Back From Texas
my time at the San Antonio Catholic Worker and Texas wildflowers
I recently took a trip to San Antonio to join the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the San Antonio Catholic Worker. Though I don’t write about it a lot here, I have been a member of Mary’s House Catholic Worker in Birmingham for almost a decade now. I serve on the board, manage the website, and do what I can to help care for the people that stay with us.
The Catholic Worker movement was founded by Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day in 1933. As Dorothy wrote, “Our manifesto is the Sermon on the Mount, which means that we will try to be peacemakers.” That is our aspiration, by way of the Works of Mercy. Within the Catholic Worker, being a peacemaker takes various forms. Sometimes it looks like hospitality, offering shelter to the homeless. Sometimes it looks like offering a meal to those on the street. And sometimes it involves acts of protest against injustice and even arrest. Always, there is an emphasis on nonviolence.
The San Antonio Catholic Worker recently moved to a new location within Towne Twin village, which offers permanent supportive housing to hundreds of seniors who have experienced homelessness. Dorothy is often quoted, “There’s nothing too good for the poor,” and these homes were obviously built in that spirit.
I couldn’t get over how beautiful the property was. Each house is made a little differently, in color and shape, to offer individuality to residents. With an emphasis on community building, every house has a porch and there are gazebos scattered around for gathering places. Of course, I had to marvel at the landscaping.
We had many sessions and discussions outside and the property was alive with pollinators and very happy birdsong. Developers did their best to save mature trees on the property and incorporate native plantings into the landscape. Vegetable beds featured leafy greens and baby pumpkins. On the last day, we seeded a new wildflower bed. This place boasts of life.
But buildings and plantings are all good - the most amazing part was the people. Chris Plauche, director of the San Antonio Catholic Worker, and her legion of volunteers created a warm and festive environment to celebrate their 40 years of service with music, dancing, and feasting. In Texas style, mariachis joined us one evening!
The celebration brought together Catholic Workers from all over the country, that I wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to meet. I am so thankful to learn more about other CW houses and the good they are striving to create in the world. It’s not always easy to keep hope alive in these increasingly cruel and chaotic times, but the weekend with these folks and their steadfast belief in a better world is enough to keep me going for a good while. And if hope fails, I have lots of new numbers to call for help.
Till Next Time - Peace!
Ashley
