‘We Are Being Arrested for Following Catholic Social Teaching’
Notre Dame students seek to hold university to principles of Catholic social teaching; plus, the CW turns 90, Iowa City march, NYCW at St. Pat's, and more.
The World Is Watching
When I was reporting for the student newspaper of the University of Minnesota, there was a student group called the Progressive Student Organization, better known as the PSO. Every week, the same thirty or so students marched up and down Northrup Mall holding signs and chanting. The signs and chants were pretty much the same every week, varying just enough to find a new way to accommodate the new injustice that “has got to go!”
As liberal as the newsroom at The Minnesota Daily was, being assigned to cover these protests was a chore no one relished. There was a sense that these protests were more theater than news. The only difference they seemed to make was to reinforce a certain cynicism about the ineffectiveness of protests.
No one is saying any such thing about the pro-Palestinian protests that have swept campuses nationwide over the past two weeks. Whatever people think about the protests, people are paying attention. Will the protests do anything to bring the unjust slaughter of Gazans to a quicker end? We’ll see. But if nothing else, maybe they mark the limit of the American public’s apathy, cynicism, and general malaise.
Although Catholic Workers have spent decades addressing the unjust conditions Palestinians live under (sometimes putting themselves in physical peril to do so), the movement’s involvement with the campus protests seems to be minimal.
One exception has been the University of Notre Dame, where many of the student protesters have made explicit connections to Catholic social teaching. One of the 17 students arrested for failing to leave the “God Quad” on Thursday night explicitly evoked Dorothy Day, Daniel Berrigan, and Catholic social teaching principles. Moreover, the group organizing the protests released a statement to Roundtable calling on the university to honor its commitment to Catholic social teaching by divesting from weapons manufacturers. It is probably no coincidence that the university sponsors a minor in Catholic social teaching, or that the South Bend Catholic Worker has ties to the campus.
You’ll find their statement in the story below.
Jerry
Correction
In last week’s lead story (“The Many Miracles of Bethany House of Hospitality”), Michael Harank’s name was misspelled, as several of you pointed out. Michael was gracious about it: “What’s in a name?” Still, getting the spelling of the name of the main subject of a story is pretty basic, and I regret the error.
FEATURED
Notre Dame Protesters: University’s Investments Violate Catholic Teaching and USCCB Guidelines
“It is following Gustavo Gutiérrez, Dorothy Day, Daniel Berrigan—that’s why we are being arrested, because we are following Catholic Social Teaching!”
Those were the words of one of seventeen students who were arrested Thursday night on the campus of the University of Notre Dame following a peaceful protest and a hastily arranged, rain-soaked meeting with two members of the administration. The student, whose arrest was captured on video, is a Ph.D. English student.
According to an article in The Observer, the students were demanding that the university address “divestment from the University’s investments in military contractor companies, a reevaluation of the University’s ties with Israeli universities and the dismantlement of the 15 minute rule, which regulates protests on campus and requires prior approval from administration.”
Members of Occupy Free ND, the group behind pro-Palestinian protests at Notre Dame, reached out to the New York Catholic Worker newspaper and to Roundtable with a statement connecting the group’s demands to Catholic social teaching.
The university’s investments in major weapons manufacturers “completely violate all seven principles of Catholic Social Teachings and the guidelines laid out by the United States Conference on Catholic Bishops Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines,” the statement says. Those guidelines call on “Catholic institutions to refuse to invest in companies which counter Catholic doctrine and to divest from such companies.”
At least one of the Notre Dame students who was arrested has Catholic Worker connections. The student requested anonymity on the advice of legal counsel; all seventeen students are facing trespassing charges with a maximum penalty of a year in jail.
Casey Mullaney, a member of the St. Peter Claver Catholic Worker (South Bend, Indiana) and an adjunct theology professor at the university, has been providing meals and pastoral support to student protesters, “especially connecting our Catholic students with priests who can offer spiritual direction and sacramental support.”
Here is the full statement of Occupy Free ND:
How do our demands align with Catholic Social Teachings?
As Notre Dame affiliates, we underline that these investments and partnerships with weapons manufacturers completely violate all seven principles of Catholic Social Teachings and the guidelines laid out by the United States Conference on Catholic Bishops Socially Responsible Investing Guidelines. Divestment from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and any other weapons manufacturers must occur to end these violations.
Life and Dignity of the Human Person: The sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of every person must be respected in accordance with CST principles. In their “Guidelines on Promoting Human Dignity,” USCCB recommends divesting from “companies or governments who persistently violate human rights until sufficient action has been taken to correct these human rights violations.” It is clear that the actions of the above listed companies have encouraged blatant violations of human rights through the proliferation of arms, which in turn has led to violence, loss of life, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza affecting millions of Palestinians. This contradicts the principle of upholding and promoting life and human dignity. The USCCB explicitly states, “The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means.” To date, 1.5 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes and over 40,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and rockets, the majority being children and women. The above listed companies have no interest in a resolution to the conflict by peaceful means, as they profit from continued death and destruction. It is not realistic to think the companies may change; rather, we must turn our backs on these unjust companies.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable: The USCCB Guidelines recommend looking at investing for the common good by “having a regard for all citizens and seeking to respond effectively to the needs of the least fortunate.” The support of companies which profit from the continued genocide in Gaza clearly violates this principle of the common good. Palestinians in Gaza are currently being starved by the Israeli government and facing imminent famine. There is no maternal health care for pregnant women and over 1.5 million Palestinians are now homeless and living in encampments. CST prioritizes the needs of the poor and vulnerable in society. The arms trade is being used directly to conduct the Gaza genocide.
Peace and Reconciliation: CST advocates for peacebuilding, reconciliation, and the resolution of conflicts through non-violent means. Supporting weapons manufacturers can perpetuate cycles of violence and hinder efforts to achieve lasting peace and justice. The USCCB states, “The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict.” It is our role as Catholic individuals and a catholic institution to resist war in the name of just peace. Just peace surely does not include support for the murder and destruction of our neighbors in Gaza.
Solidarity: CST emphasizes solidarity and the interconnectedness of humanity. Supporting industries that profit from warfare can undermine efforts to foster global solidarity and cooperation, as it prioritizes profit over the common good and the well-being of all people.
Care for God's Creation: CST includes stewardship of the environment as a moral responsibility. The USCCB guidelines on Socially Responsible Investing encourage investment in companies whose emissions are in line with the Paris Climate Accord, and should avoid investing in companies who contribute to the depletion and degradation of natural resources and water sources. The production and use of weapons contribute to environmental degradation through resource extraction, pollution, and the destruction caused by armed conflicts. It is estimated that in just the first two months of Israel’s assault on Gaza, it produced more than 281,000 tons of carbon dioxide, greater than the yearly carbon footprint of 20 individual countries. Additionally, the destruction caused by the same weapons manufactured by the companies that Notre Dame supports has led to the reduction of water production capacity to only 5% of normal levels, this only exacerbates the water crisis that was already underway in Gaza. Many of the limited water resources in Gaza have been contaminated by sewage overflow due to the loss of power at wastewater treatment plants.
Ethical Business Practices: CST promotes ethical business practices, including responsible production and distribution of goods. The arms trade is often associated with corruption, exploitation, and the violation of human rights, which go against the principles of justice and integrity in economic activities.
Promotion of Justice: CST calls for the promotion of social justice and the protection of human rights. Supporting weapons manufacturers can contribute to the perpetuation of injustice, oppression, and violations of human rights, especially in conflict-affected regions. The USCCB states that, “revenue should not be gained if it is gained by unjust means, comes at the expense of human life, reduces the human dignity of others, or leads to the destruction of our common home." It is evident that investment into arms companies violates these principles through means which perpetuate violence and injustice. Profiting from these investments violates the norms of socially responsible investment and goes against the principles of Catholic Social teaching.
The USCCB primary principle of “Avoid doing harm” urges Catholic institutions to refuse to invest in companies which counter Catholic doctrine and to divest from such companies. As highlighted, it is clear that investment in Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and any other weapons manufacturers perpetuate harm, and thus must be removed from Notre Dame’s investments in order to have socially responsible investments.
Catholic Worker Movement Turns 91
May 1 marked the 91st anniversary of the founding of the Catholic Worker Movement. To mark the occasion, here’s an excerpt from Jim Forest’s classic book, “All Is Grace: a Biography of Dorothy Day” describing the scene at Union Square as Dorothy and a few companions distributed the first copies of The Catholic Worker:
A clear contralto voice filled Union Square in New York with the words, “Arise, ye prisoners of starvation.” In moments tens of thousands of voices joined in singing together the Internationale, the socialist anthem. “Arise, ye wretched of the earth.” Tears sparkled in the eyes of those whom editorial writers and politicians sometimes described as godless, heartless and witless radicals. “For Justice thunders condemnation.” Large numbers of police, some on horseback, watched from the sidelines of the huge crowd. “A better world’s in birth.”
It was May Day, 1933. Franklin Delano Roosevelt had been in the White House only a hundred days. The Great Depression was in its fourth year. Industrial production was barely half what it had been in 1929. In a population of 123,000,000, more than 13,000,000 workers were unemployed. The majority of America’s banks had collapsed, while those which survived were busily repossessing houses, shops and farms whose owners couldn’t make mortgage payments. Hoovervilles — shanty towns for the homeless made of tin, cardboard, canvas and scrap wood — had sprung up in vacant lots all over the country. No Social Security program yet existed. Beer could be legally purchased once again — the end of Prohibition was in sight. “King Kong” was a hit on movie screens. Mickey Mouse was five years old. The first modern sighting of the Loch Ness Monster had been reported in Scotland. Hitler was the new chancellor of Germany. Stalin had been ruling Soviet Russia for five years and was thought of, by those on the Left, not as a tyrant or mass murderer, but as a benevolent liberator.
Denouncing Hitler and praising Stalin, the speakers at Union Square called for worker ownership and control of industry. Despite hard times, their audience was in a festive mood. There were brass bands, red flags, and faces that were hopeful about the future, as if to say, “In my lifetime the revolution will happen.”
One of those present, a young writer named Dorothy Day, remembered that the square was filled with “a hot undulant sea of hats and sun-baked heads, over which floated a disordered array of banners, placards and pennants.” But Dorothy Day wasn’t carrying a placard or paying attention to the speeches. She was one of four people handing out the first issue of a small, eight-page tabloid newspaper, The Catholic Worker, and wasn’t even asking for its penny-a-copy cover price. An Irishman objected that a “penny” was an English coin and therefore was far too much to ask.
Dorothy found more bewilderment than enthusiasm from those who had the paper thrust into their hands. They all knew The Daily Worker, a Communist paper that was a militant supporter of unions and strikes. But a radical paper, a paper for workers, put out by Catholics? Everyone knew that the Catholic Church was far more anti-Communist than pro-worker.
Many copies of the first Catholic Worker quickly found their way into the nearest trash barrel, but some were read and seen as a welcome sign that a fresh wind was blowing in the Catholic Church.
You can read the rest of the excerpt at CatholicWorker.org.
THE ROUNDUP
The New York Catholic Worker continues to hold a weekly vigil on Sundays outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, as community member Liam Meyers describes in a recent piece for NCR. “Like many others, we do not know what to do in the midst of our heartbreak and deep sorrow for all lives lost in Israel and Palestine,” Myers writes. “As Catholic Workers we strive towards living daily the works of mercy which, as Dorothy taught us, are opposed to the works of war. Our vigil is an outpouring from our way of life of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and sheltering the houseless. This practice also requires us to say no to the way in which our government is complicit in destroying crops, land, homes and families.”
The Dorothy Day House of Hospitality in Moorhead, Minnesota, temporarily suspended operations on Friday, forcing the 15 residents to find alternative housing. The shelter is run by Churches United, a nonprofit organization supported by 150 area congregations. Chief Executive Officer, Pastor Sue Koesterman, stated that the closure comes as the organization faces a funding shortfall. Read more: Fargo-Moorhead Dorothy Day House set to suspend operations Friday: Valley News Live
Philip Berrigan continues to be a mentor and a master of nonviolent civil disobedience, Rosalie Riegle writes in her review of a new collection of his writings. Read the review at CatholicWorker.org.
More than 250 people marched in Iowa City to protest a new law criminalizing reentry to the U.S. after deportation. The protest was organized by members of Escucha Mi Voz and the Iowa City Catholic Worker. The new law empowers state and local police to enforce federal immigration laws. The march was one of four that took place across Iowa involving some 2,000 protesters. Read more at The Daily Iowan.
Susan Crane of the Redwood City (California) Catholic Worker is set to begin a 229-day prison sentence in Germany on June 4 after refusing to pay fines for her conviction on charges from nonviolent actions at Büchel Air Base in Germany. You can hear an interview she recently gave to David Hartsough about her history of anti-nuclear activism here.
“The days here lately have truly been full of growing respect, love and gratitude,” Anne Haines writes in a note from St. Bakhita Catholic Worker (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). “And our latest community member epitomizes someone who has discovered that gratitude is balm for the soul. Her kindness and sense of humor exudes joy.” Read the email or subscribe here.
CALENDAR
May 8 - May 12 | Kent, Great Britain
European Catholic Worker Gathering 2024
May 13 | Chicago + virtual
The Fourth Annual Berrigan-McAlister Award: Celebrating the Los Angeles Catholic Worker
June 3 - June 7 | Cuba City, Wisconsin
Stories of the Land: Decolonization, Earth Regeneration, & Spiritual Ecology
A FEW GOOD WORDS
To Our Readers (May 1, 1933)
by Dorothy Day, in the May 1, 1933, issue of the Catholic Worker.
For those who are sitting on park benches in the warm spring sunlight.
For those who are huddling in shelters trying to escape the rain.
For those who are walking the streets in the all but futile search for work.
For those who think that there is no hope for the future, no recognition of their plight – this little paper is addressed.
It is printed to call their attention to the fact that the Catholic Church has a social program – to let them know that there are men of God who are working not only for their spiritual, but for their material welfare.
FILLING A NEED
It’s time there was a Catholic paper printed for the unemployed.
The fundamental aim of most radical sheets is the conversion of its readers to radicalism and atheism.
Is it not possible to be radical and not atheist?
Is it not possible to protest, to expose, to complain, to point out abuses and demand reforms without desiring the overthrow of religion?
In an attempt to popularize and make known the encyclicals of the Popes in regard to social justice and the program put forth by the Church for the “reconstruction of the social order,” this news sheet, The Catholic Worker, is started.
It is not as yet known whether it will be a monthly, a fortnightly or a weekly. It all depends on the funds collected for the printing and distribution. Those who can subscribe, and those who can donate, are asked to do so.
This first number of The Catholic Worker was planned, written and edited in the kitchen of a tenement on Fifteenth Street, on subway platforms, on the “L,” the ferry. There is no editorial office, no overhead in the way of telephone or electricity, no salaries paid.
The money for the printing of the first issue was raised by begging small contributions from friends. A colored priest in Newark sent us ten dollars and the prayers of his congregation. A colored sister in New Jersey, garbed also in holy poverty, sent us a dollar. Another kindly and generous friend sent twenty-five. The rest of it the editors squeezed out of their own earnings, and at that they were using money necessary to pay milk bills, gas bills, electric light bills.
By accepting delay the utilities did not know that they were furthering the cause of social justice. They were, for the time being, unwitting cooperators.
Next month someone may donate us an office. Who knows?
It is cheering to remember that Jesus Christ wandered this earth with no place to lay His head. The foxes have holes and the birds of the air their nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head. And when we consider our fly-by-night existence, our uncertainty, we remember (with pride at sharing the honor), that the disciples supped by the seashore and wandered through corn fields picking the ears from the stalks wherewith to make their frugal meals.
Curious to find out how a CW house that is part of an association supported by 150 churches runs out of money.