Winona Catholic Worker

What is the Winona Catholic Worker?

2009-04-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

The Catholic Worker community in Winona, Minnesota, began in 1991 after Mary Farrell spent a year touring Catholic Worker communities around the country and persuaded some friends to help her open one in Winona, where she had attended college at Winona State University. She was inspired in her vision by the example of Father Dan Corcoran, a chaplain of the WSU Newman Center whose life embodied Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and the works of mercy.

With the help of hundreds of people, Dan Corcoran House opened in July 1992 to serve single women, married couples, and their children. Bethany House opened in August 1996 and was named for the village where Jesus received hospitality from Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Together the houses have served more than one thousand men, women, and children over the years.

“We follow the Catholic Worker tradition by accepting the Gospel invitation to be personally responsible for our neighbors in need,” the Winona Catholic Worker mission statement says. “We are a Christian faith community, not an agency; we welcome as our sisters and brothers those who need a place to stay, seeing them as ‘ambassadors of God.’ We place our trust in God’s providence, relying entirely on private donations of money, food, labor, and furnishings from many individuals, groups, and churches. We pray that through our life and work here, God will transform us into more loving, compassionate persons, and that this house will help create a just and peaceful world—‘a society where it is easier for people to be good.’”

The Winona Catholic Worker is registered as a nonprofit organization with the state of Minnesota in order to make the community, rather than a single individual, the legal owner of the houses and other community assets. In keeping with the personalist philosophy of the Catholic Worker movement, however, the Winona Catholic Worker is not registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization (donations to the community are not tax-deductible). Our community is guided by holy Scripture, the Tradition of the Church, and the example of the saints (especially Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin). The community is loosely organized along the following lines:
• The “live-in volunteers” are the people who live in the houses along with the guests. They have primary responsibility for providing hospitality on a daily basis and running the household.
• “Core community” members include the live-in volunteers and several others who are actively involved in supporting and running the houses. The core community meets weekly to make significant decisions about the operation of the houses and the direction of the community, always keeping Catholic Worker spirituality in mind. Significant decisions are usually made by consensus.
• The wider community includes the hundreds of people who support the work of the houses by donating their time and money. This wider community is sometimes invited to help discern major decisions.

The Winona Catholic Worker focuses on providing hospitality and doing the works of mercy, although its members are involved in various social causes, and the community as a whole occasionally works on a particular issue (such as demonstrating for peace in Iraq). It holds a weekly worship service followed by a community supper on Monday nights. Roundtable discussions are usually held monthly.

You can learn more about the Winona Catholic Worker by checking out our Q & A section, read our Core Commitments, get the latest news from community member Eileen Hanson in Palestine, or contact us for more information.

Israeli soldiers drive Palestinian shepherds off their land - video from 2005

2008-04-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Israeli Settlers Fire on Palestinian Shepherds, Wound flock

2008-04-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

On 26 March, settlers from the Hill 833 outpost (called Havat Ma'on by the settlers) fired five shots into a Palestinian flock of sheep and goats late Wednesday morning, badly wounding a sheep and a large male goat. The shooting took place on Palestinian land in Khoruba valley near the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills. A second sheep, whom shepherds believed was wounded, fled into the valley and could not be found.

Israeli police and Army personnel arrived shortly after noon and spoke with the owner of the sheep, a shepherd from the nearby village of Maghayir al Abeed. Two settlers, armed with automatic weapons, arrived at about 2:00 p.m. and spoke with the Israeli police and Army personnel. The settlers attempted to prevent CPTers from filming, threatened to take video cameras and tapes from them and have them arrested. The CPTers observed the settlers remove the written police report from the police vehicle and then return it after several minutes.

Several Palestinian shepherds from surrounding villages arrived at the scene and told Police that they heard five shots fired at about 11:00 that morning. They said they were unable to use their grazing land that day due to the violence. At roughly a 4:00 p.m., the Police left the scene, taking both injured animals with them.Palestinian shepherds in the area and CPTers report that settler violence directed at shepherds in the Tuwani Area has increased sharply in March. On multiple occasions, both settlers and military personnel have injured Palestinian-owned animals.

Report on Palestinian home demolitions in the South Hebron Hills from Amnesty International

2008-04-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

Unlawful homes for Israeli settlers, demolitions for Palestinians
Amnesty International
31 March 2008

Mobile homes for an illegal Israeli settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territori es (OPT) got the go-ahead within a week of Israeli bulldozers demolishing Palestinian homes and property in the area. It emerged last Wednesday (26 March) that Israeli Defence Minist er Ehud Barak has approved the transfer of five mobile homes to the Israeli settlement of Teneh Omarim in the region.

Only the week before, Israeli army bulldozers demolished nine homes and two livestock enclosures in several Palestinian villages in the southern occupied West Bank. The demolitions were carried out on 19 March in the hamlets of Qawawis, Imneizil, al-Dairat and Umm Lasafa in the South Hebron Hills. Those whose homes were demolished included fa

milies with children. In the villages of al-Dairat and Umm Lasafa, the Israeli army destroyed the homes of brothers Yasser and Jihad Mohammed al-'Adra, and Ismail al-'Adra. As a result, Yasser al-'Adra, his wife and six children, Jihad al-'Adra, his wife and their five children, and Ismail al-'Adra, his wife and their three children, were left homeless. Expansion of Teneh Omarim and other illegal settlements in the OPT continues, in violation of international law that forbids an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into the territory that it occupies.

Palestinians begin rebuilding homes in Qawawis destroyed by the Israeli military on March 19
© Christian Peacemaker Teams

The Israeli settlements include neat, modern houses with electricity and water distribution systems. Palestinians have lived in the area for generations but none of their hamlets in the area are "recognized" by the Israeli authorities. This means they do not receive any services – light, water, sewage, education or health – and the homes and other structures may be demolished at any time. Palestinian villagers are also prohibited for the most part from building new homes or building rain water harvesting cisterns to cater for a growing population or to assist development. No new structures can be built unless permits have first been obtained from the Israeli army, but such permits are invariably refused.

The South Hebron Hills, or Masafer Yatta as it is known to Palestinians, is an area in the southernmost area of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Apart from small stone-built villages in the west of the area, many of the people live in tents and large caves. Most of the Palestinians in the area are shepherds, but, in recent years, the scarcity of rain water has reduced the availability of grazing land for their flocks and their ability to cultivate their land. In addition, the frequent attacks by Israeli settlers and the increased restrictions imposed by the Israeli army on their movements have further reduced their access to grazing land and their ability to cultivate their land. Israeli settlers, in contrast, have been allowed to appropriate more and more land. Palestinians have lived in the area since long before the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, though some Palestinians moved to the area when they were forced to leave their lands further south in 1948.When Palestinian homes are demolished, other means of livelihood such as animal pens are also destroyed. Currently, the mosque in the village of al-Tuwani is under a demolition order, as is a schoolroom in the remote village of Dqaiqa. Palestinian villagers are frequently harassed by Israeli settlers and Palestinian shepherds fear to graze their flocks near Israeli settlements.

International volunteers from the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) and Operation Dove have had a presence in al-Tuwani, the largest village in the area, since 2004 in order to help protect the villagers and to record acts of violence and harassment against them. Israeli peace activists also visit frequently. During March 2008, at least six attacks on Palestinian shepherds by Israeli settlers or police were reported, with violence and threats of arrest being used against the shepherds to force them to move them away from what they were told was a "closed military zone". Following many settler attacks on Palestinian children going to school and their international escorts, the Israeli army now sends a military jeep to escort the schoolchildren. Sometimes, however, this escort arrives too late or fails to deter attacks.

On 19 March 2008, for example, two international observers were attacked by Israeli settlers while they were attempting to monitor the military escort of Palestinian schoolchildren. On 29 March, settlers were reported to have thrown stones at children making their way to school but the military escort failed to intervene. Amnesty International is urging the Israeli authorities to cease demolishing Palestinian homes in the occupied Palestinian territories, cancel all demolition orders and take steps to prevent and punish settler attacks on Palestinians and on international observers seeking to protect them. The organisation is calling also for an immediate end to the construction or expansion of Israeli settlements in breach of international humanitarian law.

The Stations of Shaadi

2008-03-15T01:14:00.000-07:00

13 March, 2008

The South Hebron Hills are a place of great beauty. Gazelles roam the hillsides, birds are abundant in the sky. When you look out over the hills you can see ancient Palestinian villages where people are still living a simple, subsistence lifestyle. They have flocks of sheep and goats. They market lambs, and the women make delicious cheese and butter. In springtime, the valleys are brilliant green with crops of wheat and barley.

But this beauty is marked with pain. As you look out across the horizon now, you also see the unmistakable mark of Israeli settlements*. They appear as modern suburban developments dropped down on the hilltops in this rugged terrain. Settlement outposts extend the reach of these settlements, and confiscate increasingly more Palestinian land exclusively for Israeli use. Religiously zealous, ideological and violent settlers threaten and attack anyone who dares draw near. Palestinian shepherds here find they have less and less land to graze their flocks, and must take grave risks when they do.

As we accompany these shepherds, they often speak of the stories this landscape holds for them. They speak of the land they knew as children; the places they used to roam; the valleys their fathers and grandfathers used to graze the flocks. Recently, as we accompanied one shepherd, Shaadi, he pointed out some of the landmarks in his memory along the way.

From high on a hilltop, we can see the nearby settlement and outpost. Although he does not mention it, we are looking across at a place where his children have been repeatedly attacked while walking to school. He continues to send his children to school, knowing that to do so is defiance of the violence and threats to push him and his family off of their land.

As we pause at the cistern to water the flocks, he recounts the time when three masked settlers from the outpost attacked him and his young son while they were watering the sheep. The settlers arrived in a truck and began firing stones at them with a slingshot. They broke the legs of two of his sheep. His nine year old son was also hit by the rocks. Shaadi tried to comfort his son, who would not speak after the attack.

When he called the Israeli police to report the attack, the police refused to come to the village to take his report saying they were afraid of the settlers, “We are only two police. We need a whole army to go in there. The settlers will break our windows.” Shaadi replied, “If you are afraid of the settlers, how do you think I am?”

A short walk later, we pass by the place where three years ago a settler from the illegal settlement outpost Havat Maon, stole fifteen sheep from his flock. Despite filing a police report, including video evidence of the entire incident and eyewitness testimony from an international observer, no charges were filed against the settler.

As we approach his home, he talks about the forced removal of several hundred people from this area. On April 7, 1998 over one hundred families in the area, including Shaadi’s, were served orders to abandon their homes by April 12^th. In a dark irony, the deadline given was Easter Sunday. The families refused to leave. The military confiscated their meager belongings, and offered to return them if they agreed to leave. They refused.

Shaadi’s home is a simple place, closely connected with the homes of his extended family. But even home is a place of scarred memories. Settlers have come and attacked his family. Shaadi shares the painful memory of the time when armed settlers came to the village, and started shooting. His mother was shot in the leg, and his brother was also wounded. For him and his family, there is no safe place of refuge.

As is typical in the area, they once had a toilet out-building adjacent to the house. In May of 2006, the Israeli Civil Administration issued a demolition order for the toilet. A few days later a bulldozer came and destroyed it. He has not been allowed to rebuild it. It seems even the basic human dignity and privacy of a toilet will be denied him.

Shepherds in this area continue to face violence and threats on a daily basis. In January of this year, while Shaadi was out grazing his flocks with a few other local shepherds, settlers came out from the outpost and fired six shots at them. The flocks scattered, and the shepherds fled. The Israeli police refused to respond, saying they ‘had better things to do”.

A few weeks ago, Shaadi was one of several shepherds that went to graze their flocks in a valley called Mshaha, south of the illegal settlement outpost, Havat Maon. They went together as an act of resistance to threats and violence from the settlers. They went to recover the use of their land, and find sustenance for their flocks.

On this day, Israeli soldiers arrived and demanded that the shepherds leave. The shepherds responded that this was their land, and that they wanted to appeal to the commander to decide the issue. Settlers from the outpost also came and spoke with the soldiers. The soldiers ran toward the flocks and kicked several sheep, trying to drive them away. Many of these shepherds reported injuries to their sheep, including broken teeth, and internal bleeding. Shaadi lost two lambs later that week from injured ewes.

As we were finishing up this long walk, we paused along the way as a young lamb was born. Shaadi tended gently and expertly to the newborn, and invited us back to his house for a meal. We rejoiced in the new birth, hopeful that this might be finally a sign of new life for him and his family.

* ‘Settlements’ refers to Israeli only housing built within the occupied Palestinian territories. Settlements are all illegal according to international law. Settlement outposts are illegal under international law, as well as under Israeli law.

Nonviolent Demonstration Opens Road in South Hebron Hills

2008-03-05T09:26:00.000-08:00

Friday, 29 February, 2008 Palestinians from At-Tuwani and the South Hebron Hills gathered together to remove a roadblock that the Israeli military had placed on the main access road for the region. Women began the action by removing the earth mound first by hand, and later using small shovels. Palestinian women and children also successfully moved a large concrete block from the road entrance, clearing the way for vehicle traffic. Over sixty men from the area gathered for noon prayers at the roadblock.

Snow Days in Palestine!

2008-01-31T10:28:00.000-08:00

Snowball Fight In Tuwani!

Snow on the Israeli roadblocks at main intersection in Hebron

Snow on the neighborhood mosque. Israeli flag flies at the military base across the street.

A snowy day headed into the Old City in Hebron

CPTer Jessica on a grocery run in the snow

Snow on the rooftops in Hebron

Snow on the Muslim cemetery in Hebron

A few (long) days in Hebron

2008-01-11T03:04:00.000-08:00

I just got home this evening after quite a long day. About 7pm, two of us were walking a friend home when we came upon soldiers holding a boy at a checkpoint just outside Hebron's Old City. He was standing inside a small concrete barrier, with two soldiers standing in front of him. It was getting to be a chilly night, and he was not dressed to be standing outside. The boy is 12 years old.

Often when soldiers detain men at checkpoints, it is with the pretense of “checking their ID”. Every adult Palestinian has to carry an official ID, where determines where and when they permitted to travel. Palestinians are required to carry this ID at all times. Simply not having one can be grounds for detention.

Israeli Border Police detain several men at one of the many checkpoints in Hebron’s Old City. 09 Jan 2008 CPT

The boy being held that we encountered, however, has no ID because it is not required until 16 years of age. Children under 16 years are not to be stopped or held at checkpoints.

When this boy was stopped he had been walking by himself to visit his grandmother just a few blocks away. When we happened upon him, he told us he had been there for an hour. In the time that we waited with him (another 45 minutes), we observed soldiers stopping and searching every person that passed, no matter their age or reason for needing to pass.

We did manage to get word to his mother who came down to the checkpoint. She spoke with the soldiers, and asked if he could be allowed to go. At first the soldiers stonewalled her as well, refusing to let him go or give a reason that he was being held. Finally, the commander waved his hand and the boy was allowed to leave. His mother and another family member walked with him to his grandmother's house.

In the afternoon, one young man - whom soldiers insisted was 16 years old - had just come from the soup kitchen at the mosque, was held for at least 30 minutes. Again, we came upon this incident somewhat by chance. I did not witness the entire encounter. What I did see was that when he left, he was carrying an empty jug. The soup for his family that he had received at the mosque was spilled all over the sidewalk.

An Israeli Border Policeman searches the English teacher from the local boys school, after he had already been held for nearly an hour. 10 Jan 2008 - CPT

All day today I observed soldiers holding Palestinians for long periods at checkpoints and on street corners throughout the Old City. Just after school let out, several teachers from the boys school were held for over an hour on their way home. (Teachers carry a special identification, and accordingly are not to be held coming or going from an educational institution.) Although none of these incidents were unique in the experience of living in an occupied city, today seemed a particularly difficult day for Palestinians trying to get around the city.

This is all just one side of the story. The other side of the story was out near one of the settlements in Hebron. Yesterday and today, a large group of settler youth have taken over a plot of Palestinian land, and have put up a tent and other make-shift structures on the land.

Israeli settler youth building stone structures on private Palestinian land adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba. 09 Jan 2008 CPT

The settler youth have effectively closed the road that passes by - which was only open for Israeli vehicle traffic already, but was still used for Palestinian pedestrian traffic. Now, in this rainy season, any Palestinian needing to pass have to go down into the valley, through the muddy fields, or risk being stoned, spit at or otherwise assaulted by these rioting youth. Most of the day, the Palestinian families in this neighborhood locked themselves inside their homes to avoid such harassment and assault.

Numerous Israeli police and soldiers have been on hand throughout, but have done almost nothing to reign in this behavior. There are adult Israeli settlers also involved, but they seem to be directing the activity from a distance, coming by occasionally to bring food or other supplies. They have led the group in prayer, after which the group continues on abusing Palestinian passers-by.

Israeli settler youth invade private Palestinian land, and block road with rubble. Adult Israeli settlers (center) support this activity and speak with Israeli soldiers, who do nothing to prevent the youths’ destructive behavior. 10 Jan 2008 - CPT

Many international human rights observers, as well as several concerned Israelis, came out to document this most recent illegal takeover of private Palestinian land. The settler youth targeted anyone trying to film or photograph their activities. One teammate asked if maybe they were ashamed of what they were doing. The settlers also verbally assaulted not only the internationals, but also one of the Israeli activists that had come. She was extremely upset when the settlers called her a Nazi. She explained that she found that remark deeply offensive since a large number of her family had actually been killed by the Nazis. I continue to be impressed by courage and strength of character it must take for an Israeli to stand up for all peoples’ human rights, even across such a(n apparent) divide.

On the few occasions that the Israeli police and soldiers did try to intervene with the settlers, they were also subjected to the assault and abuse. One soldier was limping quite badly after a settler boy kicked him in the leg. In the past two days, as these settlers have rampaged, no one has been arrested or detained, even for the verbal or physical abuse they poured out on the Israeli military and police.

Since this particular plot of Palestinian land is directly adjacent to Kiryat Arba, a very large settlement near Hebron, it seems that these settlers are making an attempt to expand the existing settlement. In fact, on Wednesday, there was another similar action by settlers on Palestinian land on the other side of the settlement.

There is speculation that these actions were designed to send a message to the Israeli government, as they are hosting a visit from US President Bush, that the settlers here are committed to settlement expansion in this area, even if the politicians agree otherwise.

Core Commitments of the Winona Catholic Worker

2007-12-11T19:54:00.001-08:00

These are the basic commitments of the Winona Catholic Worker. These commitments define who we are and why we do what we do. When we make decisions, we turn to these principles either explicitly or implicitly, to guide us.

Community
We could not hope to do the works of mercy day in and day out without the strength and encouragement found in community.. In fact, the hospitality we offer to others is an outgrowth of the faith, hope, and love shared and fostered in this community. This means we make it a priority to share time and friendship with those in our immediate community. We not only work together, we also make time to play together and simply enjoy each other’s company as well.

Poverty
We hold a preferential option for the poor which means we live in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need. It also means we believe in the fair distribution of resources and will be conscious of our needs verses our wants and at times we will have less in order to live simply and justly.

Hospitality
Hospitality can be seen as simply openness. This means that we open our doors to those in need of shelter, food and friendship as well as our hearts and doors to all we encounter, keeping in mind that the face of Christ is reflected in each person.

Stewardship
God has been very generous to this community. In thanksgiving for the gift of creation and in particular for the outpouring of love and support this community has received from God through the work of human hands, we practice stewardship in all things. This means we take care of our houses by maintaining our tools, returning things to their proper places and always keeping in mind the next person that will come along and have the opportunity to use the many gifts we have to share. This also means making conscious decisions about caring for the earth in our daily lives and decisions as in our transportation choices, our water and energy resources, and our consumption and discarding of food.

Faith
Our work is grounded in our faith. Without our faith, our work seems senseless and even foolish. This means that we trust that God’s providence will continue to provide for the needs of our community and our guests. Our faith is also in a merciful God, recognizing that God has endless mercy on us as we carry on in a compassionate and forgiving way with our guests and all those we encounter.

Nonviolence
We are committed to nonviolence in all things. This means we practice it in our personal relationships with one another, with houseguests, with neighbors and with the world at large. This means we take a stand and resist violence and war- making wherever we encounter it.

We Are Finally Home

2007-12-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

Hospitality and An Appeal

by diane leutgeb munson

Hospitality is a funny thing. Somehow in the midst of the mild chaos, clanging dishes and ringing phone, you find your heart has been stolen away and a piece has walked out the door with another beloved guest.

Dave said goodbye tonight. As is typical for him, he did so quietly. As people cleared their plates and I watched them stack up beside the sink, he popped his head in the kitchen. He mumbled a goodbye, as he does every other night, but seemed reluctant to actually leave. I waited a moment and he started to stumble over an explanation. He’d be leaving Friday, much sooner than he had thought. He wouldn’t be coming back soon. He stopped himself, turned away again and then let the words come as they willed. “Thank you…for everything. I never would have made it without you. I never would have survived.” His eyes, blurred with tears, spoke even more profoundly than the simple words he offered. He left me with the assurance that he would call, and that it would be collect. He winked, smiled and walked away.

I thank God for all of the guests that have shared their lives with me in my time in this house. I know that I am not an easy person to live with and it is sure that many of our guests have challenged me in various ways as well. Ironically, though, I think that many of us would echo Dave’s parting words if given the chance, “I never would have made it without you, thank you.” I feel confident that what Dave meant, was that he would have lost hope long ago if not for this beautiful place, these compassionate friends, our generous cooks, and mostly the undying forgiveness that flows through this house.

The assumption is often that we at Bethany House do not seem to deal very heavily with emotions, but I realized this evening that there is supreme power in what has been left unspoken. In a brief exchange it is possible to wipe clean a long list of mistakes and shortcomings. There is not always a need to replay the litany of events and circumstances and in this case there was not time nor room for “I’m sorry,” and “I forgive.” Sometimes we must simply meet at a place where guilt and pain and love can run together over our wounded selves and wash us clean.

Bethany House has offered a haven, to Dave, to me and to countless others. In this place we are free. It is here that we dare to hope for things that cannot be real outside of these walls. We dream of things for ourselves and this world that seem simple and right. Here we find solace because we suddenly don’t feel so different; we fit, and we are relieved that there is still one place where that is true. No one is too crazy, too addicted, too old, too young, too bold or too shy. This is home, whether we sleep here every night or eat here once a week. We are finally home.

This time of year we all become a little more grateful for the place that we call home, as we ponder and face the grim reality of our brothers and sisters that do not have shelter on these long cold nights. We realize that those of us who reside under these roofs at the Catholic Worker are here only because of the generosity of a community. Were it not for the support of others, our house would be no different from the next. For this reason we pray in thanksgiving for all of the people who have made sacrifices great and small during this past year in order to better the lives of our guests. We also pray with hopeful hearts that our friends and neighbors continue to include our homes and our guests in their daily lives, whether it be through prayer, visits or donations.

As the season of winter knocks at our door, the bills continue to stack up, and our well-aged houses groan under the pressure of many bodies and much use. Repairs are a continuous, and costly, aspect of daily life. Heat and electricity consume more and more of our small bank account and yet we must discuss how to best use our resources to repair the attic window and replace the toilet. We depend on your financial help to provide hospitality, and we truly cannot do this work without you.

Thank you to all of you who have given us the gift of this place, of these warm meals, of your thoughtful support. Please feel welcome to come closer to the lives of those who share this space, but make ready your heart, it may be forever changed in this home where we are all made a little more whole.

Pictures from the Olive harvest in the South Hebron Hills, Palestine

2007-11-11T23:39:00.000-08:00

Regard for the Soil

2007-10-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

by Peter Maurin

1. Andrew Nelson Lytle says:
The escape from industrialism
is not in socialism
or in sovietism.
2. The answer lies
in a return to a society
where agriculture is practised
by most of the people.
3. It is in fact impossible
for any culture
to be sound and healthy
without a proper regard
for the soil,
no matter
how many urban dwellers
think that their food
comes from groceries
and delicatessens
or their milk from tin cans.
4. This ignorance
does not release them
from a final dependence
upon the farm.

Words from Dorothy: Manual Labor (Fall 2007)

2007-10-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

(From "On Pilgrimage," by Dorothy Day, The Catholic Worker , May 1946, p 2.)

How peaceful a work is gardening and how restful for a tired mind. This last month there was a great deal of planting done on the farm at Easton. Fields of potatoes were put in. John Filliger was busy behind the plough all the month. We have a new team of white horses which we bought from a good neighbor for $125, practically a present. We have Dolly, our brown, half-blind horse, whom we all love, and who served us so faithfully during the winter, hauling down wood from the hillside. Long rows of onions, carrots, cabbages, have been planted and there is a field of turnips going in next week. We need a freezer and we need a root cellar. The latter we will dig, but we must pray for the former.
I put a flower garden in myself this last week, all around the little cabin where I work when I am at Maryfarm. And I’m going to paint and scour the place when I next go down, so that my year-old granddaughter Rebecca will not get so black when she comes to see me and goes crawling and mopping up the porch in her little seersucker overalls. The factories in Easton, two miles away, send up their soot and smoke to our hillside, and the sheepswool is well blackened with it. We have all the reminder of the city right below us as we sit on our peaceful hillside. Rebecca had tea with me last week, applesauce and a soft-boiled egg, and when my herb garden gets going I shall serve mint teas to guests on occasion, tasting and seeing that the Lord is sweet.

(source: http://www.catholicworker.org/dorothyday/daytext.cfm?TextID=424)

Greasy Motors, the Real GM (Fall 2007)

2007-10-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

By diane leutgeb munson

Michael and I recently acted together in the spirit of non-violent resistance. It did not result in arrest, nor did it involve breaking a law. In fact, it drew almost no attention from local authorities. We feel, however, that we have challenged the structures of government, militarism and capitalism in our most recent acquisition of a “new” truck. Our lime green, 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit truck is fueled by waste vegetable oil. Our friend, Joe Libera, has started marketing vehicles like ours through his company Greasy Motors, and we have been his first customers. Joe purchased the truck, made the necessary repairs and bodywork, had it painted and added new tires. He worked with Bernie, a local retired farmer, to modify the engine to run on vegetable oil. Bernie, an 82-year-old widower, converted his own truck to run on waste vegetable oil a few years ago and is currently building a small plane, which will also operate on used oil.
The idea of running a vehicle on vegetable oil is not new. In fact, when Rudolf Diesel debuted his innovative engine at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, France, he used peanut oil for power. Diesel’s engine was designed to be more efficient than the steam engine, which was being used at the time by major industries. The steam engine had an efficiency of 10% or less, meaning that 90% of the fuels potential was lost. His initial working model outdid all steam engines of the day, utilizing 26% of the potential energy. In another five years Diesel’s modified engines were running at an amazing 75% efficiency.
Diesel’s aim was not only to increase the effectiveness of engines, but also to provide something that was accessible to small industries and working class people. Running an engine on vegetable oil versus petroleum accomplished just that goal. The diesel engine has changed over time and currently runs most commonly on petroleum based diesel fuel. However, because of the initial design of the engine, it easily runs on vegetable oil. By simply adding a tank for the vegetable oil and a separate fuel line to the engine, the vehicle operates normally on the oil. Though the purity of the oil is important, waste oil can be collected from restaurants and cleaned through a simple filtering process in ones home. When the oil is clean, gas mileage is extremely good, averaging 50-60 miles a gallon.
In driving an alternative vehicle, we are striving to live out the values of sustainable living and resistance to violence in another facet of our lives. Our own oil consumption and the endless conflict in the Middle East, spawned by our country’s desire to secure resources, weigh heavily on our minds. We are constantly aware of the fact that our day-to-day choices affect the lives of others, both in our immediate community and in the wider global community. In the same way that we remember farmers, truckers, grocery store workers and immigrant laborers when we sit down to eat, we also remember the trail of petroleum from the depths of the earth to our gas tank. It is for this reason that we have attempted to take one more step back from the pump; the pump that seems to bind us against our will to the wars that our country fights to keep our tanks full.
Michael and I aim to drive a vehicle, even one that runs on vegetable oil, as our last resort. Before we consider starting the truck we attempt to exhaust all other measures. If we cannot walk, then we ride a bike. If we cannot carry the groceries on a bike, we use a backpack, a rack or a trailer. When the streets are slick with ice and the bike simply will not remain upright, we have the option of riding the bus. It is only when all creativity has been drained and all physical force will not meet the task at hand that we usually consider driving a vehicle. If it is absolutely necessary to drive, then we count each gallon of fuel consumed and know that our footprint sinks deeper into our beloved planet with every mile we speed down the freeway.
We are constantly inspired in creativity by those around us who do not have the option of driving. We have guests, including many with physical disabilities, that walk and ride bikes to get to and from our house each day. We know parents who are able to complete errands with two and three children in tow, all on bikes and in trailers. We learn from community members and friends who take the bus to work or carpool with colleagues instead of driving alone. We see creative ways to transport food, children, pets, instruments, etc. every day on the streets of Winona. Using waste vegetable oil to power our vehicle does not make us guiltless amidst our countries’ race to consume petroleum. We continue, unfortunately to use hundreds of products a week that are petroleum based. We are, however, increasingly conscious of how many gallons of fuel it takes to power our lives on the road. Our Rabbit truck, helps us to keep our thoughts with those who suffer because of our need for oil and remember that there are steps we can take to change the way our country attempts to meet our fuel needs.
For more information about Greasy Motors, call Joe Libera at 608-687-8158.

What I Learned at the Farm (Fall 2007)

2007-10-25T22:28:00.001-07:00

This summer, Diane, Becky, Eileen, and I decided to support our local sustainable farmers in a different way. We made an effort to spend every Friday at Whitewater Gardens helping in any way we could. In the spring we started seeds in flats, later on in the summer we weeded for hours on end, other days we harvested and washed the beautiful produce to prepare it for market.

Whitewater Gardens is a small sustainable farm a few miles outside of Winona where, on 136 acres, the Dietz family raises vegetables, ducks, and cows to name a few. The vegetables themselves are only 10 to 15 acres of the operation while the rest of the space is pasture, resting garden plots, land set aside permanently, as well as some stands of hardwood trees. The small family accomplishes the vast majority of the work on its own in order to make the farm what it is.

The Winona Catholic Worker has been the beneficiary of the Dietz family’s generosity and hard work, as they supply our houses with an unbelievable amount of produce that is not suitable to sell at market or simply an overabundance for them. We offer much of the produce to our guests and friends at the house and frequently use it at home in our evening meals. What is left over we distribute to our local food shelf as well as to friends and former guests at the subsidized housing units in Winona.

Our new degree of involvement at the farm has been a blessing for us this summer. Over the past three months we have had many workdays, plenty of fabulous farm lunches, and many great conversations. Working in the fields or sitting around the table with Sandy and Lonnie and their family has taught us much about living a better life in this troubled world. It has also taught us some very important lessons about the value of manual labor, the beauty of variety in food, and the superiority of flavor in local produce.

Though physically grueling at times, manual labor in the form of farming is a very important act. The discussion of the spiritual, physical, and communal significance of farming has been happening for thousands of years and will for thousands to come. Farming and manual labor have always had specific significance to the Catholic Worker Movement, due in large part to Peter Maurin. Our work at the farm this summer has been a refreshing lesson in the benefit of manual labor for the body and soul. We have also reveled in the opportunity to work together as community with our hands in the dirt.

Until this summer, tomatoes have always come in a few varieties, namely, cherry, roma and slicer. Walking through the Dietzs’ tomato patch leaves one in awe of nature. Of the 300 plus heirloom plants growing, there are dozens of varieties ranging in color from yellow to pink to black all of which can trace their seed lines back many years sometimes as long as a century. In all of our desire for freedom of choice, we have been quite sheltered by our supermarkets who often offer only one variety of many fruits and vegetables. Not only do we have a renewed appreciation for local farmers like Lonnie and Sandy who dare to provide something new and different for our eyes and mouths, we are grateful for our farmers market, which provides a venue where we can truly choose our food.

Another discovery that this summer brought was that the Dietzs’ carrots can win over even the most serious junk food addicts. On a recent Friday night visit to public housing for our food handout two little girls on bicycles were eating Bomb Pops. They came over and, just like every other week, asked what we had in the van. At this Eileen, asked if they had ever seen a purple carrot. The girls approached and each gladly took a carrot and proceeded to take a large bite revealing the familiar orange glow underneath the odd purple skin. Meanwhile their Bomb Pops were left neglected melting all over their hands while they enjoyed their carrots. Both girls went home that night with a bag full of carrots to share with their families.

The amount of nutrition in foods produced locally by growers who value sustainable methods are far superior in nutrition than conventional foods. Our diets can improve immensely by filling them with a variety of local heirloom fruits and vegetables. However, we can ensure the maximum nutrition from local foods by preparing them in certain ways. Vegetables and fruits eaten in their raw states are often more nutritious than cooked. This is not to say that cooking fruits and vegetables is bad, its not. Be mindful so as to not overcook your food. But before even getting to that part try not peel root vegetables in an effort to preserve substantial nutrition.

Other important lessons from the farm in addition to not peeling local organic vegetables, is that EVERYONE deserves the best when it comes to fresh produce. The amount of nutrition in the food from Whitewater Gardens is what we all deserve and we deserve it at a cost that supports everyone in the process, from dirt to table. Luckily the Dietz family is generous enough to simply give of what they have in order to fulfill their goal of providing good food to anyone who wants it. Their philosophy is a humbling one, recognizing that some people can pay top dollar for the food that they grow and others cannot, but that all deserve food of incredible quality and high nutrition.

Oh, and one last thing. We would like to congratulate the Dietz family on being selected by the University of Minnesota Farm Family of the year from Winona County! This award has historically been given to a family farming 500 to 1000 acres and operates a hog or dairy outfit or both. However, with little over 10 years of farming under their belts, and very loudly not growing corn or soybeans the Dietz’s have been rightfully selected for this years prize. For the amount to love and care they give to their dirt, family, and community, we would all like to say thank you!

mike leutgeb munson

Winona Community Comes Together (Fall 2007)

2007-10-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

Many of you living outside Southeastern Minnesota have heard of the recent deadly flooding in this area. Most of our local readers know first-hand the effects of the recent flooding. A weekend of heavy rains resulted in flash flooding of many of the area streams and creeks that feed the Mississippi River. A number of small towns in the valleys around Winona were devastated by these floods. We were shocked to learn that overnight 7 people had died from the flooding.

As difficult as it was to see tragedy of this kind strike our community, the response of the local community, however, has been amazing. It was wonderful to see the generosity and out pouring of mutual support. We at the Winona Catholic Worker are glad to say that we did not feel much extra strain on our hospitality resources. (Our two houses, which were untouched by flood damage, are the only on-going emergency shelters in the immediate area.) Local churches and organizations immediately stepped in to see how they could help. An impromptu resource center was organized to give out food, cleaning supplies and referral information. Almost immediately, friends and neighbors were putting up families who had homes damaged or destroyed.

We are grateful to all those who thought of us and our guests in this time. We are grateful too to see the spirit of hospitality and the works of mercy alive and well in Winona. Truly it was a chance to see Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day’s vision of a Christ room in every house become a reality.

Our Newest Member, Becky: Living with Thankfulness Every Day (Fall 2007)

2007-10-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

If you happen to be a youth minister or a high school teacher and you wonder if what you do makes any difference in young people’s lives, you should talk with Becky Lambert, the newest member of our Catholic Worker live-in community.

According to Becky, her youth minister at a suburban Chicago parish introduced her to the most life-changing experiences. “Our group went to help at Nazareth Farm in West Virginia in my junior year. It was my first experience with poverty and its impact on families,” she says. The farm in Appalachia was a support and resource for the local people, who were desperately poor. “It completely changed everything for me. After that, I wanted to be involved in some kind of service for the rest of my life.”

Under the guidance of her youth minister, many service trips and opportunities followed—food pantries, soup kitchens, a shelter for homeless people that rotated among the local churches. And when Becky’s own family endured hard times for several years due to her father’s serious illness, the youth group was there to support her. Many neighbors and friends pitched in with food and other necessities to help them get by. “What really got me was the realization that if not for all those people who helped us, we could have been in a similar desperate situation as those folks in Appalachia,” she says. “I wanted to be thankful from then on—to give as much as I could with my life.”

Besides her youth minister, Becky’s sociology and history teachers in the public high school inspired her. “They brought up things that no one else did. They caused you to question things, like why people in the inner city were poor, why there were no jobs for them, why some turned to drugs.” More and more, Becky found herself challenging the way things “had to be” in society.

After high school, she spent a year and a half at a community college close to home, but soon she realized she needed a broader experience. So for seven months, she worked with a group of four nuns in Davenport, Iowa, helping out with a soup kitchen and a shelter. The sisters were “totally radical,” and they invited her to join them in weekly peace vigils, which she did.

Becky came to Saint Mary’s University on the recommendation of her friend and former youth group member Kendall Marsden. There, she, Kendall, Diane Leutgeb, and Mike Munson (the latter two now our live-in couple at Bethany House), grew in their commitments through the SMU Peace and Justice group and by volunteering with the Winona Catholic Worker. Becky volunteered weekly at Dan Corcoran House for the next three-and-a-half years.

After graduating, “I felt a strong calling to join the CW community. I had never before had a sense of God calling me to something in particular, but this was it—and it still is. My faith has grown so much, and the community here has been a wonderful support in that.” Now, with the community, she begins each day with prayer. “The meditation and reflection start out my day like I’ve never experienced. It helps to know that God is with me all during the day.”

A couple of challenges confronted Becky when she decided to join the community. First, she wanted to live and work at the Dan Corcoran House, where she had visited with so many families throughout college. But because that house could not be opened with just one volunteer living in it, instead she joined Diane and Mike at Bethany House, where the guests are single men. How did it work out? “I went in with trepidation,” she remembers, “but after I met everyone I felt just fine. I feel comfortable relating to the men. They’re open and accepting of me, and we respect each other.”

The other challenge was the reality of living in community. “I couldn’t imagine how I would fit within a community. I thought I was more solitary, and I’ve always lived alone, even in college. But now I can’t imagine living without a community.”

Becky is a willing worker. “I love working with my hands,” she says. She digs right in, whether with gardening, tackling a huge stack of dishes, or working on the “green” straw-bale house that the Freids and others are building outside Lake City.

So what advice does a young woman who has been inspired to join the Catholic Worker have to offer to other young people? “Be open, and realize that your life is not just about you. The world is filled with people who are struggling and trying to just get by. Whatever path you choose, don’t let it be a solitary one. There’s so much more to life.”

We’re grateful that Becky has chosen the Winona Catholic Worker as her path of community and solidarity at this point in her life. Welcome, Becky!

Barbara Allaire

Contact the Winona Catholic Worker

2007-10-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

You can contact the Winona Catholic Worker in the following ways:

Winona Catholic Worker
PO Box 102
Winona MN 55987

Bethany House
507-454-8094

Dan Corcoran House
507-457-3451

Sorry, our e-mail address is not hyperlinked to avoid spam.

2007-10-18T03:33:00.001-07:00

Empty cisterns in Tuwani, green lawns in the settlements
September 10, 2007
by Eileen Hanson

I arrived back in Tuwani after short time away and the first thing I heard about was a big meeting here this morning about water. Living on the edge of the Negev desert, water is a major concern here. Normally the winter rains fill cisterns in the area, which supply water through the dry summer months. People use cistern water for watering their flocks as well as for household cleaning and bathing. The well is the village source for drinking water. All the cisterns are empty now, and the well is very low.

Many families have already brought in a truck of water to fill their cistern. However many others probably cannot afford to do this. The men of Tuwani and a number of surrounding villages met this morning to discuss the situation.

Life in this area has never been easy. Water has always been scarce. But people have been living here for thousands of years and have developed ways of living to meet the challenges of the environment.

But things have changed in recent years. Twenty years ago the settlement of Ma'on was established on land belonging to families living in Tuwani. Many of the cisterns traditionally used by families from Tuwani and neighboring villages have been taken over by settlers. Palestinians are either physically unable to access them, or fear violence if they approach what was once their family's land and cistern.

The settlement of Ma'on with its green manicured lawns, irrigated fields and orchards, draws water from the underground aquifer that supplies this entire area. The Tuwani village well is low because the aquifer is getting lower and lower by the year.

This is not an uncommon story. Throughout the West Bank, settlements are taking the lion's share of water, leaving Palestinians with scarce resources. Some estimates of settler water usage are as high as 8 or 9 to 1 compared with Palestinians water use. Many other villages in the Hebron district are also experiencing serious water shortages. It is clear just by looking as the contrasting lifestyles of Tuwani and the settlers at Ma'on that settler use of water is completely out of tune with the environment here. Worst of all, it is destroying the possibilities for others to sustain even the simplest life here.

People in Tuwani do not want water to fill up swimming pools. They simply want enough water for their flocks and their families to have enough to drink and bathe. Local Palestinians continue to live a life close to the land and respectful of the resources. It is the settlers who refuse to admit that they are living on the edge of the desert and adapt accordingly.

The lack of water is also a real concern here in part because it presents yet another vulnerability of Palestinians to the occupying powers, the Israeli military and the Israeli settlers. Perhaps Palestinian villagers can band together and buy water to provide enough until the rains come in November or December. But water trucks are a very visible target. Other villages have had roads blocked, or trucks attacked and been unable to get water to the village. A difficult situation becomes even more complex when having to consider that your neighbors might ambush your family's water supply.

UPDATE: October 10, 2007 - Water delivery in Tuwani
This week water trucks delivered water to many of the cisterns in Tuwani. Tanker trucks with water donated by an international aid agency arrived in the village and went house to house, filling cisterns. Families now have water for household cleaning and bathing. This was a welcome sight for everyone.

Trucks came after dark several nights in order to fill all the cisterns. One night, there was a checkpoint just outside Tuwani, and the water truck was stopped for over an hour.

2007-10-01T01:52:00.000-07:00

Night in Tuba
September 30, 2007
Eileen Hanson

Last night I spent the night in the small village of Tuba. It is one of the several villages in the South Hebron Hills for which Tuwani serves as a kind of hub.

Tuba should be just a 10 minute walk from Tuwani. But that route is no longer available. In 1980, the settlement of Ma’on was established between Tuba and Tuwani. Now, in order to get from Tuba to Tuwani it is at least a one hour hike. It’s two hours over several hills and valleys if you take the safest route. The one hour path is somewhat dangerous as you are within sight of the settlement outpost for part of the walk. Palestinians have often been attacked when using this route. Most now take the much long route.

These detours from Tuba to Tuwani are over very hilly rocky terrain. I enjoy hiking and I found it a pretty good workout. When I think that this is the path that the elementary school aged children had to take each morning and evening from school, I can’t even imagine it.*

We arrived just in time to break the Ramadan fast in the evening. Like almost everywhere I have experienced in Palestine, we received the warmest hospitality. Although we and other internationals are likeliest to go to Tuba if there have been problems with the settlers, the family was insistent that we are always welcome.

It was enlightening to visit Tuba. For one, I saw the settlement of Ma’on, and the settlement outpost Havat Ma’on, literally from a different angle. From Tuba, you can see Ma’on and the neighboring settlement of Karmil expanding toward the village. New houses and building going up. More fields taken over by settlers. The perimeter of the settlement of Ma’on now nearly meets the egde of Karmil, to the north, squeezing the village of Tuba from both sides.

From Tuba, land confiscation does not seem like an abstract problem. Nearly all the village land to the north and west, has been taken over by the settlers. What settlers have not built on, they control by means of threats and harassment. Palestinians can no longer use the land to graze the sheep. Most families now have to buy feed to supplement the limited grazing for their flocks.

Settlers have recently set up an outpost tent on a nearby hill, expanding their control of the land. New outpost buildings are not allowed under Israeli law. A few weeks ago, the Israeli military actually came to enforce this and demolished the tent. However, they also took that same bulldozer to a nearby Palestinian village and demolished a home there. Settlers have already begun rebuilding the outpost tent.

History shows that if settlers are persistent, they can establish illegal outposts, and eventually maintain a presence on stolen land. Most of the settlements in the West Bank began this way. A small group of settlers come to land and begin building. Often the Israeli government has ruled the building illegal, and ordered the settlers to leave. Rarely have the injunctions been enforced with any vigor.

* Since 2004, children from Tuba now have an Israeli Army escort each day so they can take the short path, through the middle of the settlements, to school in Tuwani. The military escort was ordered by the Israeli parliament (Knesset) after the children had been attacked on several occasions. In one attack, CPTer’s accompanying the children were seriously injured by armed, masked settlers. Following this high profile incident, the Children’s Committee of the Knesset order the Israeli military to escort the children each day. CPT, and Operation Dove, or Italian partners in Tuwani, now monitor this army escort day.
For more information on Tuwani’s history, click here.

RELEASE: Settlers enter village in the South Hebron Hills, assault Palestinians
September, 24, 2007

On September 23rd, shortly before sundown, ten Israeli settlers entered the village of Tuba in the South Hebron Hills. The settlers threw stones, hitting a woman and her adult son. Settlers remained in the village for about an hour. Israeli partners called police at 5:30pm to report the incident. Police did not arrive in Tuba until 7:30pm after the settlers had already left.

Tuba, a village of about 75 people, has experienced on-going harassment by settlers from the nearby Israeli settlement of Ma'on, and illegal outpost Havat Ma'on. School aged children from Tuba are accompanied to school in nearby At-Tuwani by an Israeli military escort because of repeated attacks on the children by settlers. In April of this year, three girls were injured when settlers attacked the children on their way home from school and stole two of the children's book bags. Two weeks ago, the Israeli military demolished an outpost tent the settlers had built illegally on Tuba land.

2007-10-01T01:47:00.000-07:00

Ramadan reflection – “It’s like Christmas in Tuwani”
September 20, 2007
Eileen Hanson

At sundown, the call to prayer goes out. The men gather in the mosque. And soon after return home to break the fast with the evening meal, iFtar (the evening meal of breaking fast).

The first night of Ramadan we were supplied with quite a feast. Chicken and stuffed grape leaves from our neighbor. A platter of rice, and a several ketayef* from another. Fresh baked bread called taboon, made in an earthen oven, is a staple here in Tuwani and we have been blessed with a particular abundance of bread each evening of Ramadan. Dried dates are almost always part of the Ramadan evening meal. A typical Palestinian meal includes a variety of ‘salads’, which include a whole range of delights, all served in small bowls for everyone to share by dipping their bread.

I have had the chance to share a Ramadan break-fast meal with a couple of families in Tuwani and in Hebron. It is a wonderful, informal feast. Paper is spread out on the table (or the floor, which is traditionally where one sits and eats) so clean up is just rolling up all the chicken bones and date pits. After dinner is time for drinking tea and lounging around, at least for guests and the men. (Women are usually off to the kitchen to clean up.) All kinds of fruit are offered, and later after you’ve had a chance to digest, comes the ketayef. Nothing is rushed. The meal is a whole evening affair.

Morning comes early. Morning prayers are around 4:00am. Most people rise even earlier, just past 3:00am, to eat a small meal before sunrise. In Tuwani, a diesel generator supplies electricity for the whole village, so at 3am someone starts up the engine and all the lights come on (there are actually street lights in Tuwani, although all the roads are dirt).

During Ramadan, the call to prayer is much longer, as they sing portions of the Koran over the loudspeaker before the call to prayer. The men gather in the mosque for a short prayer, and as they are leaving, someone goes down to turn of the generator. The sun is up not long after. Shepherds are out very early for grazing, usually just after sunrise.

Daytime is pretty slow in Tuwani right now. Ramadan can fall at any time of the year, since Muslims follow a lunar calendar. When Ramadan falls in the height of summer, Muslims fast for 16-17 hours, during which time they do not eat or drink anything, even water. We are just at the end of summer now. The days are still quite hot, and there is very little vegetation left after the long, dry summer. Many people rest during the day, as the night has been so short. The olive harvest next month will be a very busy time.

Life in the city is noticeably different during Ramadan. In Hebron, no one is smoking or drinking tea or coffee, usually a common sight in any shop. Restaurants are closed, but the market is packed with people buying food to prepare the evening’s feast. Jerusalem is especially busy, as Muslims believe that to pray in Jerusalem (called Al Quds, “the Holy”, in Arabic), during Ramadan brings a special blessing.

Although fasting from all food and drink, allowing nothing to pass your lips during daylight may seem arduous, people are generally happy it’s Ramadan. The other day, I asked our neighbor how he was doing. (He is very good about using simple Arabic words and metaphors that we foreigners can understand.) He said with a big smile, “I’m happy. It’s Ramadan in Tuwani. It’s like, Christmas in Tuwani.”

*Ketayef is like a small pancake. Everyone is selling them in the market these days, made fresh on the griddle. At home, they are then folded in half and filled with all kinds of delightful things, sometimes cheese, sometimes apples and nuts and cinnamon. Then they are baked or fried. Delicious! Although not exclusively for Ramadan, ketayef is one of the special treats of the season.