#catholic workers

[joy-haver]

Blessed is the aging activist,

Old beyond repair.

Planting trees they will not see the shade of.

Holding what was there.

Beloved is the old ecologist,

Seeds saved for me.

Taking time to tell the story,

Lineage braided into beads.

Beautiful is the old AIM sailor,

Ghost dance at Alcatraz.

Carving trails before we walked the way,

Tying future into past.

Blessed is the old abortionist,

Self trained nurse Jane.

Changing course of shifting rivers.

She held us through the pain.

Beloved is the Catholic worker

His Blood on atom bomb,

Knowing above, below, are together,

And that heaven is earth-to-come.

Beautiful is the old musician,

Protest song on tongue,

Taking the time to tell the story,

Of what has and will come.

[portraitsofsaints]

Dorothy Day Servant of God 1897-1980 Co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement

Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist, and Catholic convert. In the 1930s, Day worked closely with fellow activist Peter Maurin to establish the Catholic Worker Movement, a pacifist movement that continues to combine direct aid to the poor and homeless with nonviolent direct action on their behalf. Her cause for canonization has been opened by the Catholic Church. {website}

[ffcrazy15]

Heads up everyone, Starbucks workers are striking today. Observe the picket line if you can!

[disgruntledexplainer]

I love how Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum can pretty much be summed up as "Yes, socialism is awful (here are quite a few paragraphs detailing exactly why), but MAYBE if you started TREATING YOUR WORKERS RIGHT, people would STOP TRYING TO IMPLEMENT IT".

[and-her-saints]

while i have your attention!

i’m raising funds through this Dorothy Day print for the Elizabeth Catholic Worker Chapter in New Jersey.

the mission of any Catholic Worker house is to assist people in need of food and shelter. guests receive help regardless of religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age or reason for homelessness.

if you wish to send any donations, the information is in the alt text/images above. they are also asking for donated chairs and tables in case you’re in the Elizabeth, New Jersey area.

they run free food, clothes and toiletries distribution on Mondays at 4:30PM and Saturdays at noon.

[apilgrimsprogress]

But I am sure that God did not intend that there be so many poor. The class structure is of our making and our consent, not His. It is the way we have arranged it, and it is up to us to change it. So we are urging revolutionary change.

Dorothy Day, "Poverty Is to Care And Not to Care"

[littleflowerfaith]

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.

Most Chaste Heart of Saint Joseph, pray for us.

[truedevotiondesign]

St. Joseph Catholic Tie

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Chris Geidner at Law Dork:

A federal judge in North Dakota issued an injunction on Monday blocking the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from protecting any employees of any members of a nationwide Catholic association who are seeking time off or other accommodations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act for an abortion or in vitro fertilization treatment.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor, a Trump appointee to the federal court in North Dakota, issued the religion-infused preliminary injunction to partially block enforcement of an EEOC rule implementing the 2022 law, along with related implementation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as to the Catholic Benefits Association and its members — current or future — nationwide. The order covers more than 8,000 employers — including thousands of churches — across the country. The PWFA was passed in December 2022 and is supposed to protect covered workers from discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions” by, in part, requiring employers to provide employees with reasonable accommodations. The EEOC proposed its implementing rule for the PWFA in August 2023, stating in part that abortion and fertility treatment, including IVF, are covered by the law’s protections. That rule, which does not relate to insurance coverage, went into effect in June.

“It is a precarious time for people of religious faith in America,” Traynor declared in the introduction to his 21-page opinion, criticizing “the repeated illegal and unconstitutional administrative actions against one of the founding principles of our country, the free exercise of religion.” Ultimately, Traynor concluded that happened again here, finding that the CBA is likely to succeed in its challenge to the rule and related Title VII enforcement guidance under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Any appeal would go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which only has one Democratic appointee among its 11 judges.

[...] Traynor sided with the Catholic employees — rejecting the EEOC’s arguments — on virtually all points, from standing to the underlying religious freedom claims to the scope of his eventual injunction. (Notably, Traynor gave little credit to the EEOC’s argument that “the Final Rule and Guidance acknowledge that employers may have RFRA defenses and commit to a fact-sensitive, case-by-case analysis.” Instead, he found that such an approach is not likely sufficient because the “burden of investigation and possible litigation” would remain.) The injunction is extremely broad, barring the EEOC from enforcing accommodations required under the PWFA rule relating to “abortion or infertility treatments,” along with guidance relating to “abortion, fertility treatments, or gender transition“ under Title VII, including recent workplace harassment guidance.

Trump-appointed judicial activist Daniel Traynor issued a nationwide injunction in Catholic Benefits Association v. Burrows that blocks the EEOC from protecting any employees of any Catholic Benefits Association members who are seeking time off or accommodations for abortion or IVF services.

[victusinveritas]

Recognizing a Saint in the Making

Friday, November 8 was the birthday of the famed Catholic activist and writer Dorothy Day. Born in 1897, Day founded the Catholic Worker Movement during America's Great Depression, setting in motion a newspaper and a global network of houses to feed the poor that still operates today. Once regarded by the FBI as a security threat for her anti-war, anti-nuclear writings and public demonstrations, today Dorothy Day is being considered for sainthood in the Catholic Church.

In 2015 when Pope Francis spoke before a joint session of the US Congress he too celebrated the life and legacy of Dorothy Day. View a clip from our award winning PBS documentary Revolution of the Heart: The Dorothy Day Story here. https://vimeo.com/1026591854/6d1a642f74?mc_cid=349a33d87e&mc_eid=f7178ceaa2

The full film is available On Demand or on DVD as part of the Prophetic Voices series.

Robert Ellsberg, featured in the film, recently published a wonderful story in U.S. Catholic highlighting how Pope Francis and Dorothy Day are kindred spirits. Read it here. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202410/the-common-vision-of-pope-francis-and-dorothy-day/?mc_cid=349a33d87e&mc_eid=f7178ceaa2

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Joseph Feast day: March 19 May 1 Patronage: The Catholic Church, unborn children, fathers, immigrants, workers, against doubt and hesitation, and of a happy death

“Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins.” -Matt. 1:20-21

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[moishe-pipick]

The future will be different if we make the present different.

- Peter Maurin

[myremnantarmy]

"𝘐'𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘰, 𝘔𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳."

[vulpine111]

I bind in the Blood of Jesus all of your hooks, lines, and tentacles, your roots, attachments, and attenuations and I command you in the Name of Jesus to remove them now completely and entirely:

In the Name of Jesus, remove them now.

In the Name of Jesus, remove them now.

In the Name of Jesus, remove them now.

---

Lord Jesus Christ, in your love and mercy, pour Thy Precious Blood over me so that no demon or disembodied spirit may retaliate against me.

Mary, surround me with thy mantle, blocking any retaliating spirits from having any authority over me.

St. Michael, surround me with thy shield, so that no evil spirit may take revenge on me.

Queen of Heaven and St. Michael, send down the legions of angels under your command to fight off any spirits that would seek to harm me.

All you saints of heaven, impede any retaliating spirit from influencing me.

Lord, Thou are the Just Judge, the avenger of the wicked, the Advocate of the Just, we beg in Thy mercy, that all we ask of Mary, the angels and the saints of Heaven be also granted to all our loved ones, those who pray for us and their loved ones, that for Thy Glory's sake, we may enjoy Thy perfect protection.

Amen.

[the-mercy-workers]

GUYS GUYS GUYS

MERCY WORKER MOVIE

Description

"Mother Teresa and Me” tells the story of Kavita, a young woman who finds herself with an unexpected pregnancy. Battling whether or not to get an abortion, she returns to her hometown in India where her now very old nanny shares the story of Mother Teresa’s first days working in the streets of Calcutta. Learning how Mother Teresa faced many doubts after no longer being able to hear the voice of Jesus, Kavita is inspired.

I highly encourage reading the whole article! I'M SO EXCITED!!

[bubblegracecw]

Welcome to the Intentional Community!

I know no one blogs anymore, but I'm in an interesting time in my life, and I'm feeling antsy without an outlet. So here we are:

I've been inspired by the Catholic Worker movement for several years now, and I've been dating a Quaker for a year and a half. And I spent my youth thinking about counter-culture (as we all do). This stuff has been percolating inside me, and I've been getting restless.

As of yesterday evening, my Quaker Boyfriend (QB) and I have moved into the guestroom of a Quaker intentional community in New England! We'll be here on and off for the next six weeks. We're more in the "guest" category rather than the "resident" one, to be clear. But I'm hoping to get involved and get to know everyone. I'm really incredibly happy to be here.

Last night, the dinner bell rang twice, and we all gathered in the dining area/Meeting space. We had a moment of sitting in silence, and then introductions and announcements. Then it was a delicious group dinner of vegan tempeh stir-fry with a giant vat of rice. I'm hoping to learn more about how chores work here, and maybe a bit about cooking for a crowd.

After dinner, I had a Zoom meeting with the rosary circle I'm in (I'm Catholic), while QB played Catan in the library with some residents.

Today, I'm very much feeling like I'm floating in a bubble of grace.

Our room!