What is the Winona Catholic Worker?

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.

Who does the Winona Catholic Worker serve?

Bethany House serves single homeless men, offering shelter to about 3-4 overnight guests at a time along with a handful of additional guests who drop by daily for food or to wash clothing and shower. “The road to Bethany House for each of our guests is a story in itself, but each one’s life journey found them homeless in Winona,” Jim Allaire wrote in our newsletter shortly after it opened. “One man was robbed by the ride he hitched on his way here to find work. Two were passing through, one on his way to the Mayo Clinic for eye surgery. Some men came to us from situations locally they had to leave.” Most of the guests at Bethany House work all day, or spend their time looking for work. Some are just passing through. Alcoholism is common among our guests, although we have relatively few problems with substance abuse; guests who are known to be abusing are asked to leave for the sake of others living at the house.

In general, the men who stay with us are responsible, conversational, and easy to get along with. They like to talk while doing the dishes or smoking on the porch, often trading stories. They often help each other out, and sometimes take on special roles in the house—keeping up the garden, walking the dog, or welcoming new guys to the dinner table, for instance.

The Dan Corcoran House serves single women, couples, and their children. Because children share a room with their parent(s), it can accommodate as many as thirteen guests at a time; but three to six guests is more typical. The women and families who stay at the Dan Corcoran House come there for a multitude of reasons. Many are escaping substandard housing elsewhere. Some are leaving marriages (although women fleeing violent abuse are referred to local safe houses). Some are afflicted by a mental illness or developmental disability. Other families were living in poverty for a long time when they became homeless because of major expenses or the loss of a job.

How long is the volunteer commitment?

People who come to be live-in volunteers at the Winona Catholic Worker do not sign a contract or take vows; volunteers are free to leave at any time. But live-in volunteers generally commit to at least six months or a year of service. Volunteers also generally give several months’ notice before leaving so the community has time to find a replacement or make other arrangements.

How does the community support live-in volunteers?

Live in volunteers:
· are supported practically, spiritually, and psychologically by the core community and wider Catholic Worker community
· are usually given a private room, when available
· eat food donated to the house (which is often quite excellent)
· usually have several hours’ free time daily
· may be absent from the house for personal trips (visits to relatives, etc.) as long as appropriate arrangements are made in advance
· may use the house car for personal errands and trips (paying for their own gas on long personal trips)
· may receive health insurance purchased by the community if necessary

What do past volunteers say about daily life at Dan Corcoran House?

“As far as the daily routine of the house, it will consist of the normal tasks of any home: laundry, cooking, cleaning up, visiting with people, playing with kids. Every evening at 6:00 we have supper together, and that is open to anyone in our extended community who would like to join us. Guests help themselves to whatever’s available for breakfast and lunch.

“We buy what food we need. But we try to make the most from whatever is donated . . . believing that God’s providence, working through the goodness of this community, is sustaining us. Some people and churches have mentioned taking responsibility for an evening meal preparation periodically, and we’d be glad to see that happen. . . .

“When guests come to us, we let them know a few basic things about the house—that it’s temporary housing . . .,that we have a few rules (no alcohol or drugs, no violence, no smoking in the house, and people are in by 10:30 p.m.), that they are free to come and go and make themselves at home, joining in whatever they wish to.” (Barbara Allaire, 1992)
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“A day does not go by without a volunteer dropping off some food, donations, or just stopping by to say hi or to see if they can do something for us. . . . Every so often before you can get up to answer the knock on the door, you can hear a loud “Hello!” from one of our former guests, just dropping by to let us know what they’ve been up to and how things are going for them. If they time it right (they always remember what time dinner is), some of them even stay for a meal. It’s a special visit for all of us, and as they leave with a smile on their face no words need to be spoken to understand their thanks. . . . “ (Sheila O’Neil, 1993)
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“Recently, in one day’s time, we went from having one guest to having thirteen—including nine children all under the age of nine. When it rains, it pours! . . .

“We were just clearing off the table after supper when Margaret Cassidy, who had played her guitar earlier for us during Mass, got her hands on a beat-up children’s guitar that we’d recently been given by a neighbor. Margaret put some strings on that old guitar and tuned it up as best she could and began to play. . . . Well, those kids flocked around Margaret as soon as she began plucking out those children’s songs.

“Some of us were working on the dishes in the kitchen, and it wasn’t long before we were drawn to the happy singing in the living room. The children were lying on the floor and draped over the furniture, listening to Margaret sing and then imitating her as best they could, beautiful smiles on their round, brown faces. . . .

“We probably went through more than a dozen songs, including a startlingly robust rendition of “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” Even the adults were getting into calling out names of farm animals. People passing by our living room window out on the sidewalk couldn’t help hearing a loud, energetic chorus of ‘with a moo moo here and a moo moo there, here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo!’ . . .

“Later in the evening we were gathered in the basement for the weekly house meeting. ‘Listen,’ someone said. Through the ceiling we could hear the children upstairs as they prepared for bed—they were still singing.” (Jerry Daoust, 1994)
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“When I moved into the Catholic Worker House a few months ago, I was prepared for the work: the laundry, the dishes, the cooking. What I wasn’t ready for was the living that happens—the connection you make with so many people that runs so deep. It is impossible not to learn about the people, be they guests, former guests, or the many volunteers who help out here. You learn about them, and consequently, about yourself.

“I’ve learned about the difficulties in their lives: family problems, abuses, illnesses, disappointments and frustrations. I’ve experienced their joy and their giftedness: the artists, cooks, loving parents, selfless mothers, as well as the ones who seem to struggle to love their children. One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about being here has been the kids I’ve met. With sparkling eyes and radiant (sometimes mischievous) smiles, they quickly grow on me, sometimes literally! Recently during Mass at our house, we stopped for a few moments to just listen to the sounds of the kids that were there with us. I wish we could do that more often. . . . Instead of teaching them to grow up to be just like us, we could let them teach us for a while. . . .

“What we do here is so exciting! I’m not sure if all of you know exactly what we do: we live, we eat, we laugh, we argue, we listen, we care about each other. It sounds so simple. It is simple, but not always easy. I find myself entwined with so many people’s minds and hearts. I share joy, frustration, anger, and love with all who are a part of this house.” (Kent Linder, 1996)
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"The first few weeks I spent all my time at the Dan Corcoran House. I loved reading and playing with the two kids who were guests then. I was there on my days off as well as when I was scheduled to be on. One of the guests even said, “We like you and everything, but do you ever take time for yourself?” I learned that in order to stay sane and happy, you have to have time for yourself. . . .
"Every Wednesday evening, we distributed food in low-income housing from extra food given to us. The children of the neighborhoods wanted to deliver the food door-to-door. We would give them a box and they would come back with no food left. They did a better job than us. It was great to see so many kids care so much about their neighbors." (Jeny Carlin, 2004)

What do past volunteers say about daily life at Bethany House?

“The daily rhythm at Bethany House starts early, with guests poring over the newspaper to look for work or housing as they finish breakfast. By bicycle, bus, and on foot, with a sack lunch and a scribbled notes in hand, one by one they leave to begin their search. One of our overnight volunteers remarked, ‘There I was reading the paper with my second cup of coffee and the house was empty. Everyone had gone to work.’ . . .

“The highlight of each day comes at supper time. Our guests are home and ready for a good meal after the day’s labor or search for work. One volunteer remarked, ‘It may be just a group of people sitting down for a nutritious, well-prepared meal, but it reminded me of the heavenly banquet.’ The conversation around the table is always interesting.

“Fresh apple pies, fixed bikes, painting, new back steps, and other carpentry projects are just some of the ways our guests have caught the house spirit, shared their talents, and given something back to the house. Evenings are quiet at Bethany House since we have no TV to agitate the atmosphere. [One was acquired after this writing, but it remains off most of the time.] Instead people sink into the comfortable living room furniture to read and have conversations where guests and volunteers alike break open the daily bread of their lives. It is a great gift, a grace really, to listen with acceptance to the stories of our guests’ lives. One of our guests remarked that he was struck by how everyone here is treated with respect, regardless of their past or beliefs. Another guest said he had seen a lot of meanness in people while on the road and that finding a place like Bethany House has reminded him that there is goodness in the world.” (Jim Allaire, 1996)
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“Imagine this scene: children are laughing and running and bumping into things and people, everyone seems to be talking at once, the phone is ringing, the dog is barking at the door—vibrant energy. That’s the Dan Corcoran House. Now, picture this: the table is neatly set with candles glowing in the center, the floors are crumb free, people are sitting around reading and waiting for the bread to finish baking—gentle calm. That’s Bethany House. It is orderly, almost monastic like. Many of the men have commented how much they appreciate the calm of the house as well as the cleanliness and wonderful meals prepared by Gretchen [a live-in volunteer] and others. It is a vast change from the noisy, sometimes dirty and crowded, shelters where some have stayed.” (Cynthia Pettie, 1997)
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“Many times I have been asked what I do at Bethany House. A lot: laundry, cooking and baking, cleaning, writing, driving people to appointments, many little chores. But what all of us do most often is simply listening. Hopefully, with our hearts.

“Being at the Worker is to welcome those who are ignored into your life. Often in the midst of a hectic day, I must remind myself to sit down and listen to the person who is in front of me. Listening involves not just opening up my ears, but turning myself over to the pain suffered by a guest.” (Mike Sersch, 1999)

How does one go about becoming a volunteer?

We like to discern long-term live-in volunteer arrangements over an extended period of time. If you are interested in mutually discerning the possibility of offering hospitality with us, here are the steps we usually follow:
· Send us a note by e-mail or regular mail stating your interest and describing a little bit about yourself. (Find our contact information here.) Why are you interested? What is your background and current situation? What questions do you have for us about volunteering? This can really be a very informal, casual note. Don’t sweat over it.
· We’ll send you some information about us and try to respond to your questions. We may arrange for a phone conversation.
· After we’ve corresponded for a bit, if both you and the community are interested in doing so, you can come for a short overnight visit—a couple of days or a weekend. During this visit you get to see the house and meet core community members. This is a time for informal conversation (no formal interviews, we promise!) and getting to know each other better so we can figure out whether the Winona Catholic Worker is the right fit for you, and vice versa.
· After the initial visit, if things seem to be working out for you and the community, we'll ask for references and permission to conduct a criminal background check. We do this to ensure the safety of our guests.
· If everything works out, you would move to the house with the intention of serving as a live-in volunteer for an agreed upon period of time. After arriving at the house, you would start doing hospitality on a trial basis for thirty days. This trial period gives both you and the community time to continue discerning in the real context of the daily life of the house. At the end of the thirty day period, you and the core community would decide whether to stay on for the full time period or to part ways.