By diane leutgeb munson
As we approach this winter season, we at the Catholic Worker are feeling the earth shift beneath our feet a bit. Hospitality is changing before our eyes with our evening meals consistently triple the size they were a year or two ago. We see more couples and families seeking the comfort and warmth of a community meal in our homes while many of our single male guests struggle to find or keep work in a changing economy. Our cupboards and pantries do not stay full for long. Financially, we are living closer to the edge than we would like to be. Though we have intentionally been even more frugal than we usually are, there are still bills to pay, repairs to be made and lately, food to buy to supplement meals.
The needs of our guests have not changed, yet the sheer number of guests appears to be growing. Those among us still seek food, shelter, hygiene, and supportive community. In many ways, regardless of how full our pantry shelves are, the existence of this place is enough.
In one evening at Bethany House three different guests announced in my presence that the this felt like family to them, the Catholic Worker felt like home. We have done something right. You have done something right. The aim of this community has been to welcome the stranger so that they are no longer the stranger. In over sixteen years of Catholic Worker hospitality in Winona, you, our friends, volunteers and supporters have helped to sustain a place where people can feel at home.
It seems a humble goal and a meager accomplishment while homelessness remains a reality for so many, hunger creeps into more and more households and the causes of both show no signs of letting up. Yet time and time again we watch as the pieces of the puzzle that make up the lives of our guests crumble around them. Bit by bit stability, sobriety, friendship and faith crash to the ground. But this piece of the puzzle stays right where it always was, an open door behind which lies open hearts. No matter how messy the situation, there will be dinner on the table at 6:00 pm, there will be hot coffee in the pot when you need it.
To gather together is what it takes to make it through. This place that feels so much like home to so many of us, is where more and more people are finding the support that they need in uncertain and painful times. This noisy dinner table, where we occasionally forget our best manners and often attempt three conversations simultaneously, is where we meet at the end of our longest days. This is a place we look for healing when our souls and bodies feel so broken. These old walls hold our stories and our most secret tears. This is where we find our faith and rediscover the hope it takes to start a new day.
We all need this place, not just our homeless brothers and sisters, but me and you. We need to know that it is ok to be imperfect and uncertain. We need to feel like the weight of the world is not ours to bear alone. We need to be together. We all need to be listened to, to be consoled and to be praised. It is for these reasons that the Catholic Worker is so vital to our community.
And so, we ask you to continue to invest in what it is that you have built in this blessed place. In giving to this community you have created a haven for those in need and a home for yourself. You are always welcome at this table. Please help us to continue to fill our coffee pot and our cupboards. There are so many people that need this place as a simple reassurance of stability in addition to a balanced meal and supportive community. Help us to pay our bills and fix our homes, they are truly yours, though we have the pleasure of taking care of them for now. It is you who have brought us this far, and now we look to you to walk with us into the unknown that is the future. We could not do any of this without you, and we are ever grateful for your prayers, encouragement, donations and time. May you and your loved ones be blessed with warmth and good health this winter!