Ash Wednesday Arrests: Catholic Workers Act in a Moment of "Moral Crisis"
A report from the Amsterdam Catholic Worker and from a Catholic Worker witness at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast; a Catholic Worker in Uganda on US Aid; Dingman House (Iowa) spared from tree
“Put No Trust in Princes”
On Ash Wednesday, a group of sixteen at a Catholic Worker action were arrested outside the United Nations. Ten protestors blocked traffic on First Avenue, holding a banner that read "Ban Nuclear Weapons Which are Illegal and Immoral.”
Jerry Windley-Daoust will give a full report on their action this upcoming Thursday in CW Reads (if you haven’t been getting these Thursday long-form articles, you can subscribe to CW Reads here).
This past week, CW Reads shared three stories from the Amsterdam Catholic Worker’s newspaper, translated into English, all of which exemplify what Dorothy Day would call the “little way.” They describe the communal commitment to small acts of love: even going to prison—which seems heroic to me—is depicted as just another small act of love in a life dedicated to the Little Way.
On Ash Wednesday, the Liturgy of the Hours’ Morning Prayer featured Psalm 146, which one Catholic Worker described as their “political manifesto”
Put no trust in princes,
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing.
I was reminded of Martha Hennessy’s report on her experience at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (featured below), and the critique she offered of a faith that puts its trust in the nation-state and its systems of domination. Their plans that day come to nothing, says the psalmist. But, rather, the psalmist places their faith in the Lord who sets the prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, and watches over the foreigner. The stories below offer examples of men and women who are doing their best to follow that divine example.
peace,
Renée
FEATURED
CW READS: Report from the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast
On Friday, CW Reads shared a report from the Catholic Worker witness at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. Martha Hennessy, who attended the breakfast, shared what she saw inside the event and her reactions to Vice President J.D. Vance’s address.
Read the full story at CW Reads
CW READS: Scenes from Amsterdam Catholic Worker
On Thursday, CW Reads shared three stories from Noëlhuis Catholic Worker’s most recent newsletter ‘N Korrel Zout (A Grain of Salt). These stories are beautiful testaments of solidarity with the outcast in prison, a life of meaning that one volunteer has found at the Catholic Worker, and a couple who have opened the doors of their home to those needing hospitality for as long as they have been married.
Read all three stories at CW Reads
Clarification of Thought Cont’d: USAID Cuts Hit Uganda Hard
The abrupt withdrawal of all U.S. foreign aid has been hugely disruptive in Uganda, according to Michael Setikeleko, founder of the Uganda Catholic Worker. In an interview with Roundtable last Sunday, he highlighted the impact on people living with HIV/AIDS, many of whom depended on USAID funding to provide them with life-saving drug therapies. Efforts to combat the spread of Ebola were also halted. Thousands of people have been laid off from government agencies and local organizations that did work on behalf of USAID. Many of the affected individuals will have to withdraw their children from school and return to their villages to take up subsistence farming, he said.
At the same time, Setikoleko blamed bad policy decisions and widespread corruption in the Ugandan government for not using foreign aid to help people become self-sufficient.
The USAID cuts are forecast to push 5.7 million more Africans into poverty next year, according to data modeling by the Institute for Security Studies.
If you would like to join in the clarification of thought, please send your thoughts to: roundtable@catholicworker.org.
COMMUNITY NEWS & NEWSLETTERS
Inhospitable Architecture
One of the recent features in the January-February edition of The Catholic Worker highlighted the transformations in public places to make them unwelcoming to the poor. Author Logan Marrow, a volunteer with the Catholic Worker, shared his article on his Substack as well:
We’ve become too comfortable with the idea of public infrastructure run like private companies, and private companies run like fortresses. We need to question the assumptions that lead to such bizarre beliefs, dearly held by so many, as “Why should the homeless be allowed to sleep in parks?” or “Why shouldn’t the library eject people who just need somewhere to rest?”.
As long as it’s considered normal to prioritize the abstract “cleanliness”, or image, or profits (that we don’t share in) of institutions that, nominally, are meant to benefit everyone (even those whose life circumstances place them in “eyesore” territory), we will never be more than a society of angry customers, a bunch of loudmouths.
People so addicted to convenience that, with the whole world “looking out for us”, there’s nowhere to just be but our own tiny little apartments. No one’s company to enjoy but our own. The only pleasures being those we can afford, and which only really please us so long as we can pretend that they were meant, all along, only for us.
Read the full article on Logan’s Substack
Christchurch CW Opposes Bill to Redefine NZ’s Founding Treaty
The Christchurch (New Zealand) Catholic Worker (Ōtautahi) has submitted public comment to the Justice Select Committee opposing the controversial Treaty Principles Bill currently being considered by Parliament.
The bill aims to redefine the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document signed in 1840 between the British Crown and Māori chiefs. The bill proposes a nationwide referendum to confirm these new definitions, focusing on parliamentary sovereignty and equality before the law, which contrasts with existing interpretations that emphasize a partnership between the Crown and Māori.
In their submission, the Christchurch Catholic Worker community argues that the bill would harm marginalized communities. The submission says in part:
…we believe the Treaty of Waitangi as signed in 1840 forms a vital basis for proceeding to build a free society. It shows respect to all in Aotearoa by accepting that we have not created an even playing field thus far and have left too many people marginalised. The notion that we are ‘all equal under the law’ is a myth, when in reality there are so many barriers built into the law and prevailing social customs which discriminate against minorities in this country, particularly Māori and Pacifica
The Lent 2025 issue of the community's newsletter, The Common Good, leads with a commentary by Robert Consedine on the Treaty and the need for greater historical context. “It is not hard to conclude that many major problems in New Zealand society go back to our failure to honour the Treaty and to colonization,” Consedine writes. “The question is why, in our public debates, is this such a threatening statement for some to acknowledge?”
Download the full newsletter and learn more about the Christchurch Catholic Worker at their website. For more context on the Treaty Principles Bill, see ‘New Zealand reckons with its own divisive culture war’ in Thursday’s Washington Post.
London CW Joins Ash Wednesday Protest at Ministry of Defence
The London Catholic Worker joined Pax Christi, Christian CND, and Westminster Justice & Peace in leading the annual Ash Wednesday prayer vigil outside the UK Ministry of Defence, calling for peace and an end to war. Under a rare blue sky, participants gathered for prayer, hymns, and a procession, tying purple ribbons to a cross in memory of those affected by conflict. Fr. Joe Ryan denounced nuclear weapons and military spending, urging nonviolence and dialogue. The vigil concluded with Pope Francis’ appeal for peace, while many participants continued on to Parliament for a climate justice protest. Read more at Independent Catholic News.
Los Angeles CW at Ash Wednesday Rally for Immigrants
About 40 people attended an Ash Wednesday vigil in front of the federal building in downtown Los Angeles to protest the new administration’s immigration policy. “We are all vulnerable in this time,” L.A. CWer Matt Harper told KTLA 5 news. “Sometimes people of faith, particularly in my own Catholic tradition, haven’t always been there. And so this particular group of people said it’s time for us to show up.” The “Repent and Resist” vigil was organized by the Los Angeles Catholic Worker and the Coalition of Faithful Resistance. View the KTLA news clip on the LACW Instagram page or watch the Coalition of Faithful Resistance livestream of the event on Facebook.
A Near Miss in Des Moines
CW IN THE MEDIA
Archbishop Wester Urges Nuclear States to Join Treaty
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will only have real impact if nuclear-armed nations sign on, Archbishop John Wester said at an event during the Third Meeting of States Parties to the treaty. Wester acknowledged the challenge of persuading countries like the U.S., Russia, and China to disarm but insisted that efforts must continue. Wester cautiously welcomed recent remarks by former President Donald Trump advocating nuclear reductions, saying, “I don’t know what his motivation is, but as long as the end result would be reducing nuclear weapons, I’m happy.” The archbishop spoke after celebrating a Mass for nuclear abolition at the Church of Our Saviour in Manhattan, organized by Pax Christi USA, the Dorothy Day Guild, and New York Catholic Worker. Read more at The Tablet.
Community Life is “A Harsh and Dreadful Thing”
Brian Terrell (Strangers and Guests Catholic Worker, Maloy, Iowa) was recently quoted in a U.S. Catholic article on intentional communities. Terrell spoke about how intentional community at Catholic Worker houses is unplanned and often messy, making space for Christ in his most distressing disguise of the poor, and testing the limits of patience and love—for the sake of seeing the humanity of the other person, despite our frustrations. “If we really love one another, we are able to disagree,” Terrell said. Read the full article at U.S. Catholic.
Local TV Station Profiles Iowa City CW Volunteer
Maureen Vasile, a dedicated volunteer at the Iowa City Catholic Worker House, was recently profiled by local television station KCRG in its 9 Who Care series. For seven years, Vasile has spent her Sunday mornings serving meals and distributing donated clothing to those in need. “They deserve new socks, they deserve clean coats—just like what you would want to wear,” she said. Read or watch the full story at KCRG 9’s website.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
-Bronx, NY-
Gathering at Manhattan College: Dorothy Day Symposium:
The Dorothy Day Center at Manhattan College is hosting a symposium entitled “Dorothy Day: Practices of Peace in the Year of Jubilee.” Gather with Catholic Workers and members of the Dorothy Day Guild on March 29 at Manhattan College in the Bronx to learn more about Day as a prophet, peace worker, and pilgrim of hope. See more details and register to attend on the Guild website.
WORDS FROM THE ELDERS
From “On Pilgrimage”
by Dorothy Day, from the October 1946 issue of The Catholic Worker. Featured in Dorothy Day: Spiritual Writings, edited by Robert Ellsberg
Why not get a number of our fellow workers to write articles which would show in some small way a new character in history, a new kind of saint for our times, the kind of saint we need, the saint-revolutionist who would not only use the spiritual weapons of prayer, poverty and penance, but would try to begin, here and now, that kind of a social ordar which would indicate his sincere belief in the doctrine of brotherhood.
He would be a character half real, half imagined. He would be a saint of the poor, one of the lumpin-proletariat who recognized not only the misery of his state, but the sin it led to. And I remembered St. Benedict Joseph Labre, who was a bum, who reacted against the effete delicacy of his time when men wore ruffles and laces and powder and curls, by going unwashed, in rags; who rebelled against the luxury and wealth and hoggishness of his time by asking nothing for himself (like our own Peter Maurin) who did penance for the world and died in a gutter.
And in remembering him, I decided to use his name, changed somewhat, so I signed the articles which began and continued for some years, by the name of Ben Joe Labray. I wrote the first and a few of the others: Bill Evans, Joe Hughes, Tim O'Brien wrote the rest. They continued until a priest in Brooklyn, whose church is named after our good saint, objected, feeling that we were casting dishonor on his patron. I wonder if his parishioners appreciated St. Ben Joe. I wonder if they would have sat next to him, in his filth and vermin, in these days when dirt and sin are synonymous in people’s minds and unless you have hot and cold running water, flush toilets, daily baths and other plumbing appurtenances, you are either slovenly poor white trash, demented, a medievalist, a loafer with no self-re-spect, or a machine smasher.
Read and discuss Day’s Spiritual Writings in a Lenten Book Club! Sign up here.
About us. Roundtable is a ministry of catholicworker.org, covering the Catholic Worker movement, edited by Renée Roden and Jerry Windley-Daoust. Roundtable is a separate entity from the New York Catholic Worker and The Catholic Worker newspaper. Send inquiries to roundtable@catholicworker.org.
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