“When ICE Builds Checkpoints, We Build Community”
This week, the Iowa City CW rallied hundreds of community members to face down ICE. Also: New CW organizing in Vermont; communities close in West Virginia, New Zealand, and more.
Sometimes, you just have to laugh…
“Why are you whistling ‘Behold the Wood’?” my wife asked this evening as I came down for supper.
“Am I?” (Sometimes I whistle absentmindedly. When I’m stressed, I usually revert to Christmas music—and no, I don’t know why.)
“Yeah, why are you whistling that Good Friday hymn, Dad?” one of my kids asked. (It’s the one that goes, “Behold, behold the wood of the cross, on which is hung our salvation.”)
After a moment, I realized it probably had something to do with the grim nature of several pieces in this week’s issue of Roundtable. Renee, who usually writes this opener, is off gallivanting somewhere in England, so I spent the afternoon editing a story about Rachel Corrie, the American college student killed while protesting the bulldozing of Palestinian homes in 2003… followed by a reflection on the Italian archbishop who led a seven-hour reading of the names of more than 12,000 children killed in the “Holy Land” since October 2023…followed by a lament for the ecological and human destruction wrought by coal mining in Colombia….
Reader, if you’re just getting to know the Catholic Worker movement, please don’t be left with the impression that Catholic Workers walk around under a dark rain cloud. In fact, most have a pretty keen sense of humor.
Case in point: This past week, the Netherlands’ Dorothy Community wrote to say they weren’t showing up in the Community Directory at CatholicWorker.org on the page for the Netherlands. “That’s sad, because we are the best community in the Netherlands :P,” they added—while noting their listing shouldn’t reflect this status lest it ruin their reputation for also being the “most humble” community in the Netherlands.
Shortly thereafter, I heard from Jeannette Noelhuis: “We confirm that, yes, the Dorothy Community is first, but also: the Noelhuis is second. And we would like to remind our sibling community of Matthew 20:16.” (‘So the last shall be first.’) This was followed by a postscript pointing me to a hilarious send-up of the Netherlands’ overtures to the Current Occupant.
Another case in point: the newsletter of Casa Maria Catholic Worker always features a section called Don’s Jokes. To wit, from the most recent newsletter:
Where does the sheep get his hair cut? The baa-baa shop!
My girlfriend treats me like a god. She ignores my existence and only talks to me when she needs something.
What type of sandals do frogs wear? Open-toad!
I told my doctor that I broke my arm in two places. He told me to stop going to those places.
Why are the Irish so wealthy? Because their capital is always Dublin.
This is my step ladder. I never knew my real ladder.
Groan if you must—or fortify yourself with more in their newsletter.
How can Catholic Workers be at once so mirthful and so ready to behold the “wood of the cross” in the many forms it takes in the world? Maybe because the Catholic Worker who doesn’t learn how to laugh isn’t a Catholic Worker for very long.
In any case, Renee will be back from England next week, while I’ll be gallivanting to Iowa for the annual Midwest Catholic Worker Gathering. (England vs. Iowa…hmm…who’s getting the better deal here?) One highlight, at least for me, is the “talent” contest (we use the word advisedly), which often features humorous skits and songs.
I’m looking forward to a few laughs; after all, laughter is its own kind of resistance.
Peace,
Jerry
FEATURED
CW Reads: Protesting “Coal-onization”
On Thursday, we ran the first of two pieces from ‘N Korrel Zout (“a grain of salt”), the newspaper of Jeannette Noëlhuis Catholic Worker in Amsterdam. In this first piece, Nikki Appeldorn of Noelhuis Catholic Worker introduces a poem that was part of the community’s February ecotage protesting the Dutch government’s importing of “blood coal”:
On February 22 (exactly two years after the Ash Wednesday ceremony at the coal track), we held the fifth “Steentjesactie” (there is a Dutch wordplay where contributing a stone means lending a hand or doing your part). This time it took the form of an ecotage ceremony, in which we listened to the voices of the landscape and the flora and fauna surrounding the coal mines in Colombia, the source of the blood coal imported by and profited from in the Netherlands.
We read out nearly 1,000 names of people who were murdered because of these blood coals. For each name, someone picked up a stone from the railway and placed it between two crosses in the center of the circle, to build a grave monument for those who never received a grave, and as a symbol of the end of the coal era and of coalonlialism.
The community’s next “stone-by-stone” action is October 5. You can read an English translation of “The Voice of the Mine” in Thursday’s CW Reads.
CW Reads: Remembering Rachel Corrie, Peace Activist Killed in Gaza (d. 2003)
On Friday, we ran a piece by Susan van der Hijden remembering Rachel Corrie, a young American who traveled to Gaza to protest the destruction of Palestinian homes in Rafah. Rachel was run over by an armed Israeli bulldozer, crushed, and killed on March 16, 2003. As Susan writes, Rachel Corrie’s legacy lives on; among documentaries and other tributes, at the Des Moines Catholic Worker is named for her.
Susan’s remembrance includes this excerpt from Rachel written in January 2003, just months before she was killed:
We are all born and someday we’ll all die. Most likely to some degree alone. What if our aloneness isn’t a tragedy? What if our aloneness is what allows us to speak the truth without being afraid? What if our aloneness is what allows us to adventure – to experience the world as a dynamic presence – as a changeable, interactive thing?
If I lived in Bosnia or Rwanda or who knows where else, needless death wouldn’t be a distant symbol to me, it wouldn’t be a metaphor, it would be a reality.
And I have no right to this metaphor. But I use it to console myself. To give a fraction of meaning to something enormous and needless.
This realization. This realization that I will live my life in this world where I have privileges.
I can’t cool boiling waters in Russia. I can’t be Picasso. I can’t be Jesus. I can’t save the planet single-handedly.
I can wash dishes.
Read van der Hijden’s entire essay, translated from Dutch into English, here.
The Names of Every Child Killed in the Holy Land
On August 14, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, read the names of all 12,211 children in Gaza and 16 children in Israel who had been killed from October 7, 2023, to July 25, 2025. The document was 469 pages long, Religion News Service reported.
Cassandra Dixon reflected on this story in the latest newsletter of the Mary House Catholic Worker (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin). Dixon provides prison hospitality at Mary House and has traveled to the West Bank every year for more than fifteen years with Operation Dove, a nonviolent accompaniment organization. Here’s her reflection:
It took him 7 hours.
As US taxpayers we send Israel more than $10 million per day, and each day more children are killed, with bombs and bullets and drones and mortars, intentional famine and Israel’s destruction of their access to health care, clean water, and basic nutrition. There is no school for these children this fall.
In the West Bank, armed and violent settlers, backed by Israeli armed forces, are erasing entire villages, including in Masafer Yatta where dear friends of mine are suffering now in ways we cannot imagine.
This genocide and ethnic cleansing is Israel’s, but it is also ours, paid for each day with our tax dollars. It is our urgent individual responsibility to speak out and act against it, regardless of how uncomfortable or heartbreaking that may be.
I know that in my case that takes time and energy away from the needs of this house, but if we fail to demand an end to this genocide against the people of Palestine, we will lose all ability to demand that any group of people, including the families of prisoners, be treated as humans with dignity and respect.
Learn more about Cassandra’s advocacy here and Mary House Catholic Worker here.
COMMUNITY NEWS & NEWSLETTERS
Iowa City CW Organizes Hundreds to Support Immigrant Families in Face-Off with ICE
On Tuesday, more than 250 people rallied outside the ICE Field Office in Cedar Rapids to accompany four immigrant families to their check-ins. Organized by the Iowa City Catholic Worker, Escucha Mi Voz, and allied groups, the protest met a heavy law-enforcement presence, including masked Homeland Security officers, police tape, and squad cars blocking access.
Despite the show of force, community members occupied the street for over two and a half hours until the families were admitted. All four were granted one-year reprieves, though three other individuals were detained. Organizers immediately launched jail-solidarity support.
“When ICE builds checkpoints, we build community,” wrote Emily Sinnwell of the Iowa City Catholic Worker in a message to supporters.
Local media noted the determination of protesters. The Gazette reported that “barriers kept protesters away from the Cedar Rapids ICE office as hundreds gathered in support of immigrant families.” Iowa Public Radio emphasized that demonstrators remained steadfast despite being forced into the street by federal police, highlighting testimonies from families and clergy.
Catholic Worker co-organizer David Goodner told The Daily Iowan, “Our goal is to walk with these families, to ensure they are not alone in the face of a system designed to intimidate and divide.”
For more details, you can find local coverage at The Gazette, Iowa Public Radio, The Daily Iowan, and KCRG TV9. You can also find more photos and reports at the Iowa City Catholic Worker Facebook page.
Annual Farm Fest Draws Large Crowd
New CW Community Organizing in Vermont
A new Catholic Worker community is being organized in Vermont. The Catholic Workers of Chittenden County (Burlington is the county seat) released its first newsletter on September 1. "We are seeking like-minded people to join us as volunteers and/or benefactors,” according to an item in the two-page newsletter. “You don’t have to be Catholic or even religious—you just need to share our desire for justice, human dignity, and creating a world where it is easier for people to be good.” Community members are also hoping to establish a House of Hospitality and are looking for “any warm, dry spot we could set ourselves up (with minimal overhead cost!) to offer food, shelter, and basic necessities to our neighbors in need.” Interested persons can contact Deacon Josh at joshdevin@gmail.com. Check out their newsletter here.
CWs in West Virginia and New Zealand Close
The Daniel Berrigan Catholic Worker in Wheeling, West Virginia, founded by Michael Iafrate, has closed its doors following his death in 2021 from leukemia, according to a friend connected to the community.
Iafrate was a theologian, musician, and Catholic social justice advocate rooted in West Virginia and “considered the patron saint of Appalachia by all of us.” He served as co-coordinator of the Catholic Committee of Appalachia (CCA) and was the lead author of its influential "people’s pastoral," The Telling Takes Us Home: Taking Our Place in the Stories that Shape Us. Known for championing a “magisterium of the poor” and challenging institutional corruption, Iafrate’s writings appeared in National Catholic Reporter, Sojourners, The Washington Post, and academic journals as well as anthologies on theology and music. A classically trained musician, he also released an album titled Christian Burial in 2017. You can learn more about his life from Our Sunday Visitor or visit the memorial website maintained by his sister.
Separately, Berrigan House Catholic Worker in Wellington, New Zealand closed in 2024, according to Jim Dowling (Peter Maurin Farm, Australia) and Jim Consedine (Christchurch Catholic Worker, New Zealand), who also reports that Ramos House (Lower Hutt, New Zealand) has also closed. Details about the reasons behind the communities’ closures were not available.
Peter Maurin Conference Talks Available
Organizers of last year’s Peter Maurin Conference have posted new videos from the conference exploring the roots and vision of Catholic Worker co-founder Peter Maurin. Highlights include Jon Sozek on the French origins of personalism and its influence on Maurin, Lincoln Rice on the coherent social vision behind his early “Easy Essays,” Stefan Gigacz on Catholic social action movements that shaped his youth, and Alex Palma on how his time as a De La Salle Christian Brother informed the Catholic Worker’s mission. Watch the talks here.
CW IN THE MEDIA
Prayer Vigil Remembers Victims of School Shootings
Catholic Worker Karl Welsher organized a candlelight vigil together with Indivisible Columbus, Georgia and Indivisible Phenix City, Alabama, on Thursday, reading aloud the names of victims of school shootings, from Columbine in 1999 to the recent attack at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.
“Prayers and thoughts is not enough. We need to do some action to try to stop this sort of thing,” said Welsher. Read more at the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, which also posted a video of the vigil here.
Roden Talks Journalism, Catholic Worker on Impolite Company Podcast
Roundtable co-editor Renee Roden was a guest on the In Polite Company Podcast where she talked about journalism and the Catholic Worker movement. Catch the episode on YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Last Call for Sugar Creek Catholic Worker Gathering!
Iowa — The Midwest Catholic Worker gathering at Sugar Creek will be held the weekend of September 11, 2025. Anyone interested in attending or donating to the costs of the weekend gathering can contact Eric at catholicworkerschool@gmail.com.
London CW Events Opposing Arms Fair
London — The London Catholic Worker will join other peace advocates in nonviolent witness against the DSEI arms fair taking place in London September 9–12. The event brings together arms manufacturers and government representatives to buy and sell weapons—some of which have been used in the war on Gaza and in the bombing of Yemen. A silent vigil will be held the evening of Sunday, September 8. On Monday, September 9, during a special Faith Day, the community will host a memorial service honoring those killed as a result of the global arms trade. “This will not be a ‘mock’ funeral, it is a legitimate memorial service for those who have been killed as a result of the global arms trade,” the community wrote in a recent email. All are invited to join in solidarity.
Art Week & Craft Retreat at Mustard Seed CW Farm
Iowa — The Mustard Seed Community Farm and Catholic Worker near Ames, Iowa, will host an Art Week & Craft Retreat September 15–21, right after the Sugar Creek Midwest Catholic Worker Retreat. Participants can come for the full week or just part of it to share creative and practical arts, good food, and fellowship. Space is limited, and organizers hope to welcome Catholic Workers from other communities.
WORDS FROM THE ELDERS
“A Constructive Road to Peace”
by Dorothy Day, from her column “On Pilgrimage” in the September 1976 issue of The Catholic Worker
Peter Maurin said we should try to build a society where it was easier to be good. And that is what the Catholic Worker is trying to do. And what the peace movement in the U.S. is trying to do.
People ask me, on my travels, (or young visitors to our houses and farms) and speak as though the peace movement is dead. They speak of the 60’s as though they were a time of fruitful activity, which they were not. They were a time of anger and turbulence, even. But I like to call attention to Bob and Marge Swann, both of whom spent six months in prison for trespassing on missile bases.
They were the ones to bring [E.F.] Schumacher [author of a book Dorothy Day loved—”Small is Beautiful”] to America, to speak at Harvard, and at N.Y. City College. They circulate the literature of a “new society, built within the shell of the old,” as Peter said. They will send you a list of the literature they have on hand […] to start you on a constructive road to peace.
Land trusts, credit unions, cooperatives, decentralization, a redistribution of land – this is the living peace movement today. “There can be no revolution without a theory of revolution.” So on with the study of theory which leads to action.
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