, caused him great pain and set him on a journey toward becoming one of the greatest prophets Catholic social justice activists have ever known. He spoke out against the government repression in El Salvador and against the poverty, hunger and helplessness of the majority of the Salvadoran people, during a time when those who spoke out and publicly opposed the situation were killed or "disappeared."

And Justice For All Immigrants

See below for current actions of our community, our neighbors and our Church for the cause of Immigration Reform, including some events coming up this weekend:

Let's hear it for Rich Nathan, senior pastor of the Vineyard Church of Columbus for his excellent opinion piece on the need for immigration reform which ran in the Columbus Dispatch yesterday.

He cites the impracticality of deporting 12 million contributing members of society. The whole issue of immigration encompasses a broad range of problems, such as employers willing to exploit cheap labor, a nation running rampant with myths about the reality of illegal immigration and the sheer life-or-death desperation that compels these people to cross the border in the first place. He also explains that there are real, practical solutions available.

He writes:

Furthermore, enforcement-only policies are no solution. Deporting 12 million illegal immigrants is utterly impracticable. Not only would it cost hundreds of billions of dollars ($206 billion over five years, according to the chamber), it would destroy families and communities across the country.

The way forward is clear. We need to secure our borders, crack down on dishonest employers and require illegal immigrants to register with the government and meet certain requirements, including learning English, working and paying taxes before they earn the chance to become citizens. Such practical reforms would strengthen our economy, serve the interests and honor the ideals of our nation, and provide immigrants with the opportunity to fully join our society.

The full text is here of Rich Nathan's piece.

The vision is very similar to the recommendations of the US Catholic Bishops.

As a friend of mine says, "immigration is a reality." How do we deal with this reality? Putting up a wall from Tijuana to Brownsville is juvenile and infeasible. It also doesn't address the massive amount of illegal immigrants from Canada, Europe and elsewhere.

Keeping families together and allowing a temporary worker program so that folks can work in America and take steps toward long-term residency is needed.

As Van Morrison sings, you don't pull no punches, but you don't push the river. This river is flowing. It needs to flow. I believe it flows with the blessing of the Holy Spirit. The river of immigration flows with the Biblical thirst for justice, the hope for safe refuge, the faith in the Promise of the Promised Land, and the love these people have for their families which compels them to risk life and limb for a better tomorrow. If you get in the water and try to push this river, you will find yourself flailing and making a fool out of yourself as the water rushes past you.

Getting caught up in legalities is not how to look at it. The system is broke and people cannot wait until it is fixed. A crying baby needs milk today. Unjust laws need not be followed, especially when the sheer weight of the humanity of 12 million people is pressing against them.

* * *
Our Pax Christi group hosted Angela Johnston, diocesan Director of Latino Ministry last week. She showed the video Dying To Live. From the link: "Dying to Live" is a profound look at the human face of the immigrant. It explores who these people are, why they leave their homes and what they face in their journey.

Indeed, the human story can dispel many myths. The one fact that has stuck with me the most is the sheer desperation of these immigrants. These people love their families, their country and their culture. They are not sneaking into America on some "get rich quick" scheme or to rob us of free health benefits. Just consider the facts: Why would anyone risk their lives, live in long-term separation from their families and risk all sorts of other horrors to sneak into America? A person would only do that because their other options are worse.

To them, it is a sheer matter of survival. Economic and political conditions are so bad in their native land that they are forced to try. The ironic part is that those conditions are so bad in large part through the policies of the American government and international businesses.

* * *
From the Bishops' Justice for Immigrants website:

On Sunday, March 21st, JFI will host a Mass in support of immigrants with celebrants Cardinal Mahony and Bishop Wester at 11:00am at St. Aloysius Church (19 I Street N.W., Washington DC 20001). Afterward, please join thousands of people on the National Mall to urge our members of Congress to introduce and pass immigration reform legislation. With the expectation that comprehensive immigration reform could soon be considered by Congress, it is crucial that supporters of reform make their voices heard on Capitol Hill. Anyone that cannot attend the March 21st events can still take action in support of reform by sending electronic postcards to your members of Congress postcard.


From a Justice For Immigrants flyer:

Show your solidarity with comprehensive immigration reform

On Sunday March 21, thousands of people from across America—including some 25 buses from Ohio--will travel to Washington DC to call on Congress and the Administration to enact comprehensive immigration reform.

If you want to travel to DC, there are still spaces on a bus from Columbus. Contact Ruben at 614-571-1759, as soon as possible.

If you can’t travel to DC, join Columbus supporters on Saturday, March 20:

9 AM Parish Mass
10:30 AM Welcome & Prayer for Cross-Country Bus Riders
Christ the King Catholic Church
2777 E. Livingston Ave., Columbus 43209 (4 blks west of S. James Rd.)
Come out to welcome and support over 50 Californians from the faith-based community organization, PICO-National Network. They are stopping at Christ the King Church for a brief respite on their cross-country journey to DC. There will be brief witnesses to the need for comprehensive reform. Then we’ll send the bus riders off on their last leg of the journey with prayer & support.

Questions: Nancy Powers, Justice for Immigrants Campaign, Ohio co-coordinator
614-284-3692 or nancy.r.powers@gmail.com.


You can also go here:
1 PM
Rally for Reform
Ohio State House (as the buses leave for D.C.)


For more information about the need for comprehensive immigration reform, go to http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/

Full House!

The house was positively throbbing with activity the past several days, with two very different events on the weekend and another one last night:

Swap Party

Just so you don't think we're serious all the time, Erin threw a very wonderful Swap Party! Folks brought items to trade in for items that other people brought. People received a poker chip for each item they brought which they could then redeem for other items.


The living room was filled with tables of household goods, purses & shoes, knick-knacks and toys. I never thought my 2006 commemorative Burger King Bobble Head would find a home, but it was one of the first items to go. Erin warned me not to bring junk, so I almost decided against showcasing that one! The old adage is true that one person's junk is another's treasure.

While it was a fun, social time, it also served a purpose: In our modern society, we are trained to be independent. We often take for granted that the only way to get something is to buy it ourselves. Erin's swap party showed another way: People can simply share what they have. You may find something unexpected or perhaps you may find exactly what you've been looking for.


Ginger shares details of her recent trip to the Holy Land with Charla above.

Folks were thrilled to get rid of stuff they had around the house they no longer wanted. They were also equally thrilled to take home "new" items from others--and not a single cent was involved in the transaction! Leftover items were shuttled to the Catholic Worker Free Store, and perhaps kept until the next Swap Party. The main question that folks were asking was--When is the next Swap Party? The answer: Pretty soon! Stay posted for details as they unfold.


Erin was reunited with longtime friend Edna.

H1N1 Inoculations

We have long since wanted to offer health-related services through the Catholic Worker house. Columbus Public Health and Mt. Carmel Church Partnerships asked us if they could set up a clinic for free H1N1 inoculations, and we gladly accepted.

The event was a success with 142 people inoculated! There were folks from the parish and neighborhood. The majority of the clientele were from the 12:30 Spanish-language Mass at St. James the Less.

The building was packed, but the line moved quickly. Snacks of fruit, granola and donuts were moving quickly. Joan and I spent much time constantly mixing up new containers of frozen juice. The medical teams were 100% professional and did a classy job registering folks, shepherding the line and giving the inoculations themselves.

Clinics such as this one are often in uncomfortable or cramped quarters, based on where they are at. We were glad to help provide a homey atmosphere for everyone involved. Children in particular thoroughly enjoyed playing with the Thomas train set that Erin recently donated to us!


Nurses and administration personnel are setting up for inoculations in the picture above.

Children will need follow-up shots after a month, so we are looking into options to providing that clinic here, as well. Clinics like these are important, as the population is still not adequately immunized to offset the next wave of the "swine flu" which is expected to hit soon. Latinos in particular are high-risk for developing life-threatening complications from it.

Click here for a listing of upcoming vaccination clinics through Columbus Public Health.

Community Gardening

The garden steering committee decided to host three informational tutorials in the months of January, February and March. Last night was the second one. Both events so far were a wonderful time of community and friendliness. Jean is becoming famous for her creations out of the "Monastery Soups" book. Yesterday was cabbage, potato and chicken soup, last month was--believe it or not--Brussels sprout soup. Others brought fruit and desserts. At the January meeting, James and Etta brought the largest chocolate cake we've ever seen, and Debbie has baked a cake for both events, as well. We cracked open one of our few remaining jars of homemade salsa, too.

Last night, we were treated to a talk by Lisa, who is an inspector for The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA). She is a prolific organic gardener both at home and work. She gave a wealth of practical information about how to grow and maintain an organic garden, including everything from maintaining the soil with compost, choosing organic fertilizers and pesticides, and managing pests.

This year's gardeners promises to be a stellar group. They are a mix of neighborhood folks, parishioners and others who have come through the Catholic Worker network. We are quite pleased at how it is turning out!

Jean also decided to brew a batch of our recently-arrived Just Haiti coffee. Folks were quite pleased at the flavor. When we announced at the end of the meeting that we have bags of it we can offer for a donation, two people quickly took us up on the offer. We certainly do not profit on this at all (in fact there is a small loss until we are able to buy in bulk quantities), but we are happy to distribute it for a very worthy cause. See the post below for more information.

Join us on Saturday, March 13th from 1pm - 3pm for a Seed Starting Party! Joan and Orchlene will be leading the session. Bring you containers, pots, seeds or anything else you can think of, or just come to learn. We should have some materials to share, as well. In some cases, one package of seeds can grow dozens of plants, which can yield a tremendous cost savings.

Just Haiti Coffee

We are proud to have on hand a large quantity of fresh coffee from the organization Just Haiti!

Pat and I discovered them while attending the recent Pax Christi National Conference in Chicago last summer. The coffee is grown in small cooperatives and fairly traded. In addition, it is organic and sustainably shade grown.

From their website: Just Haiti works to alleviate poverty, hunger, violence, illiteracy and disease in Haiti by fostering small-business development, education programs, employment opportunity, infrastructure improvement and environmental quality.

The coffee is quite good. We have on hand a regular gourmet roast as well as a darker, Haitian-style roast. We would be glad to distribute it to you for a reasonable donation. Our expenses are $9.95 for each 12 oz package plus shipping--well within a normal price range for gourmet, Fair Trade products. If we are able to move a large quantity, then we will be able to make bulk purchases to cut costs a bit, but for right now we are experimenting with smaller quantities to see how it goes.

I was impressed to discover how well established the Fair Trade market is in Columbus after doing some market research. Many churches and vendors sell quite a bit of Fair Trade coffee and other products. However, I was also surprised to discover no signs of Haitian coffee anywhere in town. That is a gap we intend to fill!

Just Haiti invests in sustainable development in Haiti--the kind of development that may have prevented many of the recent earthquake deaths through better infrastructure and a population more spread out in rural areas. While Just Haiti mostly supports communities near Baradères on the southwestern "arm" of the island (about 100 miles from the earthquake epicenter), they are taking in a surge of refugees from Port-au-Prince. In addition, some buildings have been damaged directly by the earthquakes in that area.

The organization Just Haiti not only distributes coffee, but it also takes donations directly through its website to support sustainable development and earthquake relief in rural areas. Check out the links above for more information!

Stop by the Catholic worker house to try out some Haitian coffee. We will be glad to brew you a pot! You are welcome to take home a bag.

Reflections on the Death Penalty Vigil Line

I finally got my clothing right.

There is something of a science when it comes to dressing appropriately to be outside for an hour holding a sign and standing in place. I've been getting frostbitten fingers and numb legs standing with Dave downtown the last couple of weeks. Today, I made sure to have long johns, thick gloves and my trusty mountain vest underneath my jacket. It also helped that the weather has broken for the better recently.

It has been hard to eat after these vigils, but on previous weeks that would have required a discipline that I don't have. Not having much more than morning coffee in my belly, I have been going home and eating ravenous portions of bacon and eggs or a fat sub afterwards. It is understandable after standing in freezing temperatures on an empty stomach, but it has never sat right. With the onset of Lent, I'm eating a sensible meatless breakfast and then fasting for lunch afterwards. There is something about standing in the reality of the death penalty that makes fasting seem necessary.

It is good to share time on the vigil line. Sometimes I feel I'm doing more to lift the spirits of long-time vigiler Dave, who usually stands alone on these Friday afternoons. I hope our conversations are not a distraction to the work we are doing, but good company probably keeps the movement going more than anything. In the spirit of Catholic Worker hospitality, being a friendly face to share the work fits right into our charism.

So we stand for an hour holding signs. I try to make eye contact with passers by and smile--I'm not sure what else to do. A couple of people approach us in an hour to express support, sign a petition or ask what we're doing. It is easy to imagine if these vigils could be on every day of the week and on multiple corners of the streets--if the movement to stop the death penalty could be a constant presence. There is a lot of traffic as people mill about to and from lunch. Do they want to be reminded of the death penalty on their lunch break? I wouldn't blame them if they didn't--the two don't mix well for me, either.

Buttons and Beads Have Changed the World

Remember those Christian hippie chicks back in the 1980s?

I can almost visualize a booth at an Earth Day festival or some peace rally: There would be a young woman peddling beads and trinkets from across the world. She'd be wearing fair trade buttons and have an array of pamphlets documenting the importance of fairly traded goods and the injustice of the current system. She was insistent and passionate about the cause.

I first remember learning about Fair Trade products at those peace & justice events in the 1980s, as I was coming of age. I was immediately sympathetic to the cause. However, I must also admit that I was almost embarrassed by those efforts. These were the Reagan-Bush years, when social justice was a terribly unpopular thing. Considering the unbelievable size of the world's markets, what would a few fairly traded beads, crafts and soap do? It was such a minuscule amount, the tiniest fraction of a drop in the bucket.

This feeling of futility has always hung like a shadow anytime I would think about social justice activities, including vigils against the death penalty, civil disobedience to close the School of the Americas or any number of other important causes. In college, I became involved in direct service to the hungry and homeless, and the immediate benefits to all involved were captivating. I put my attention there.

Fast forward to today: Our Catholic Worker community has been looking into ways of serving the Haitian people. The sheer devastation of the recent earthquakes have made it impossible not to take action, as we've all been in agony over the issues it raises. It seems every church and community group has been active in this cause, and much assistance has been raised for emergency efforts. In light of that, we've been looking at options to support long-term, sustainable development in Haiti--the kind of development that might have prevented a lot of those earthquake deaths.

Pat reminded me of the group Just Haiti, who were selling fairly traded coffee at the recent Pax Christi gathering in Chicago. He bought a package and brewed it this past summer, and it was good. Ideas started circulating about distributing this coffee locally--perhaps we could be a vendor of some kind.

I started researching the local market by visiting numerous churches and shops like Global Gallery and the Clintonville Community Market. I was amazed at the well-established infrastructure that churches already have with fair trade vendors. One church with 600 members moves 50 lbs of coffee each month! These efforts are strong across denominational lines, as I visited Unitarian, Methodist, Mennonite and Catholic churches and I saw the same wonderful activity.

It is hard to get accurate statistics on the market share of fairly traded coffee. Much depends on how the terms are defined and who regulates and certifies it. Just to get a broad sketch, though, one report shows the market share of fair trade coffee in the US to be about 0.2% in the year 2000, growing to 1.8% by the year 2004. By anyone's calculation, that is a significant rate of growth in such a short time! This other report picks up where the other leaves off and show the market share rising to 3.1% by the year 2006. Now, national supermarket and coffee shop chains have begun selling fair trade, as well.

I had to admit: Those Christian hippies in the 1980s changed the world!

When virtually no one else was talking about it, when it was almost laughable, those brave folks, in the thickest point of the Rush Limbaugh years, setting up those fair trade tables 20 years ago started a new conversation. They first convinced the churches, who have since been educating their congregations. People kept talking about it, urging their churches, local shops and big chains to take on fair trade products. Those buttons started a groundswell and created pressure so that today fair trade is a significant--and still growing--market force.

I'm reminded of the famous Margaret Meade quote: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

We have heard it before and know it to be true. Still, it is hard to believe it when we feel like such a small David versus such a large Goliath. Like many others out there, I have been sympathetic to social justice causes by paralyzed by the sense of futility. In researching fair trade coffee, I came face to face with the reality that IT WORKS! A few people brave enough (or perhaps silly enough) to pick up a sign and talk the truth about injustice really can and do make a difference.

Those fair trade tables remind me how much we should never discount our efforts for justice, no matter how small they may seem at the time. Dorothy Day talked about how monks offering hospitality in the so-called Dark Ages had a lasting impact on society--they changed society without violent revolution or total acquiescence to negative circumstances.

Back to the coffee: I could not find anyone else in Columbus distributing coffee from Haiti, so there is room to grow for sure. The good and bad news of the market in Columbus is that it is so well-established. Asking churches and co-ops to temporarily halt their orders in order to try out Haitian coffee seems counterproductive. It can be argued that the circumstances in Haiti can demand such an action, but those Peruvian, Salvadoran and Ethiopian farmers have also come to depend on our market and to break relationship with them in order to help Haiti is a tough item to discern. It might be best to break new ground in the market.

We'll keep you posted on how this develops, and please don't hesitate to share ideas with us if you see a direction this could go. Perhaps the next time you visit the Columbus Catholic Worker, you may see a table of fair trade beads, buttons, coffee and chocolate on display.

There Again, This Time With The Columbus Catholic Worker

The following post is written by Jean, our newest community member:

Almost 25 years ago, my brother David and I stayed at the Catholic Worker house on First Street in NYC, camping in the container garden on its roof and, with our Village-ite sister Joan, joining us to help in the kitchen.

For the greater part of the last decade, the Ithaca, NY Catholic Worker community - out of which the "St. Patrick's Four" action against the second Iraq War grew - were my neighbors and my fellows among the people gathered for the sumptuous community meals at Loaves and Fishes. I remember clearly the first time I ran into Danny Burns at our neighborhood coffee shop and, later, Clare Grady when each came home after being released from prison: my chest fills even now with the realization of the love and gratitude I felt for them, for their willingness to speak and act so powerfully and simply what was in my heart.

For most of my adult life, whenever I moved to a new city, I would look around for a CW, and the idea of living in community and of "doing my work" (I have been a social worker for 20 years) in community would tug at me. Then, I would get distracted and that desire would go underground again . . .

Pictured to the left is Jean and friend Trooper, who is mentioned below.

And then, in 2005, in the days immediately after the levees broke in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, I travelled to south Louisiana to run a shelter for the Red Cross (I was the social worker at its homeless shelter in Ithaca). A Catholic community, the Cursillo Center in Prairie Ronde, had opened its doors to the Red Cross and, at any given time, 150 to 250 evacuees from New Orleans and St Bernard Parish. I described my experience in this September 16, 2005 e-mail:

I am just now getting to e-mail for the first time since the levees broke in New Orleans. I am in Prairie Ronde, just outside the town of Opelousas, north of Lafayette. Joanne – my co-worker at the Red Cross in Ithaca - and I are co-managing a shelter with a team of men from the Cursillo Center, a Catholic retreat center here.

I know everyone is exhausted, but the anxious, frightened energy is finally dissipating - in our shelter, at least - and families are beginning to look to the future. Many of the older black women from New Orleans have told us that now their babies - their beautiful black children - might survive because the rest of the world may finally pay attention to what it has ignored for so long.

We are awakened each morning to be welcomed by people who are rebuilding community and hope right before our eyes. It is hard to be tired in the middle of that. The experience of working as a team with the Cursillo community has been extraordinary: we meet nightly to review what is working, what is not, and to collectively coordinate and strengthen our work together and with the evacuees. For the last week, we have held our meetings at bonfire, Jupiter and the moon rising above us. And, then, last night, I sat in the dormitory with Trooper (our real mainstay in the partnership between the Red Cross and the Cursillo Center), my hands held tight in the lap of Miss Juanita, an eighty year old blind woman who is living away from New Orleans for the first time in her life. She and Trooper sang 'That Old Rugged Cross' . . .

Six years ago at this time, I had just returned to Portland from Romania, having seen a total eclipse of the sun from a rooftop in the very center of Bucharest. That afternoon, I went to Vespers at a small Eastern Orthodox Church (Biserica Stravropoleos) and then to hear Placido Domingo sing in an open air concert in the horrifically beautiful and deeply hated People's Palace, built "by" Ceausescu. I have saved a note from that time: 'Having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world, I cannot be the same'.

Trooper says that 'Hurricane Katrina' means 'healing wind' (how he got there I do not remember). And, this morning, I see: Having been sung to by Ms. Juanita on the other side of tragedy, I am grateful . . . and I am changed forever."

Trooper (he and his family now my dear friends) and I call that experience my first Cursillo: a three week "walk with Christ", rather than the usual three-day "short walk with Christ". And I fell in love with that walk. I went home to Ithaca and, when my dog Rocky died at 14, I packed up and moved to Louisiana, the first step on my way to discerning a life lived in community, a life lived with those simple, challenging and life-losing-and-finding ways I learned after Katrina.

Four years later, I am unspeakably grateful to be here with the Columbus Catholic Worker community, and to be discerning with the Dominican Sisters of Peace, a warm, loving group of Catholic religious women I met while rebuilding houses in St Bernard Parish just weeks before the 4th anniversary of Katrina.

So grateful to be living the life I had glimpsed at the First Street Catholic Worker 25 years ago; the life I fell in love with during those three life-changing weeks with the loving, hopeful people of south Louisiana as they welcomed me, as we worked together, ate together, lived together.

Server and served increasingly indistinguishable. Hospitality offered and received, received and offered. Community.

I am so glad to be "there" again, here, with you all.

This Morning

At approximately 10:20 this morning, the State of Ohio executed Mark Brown.

It was business as usual for most people downtown this morning. I walked by a couple of guys in suits talking about their cell phone plans. A cashier of a local soup shop came out to scold me for using the restroom without patronizing. In fact, I saw no awareness of the execution at all until I came upon the small, huddled group of sign-holders, gathered to witness and pray, who I came to join.

Like most Ohioans, I don't know much about Mark Brown, either. It is amazing how insulated we all are from an execution being sponsored in our name. I do hope that he rests in peace. While I am always surprised how God can bring peace to the most impossible situations, I imagine that Mark Brown had many moments without peace. Guilty or not, his life was one of tragedy. I'm told his case has all the usual trappings of death penalty cases--inconsistent witnesses, lack of credible eye witnesses, you name it.

I felt awkward picking up a sign. I consider myself more suited to working for justice over a cup of coffee and conversation, but there is a time and a place for this. When the group circled up to pray, I knew I was where I needed to be.

It was hard to eat after the vigil, but I forced down a sandwich. I'm glad Ginger invited me to noon Mass at the Cathedral.

I pray for the Governor and those directly involved in this execution. I can't imagine all the walls they must have built inside of themselves to go forward with something like this. I say this not with anger but with compassion and sadness for what I believe they are doing to themselves. The terrorists really do win when the killers turn us into killers. I hope that no act of violence in my life can take away my respect for all life.

I also really hope I'm never tested on this.

New Laws Affecting the Immigrant Community

It has suddenly become a lot harder to be an immigrant in Columbus, OH.

Franklin County just enacted a law where every time the police take fingerprints, they immediately compare them with the national immigration database. This is called the Secure Communities initiative. This is a new program that just started in two counties in Ohio, but it will probably become statewide soon. It is already in effect in several states, most of them on the border with Mexico. Prospective citizens are fingerprinted as part of the application process--so if someone is picked up who either is--or isn't--in the immigration database, it could alert authorities to further investigation.

On top of that, there is also another law recently passed where a person has to be a legal resident in order to register their vehicle in the state of Ohio. So far, the LULAC has tried to fight it, but "public safety" won out. Apparently, the case was argued that there is no good reason to own a vehicle if one is not going to drive it, so the only people who can own a vehicle should be the people who can legally drive and hold a drivers license. Others feels that this is an indirect way to enforce immigration laws.

I recently attended a session hosted by the newly-formed chapter of the ACLU in Columbus as well as LULAC (a Hispanic advocacy group). The meeting was held at St. James the Less.

The first speaker was a Latino police officer and he did a tutorial about what to do if stopped by the police. Next up were two ACLU lawyers. Some of what they said was very ivory tower--It is good to know that all people in America have constitutional rights, including the right to a safe workplace and minimum wage, but it presents few real-world applications to someone who is here undocumented. However, they also gave good advice to folks to learn how to live in America given the immigration policy we have--be upstanding members of society, keep a low profile, etc.

This is good advice, because if immigration reform does happen, the people most likely to stay are those who have a clean criminal record as well as some skills in English. All these presenters spent a lot of time telling people what to say and what not to say if Immigration knocks on their door or if the police stop them.

The Director of Latino Ministry got up and urged people to get power of attorney so that if they are deported, someone will have legal custody of their children and their home, car, business, etc.
The good news is that since the earthquakes, any people from Haiti who are here in America illegally will be granted a form of temporary asylum. However, that is poor consolation for the many other people who are also here fleeing impoverished countries and politically oppressive regimes.

As a friend of mine put it, immigration is a reality. Whether Americans like it or not won't change the fact of the matter: Many immigrants have arrived without documents and they are here to stay. They are contributing members of society, and our culture is much richer for their presence here. As members of Christ's body, it makes sense to welcome the stranger and provide save harbor for the refugee.

As a people of hope, let us hope for a safe, sane, humanitarian immigration policy in this nation. As people of work, let us put our feet to the pavement and use our hands and mouths to phone, email, petitions and urge anyone and everyone to consider this issue. Change happens when people get motivated enough to talk to their friends, family and coworkers about it. If everyone talk to people in their circle of acquaintances, we can build pressure and momentum for change.

Latino Rights Talk Tonight

Members of the ACLU and Lu Lac (Hispanic advocacy group) will be speaking in the cafeteria of the St. James the Less school tonight at 7:00 pm (which is the building adjacent to the CW house) (Thursday, January 28th).

There is urgency in the Latino community now. Recently, Ohio passed a law requiring all people to show proof of residency in order to register a vehicle. As many as 47,000 people in Ohio may be affected. Many Latino families face the possibility of having to leave the state or live in even more fear.

The topic is "Know Your Rights." It is an informational session for members of the Latino community helping them to know what to say and do if members of their family are deported, if they are pulled over by the police or involved in an accident. Anyone who has ever had to learn a second language can tell you that a situation like that can be terrifying, even if you have done nothing wrong.

The main presenter is an ACLU lawyer who will be speaking in English with an interpreter, so even if you don't speak Spanish you can benefit from this talk.

If you are interested in immigration reform or issues which face the Latino community, this would be a good event to attend. It is not sponsored by the CCW, but some of us will be attending. Call or email with any questions!

Texas of the North

As hard as it may be to believe, Ohio ranks third only behind Texas and Alabama for the most executions of any state in 2009.

While there has been an overall drop in the number of executions nationally since 2000, Ohio seems to be running counter to this trend by increasing since that time. There was a brief time in 2007-2008 where the number was decreasing in Ohio, but in 2009 it rose dramatically and shows no signs of stopping, based on the list of scheduled executions for 2010--there is one scheduled each month in Ohio through June. Last year, Ohio had a total of 5--this year, we'll have 6 only halfway through the year.

This trend has remained consistent even with different people from different political parties occupying the governor’s mansion.

I will admit that sometimes I find it hard to be passionate about this topic. Even though I am against the death penalty, there are times when it seems it is more urgent to advocate for other causes which involve justice for thousands or even millions of people. However, the death penalty sets the tone for how our entire nature operates. The effects reach far beyond simply the lives of certain incarcerated individuals.

For me, it boils down to this:

If we as a society can't figure out how to solve our problems other than by killing someone, then why are we so surprised that criminals are not able to figure out a better way, either?

Our society sees violence as a way to dealing with problems. When we are born and bred into this culture, this mindset permeates how we conduct ourselves in our interpersonal relationships as well as how our nation behaves politically. A lot of people simply do not know of any alternative other than dealing a problem violently--they have rarely seen anything different.

However, the evidence is quite substantial that violence of this sort does not solve problems, that the death penalty is an ineffective deterrent to crime, and that our criminal system is messed up at best and corrupt or unfair at worst. We make only token attempts at working toward rehabilitation of criminals and true reconciliation.

The movement against the death penalty is not just a crusade to save the lives of certain incarcerated individuals--it is a quest to save the soul of our nation.

What can be done?

Hearing Sr. Helen Prejean speak on this topic is one of the best ways to be introduced to the subject. If you are undecided or simply need inspiration, I would recommend hearing what she has to say. Her story formed the basis for the movie Dead Man Walking. She will be appearing at Ohio Wesleyan University on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 7 pm. The cost is free. The event will be at the Gray Chapel, 61 South Sandusky Street, Delaware, OH 43015.

Vigils:

• Folks gather for a peaceful vigil every Friday night from 6-7 pm at the Governor’s Mansion, Parkview and Maryland.
• I’ll be joining St. James the Less parishioner Dave at noon on Fridays at the corner of State and High downtown, in front of the governor’s offices.
• On the day of any scheduled execution, there is a vigil at 10 am in front of the State House. The next one is February 4, 2010, on behalf of Mark Brown.
  

Send letters to:

The Honorable Ted Strickland
Riffe Center
77 S. High St. 30th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6117

Call the Governor:

614-466-3555

Send emails:

Go to http://www.ohio.gov/, click on governor’s picture, then click on “Contact the Governor.”
If you are not sure what to say, ask for commutation of sentence to life without parole.

1614

In our extended saga to discover the name of our Catholic Worker house, we tried just about everything under the sun. We prayed about it, talked about it and came close to settling on a name a couple of times. We wanted to recognize the Dominican tradition or perhaps the Precious Blood order. We thought about Latino-oriented names. We pondered saints, themes, places.

Erin even facilitated a naming discernment session where we had large poster paper sheets taped to the walls of the living room with ideas all over them in an attempt to brainstorm and zero in on something. Still, nothing.

We've been quite simply the Columbus Catholic Worker House and I suppose that is just fine.

Among the naming methods tried, we toyed with using our address. We are at 1614 Oakland Park Avenue. What does the Good Book have to say about 1614? A few books in the Bible have a chapter 16, verse 14, and I almost fell off my chair when I read a couple of them. Whether they can be adapted into good names or not, they really capture our values:


Deuteronomy 16:14, New American Bible/Jerusalem Bible

You shall make merry at your feast, together with your son and daughter, your serving men and women, and also the Levite, the alien, the orphan and the widow who belong to your community.


I Corinthians 16:14, New American Bible

Your every act should be done with love.

Immigration Reform

The mural above is called "Sueños." Artist information and background is here.

The time is right to work for immigration reform. The Catholic Church has launched a nationwide campaign to make our voices heard. Even if you are not Catholic, I ask you to consider joining in as the principles advocated for by the Catholic bishops are sensible, just and apply across religious lines.

The US Catholic bishops have always been a strong voice for immigrants, and their stance on this issue has always been a great source of Catholic pride for me.

Postcards will be distributed at Masses all across the country. Ask for them at your local parish. If you don't have access, you can find electronic copies online here.

The Columbus Pax Christi chapter as well as the Catholic Worker have joined in the efforts. We will be distributing these postcards and advocating to whomever we can find.

The website sponsored by the US Bishops on this issue is excellent and summarizes the terms of the proposal and provides responses to some of the most common myths about immigrants. It is a great one-stop-shop for questions and answers on immigration reform.

The immigration reform proposed by the bishops includes the following:

• The right for families to stay intact. Right here in our Catholic Worker programs, we meet families who have been torn apart by deportations and unfair immigration policies. Children are left without parents and are easy prey for the drug culture and gangs.


• The right to due process--many immigrants are detained for months and even years without a proper trial.


• The creation of a reasonable and fair temporary worker program, which keeps families intact and allows workers to eventually move toward naturalization and citizenship.


• Legalization of people who have been living here for a while who can show a record of upstanding behavior.

The truth is that many of the immigrants in this country--especially from Latin America--should truly be classified as refugees rather than immigrants. They do not come here as some sort of "get rich quick" scheme. They risk life and death because conditions are so bad in their homeland.

On a deeper level, it is easy to see how conditions in their homeland are made so unfavorable by direct US intervention and exploitation. Conditions in much of Latin America can be called neocolonial, as foreign businesses and governments support the exploitation of the local people. When people struggle for better living and working conditions, they are often suppressed violently, as seen through the lens of the School of the Americas. Yes, our economic and military policies actually create the waves of immigrants in the first place! The US bishops urge that people should have a "right not to migrate" in the first place by having the option for a living wage and safe, sane conditions in which to live.