SPRING 2015

WELCOME TO ST. FRANCIS HOUSE!

Thank you, Adrienne Stolwyk, for creating this wonderful new sign for the house. We love that you were able to
incorporate the Wolf of Gubbio to represent our community menagerie of pups, including Bowser, Shell, Starr,
Rusty and Rosie.

St. Francis House: I still dont know what it

is, but I think I may like this place

us all equal because there are few things as intimate as

moments of shared laughter.

By Peter Jensen

Farewell to all my friends in Columbia

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Peter

Jensen and I am currently a third year PhD candidate in the
Department of Communication at Mizzou. I am writing this
exactly one year and two months since the first visit I paid
to St. Francis House. In that time I have done 162 hours of
observation, 15 interviews, and written two entirely
separate papers on my experiences at St. Francis House
and my interactions with its guests, volunteers, and
workers.
The great irony in all of this is that in spite of all my
reflection, analysis, discussions, reviewing of academic
articles on homelessness and nonprofits, is that I still have
so little clue about what makes St. Francis house possible.
I shouldnt find this irony surprising. Ill often talk to my
students about different ways of knowing, and Ill talk to
them about how a meteorologist knows about tornadoes
in a very different way than someone who lives in Joplin.
While I may never understand how an
organization like St. Francis is possible, it has had an
immeasurable impact on my life, both personally and
professionally. Before I started observing and volunteering,
my world in Columbia was very small. I rarely deviated
much on my path from my old downtown apartment to the
Mizzou quad, and other than my students I spoke to almost
no one outside my department. I was living alone for the
first time, and I found myself becoming more withdrawn and
introverted, struggling to make conversations even with
people I knew.
When I first walked through the cloud of cigarette
smoke that covered the front porch of the house and
through the front door I had no idea what I was doing, and
even less idea about what I was going to do. I had some
poorly formed notions in my head about Catholic Worker
ideals of dignity and caring for the homeless, but I had (and
still have) little to no clue what dignity really meant.
However, after entering that door I was awed by the
warmth and care that characterizes so many of the
relationships that are integral to the community, and the
unlikely friendships that define St. Francis in my mind.
While Im still not certain what dignity means, I find it in the
shared moments of humor and care.
The most recent paper Ive written about St.
Francis deals with the humor at St. Francis. I argue that we
use a type of rough humor that promotes undignified
dignity. I think its through our humor that we break down
the artificial barriers we erect against those who are
different from us. Humor tears down the walls and makes

Friends,
This summer I will be leaving St. Francis House and
moving to Baltimorewhere Ill begin my medical residency
at Johns Hopkins. Im filled with mixed emotions leading up
to this huge life transition. Its hard to believe St. Francis
House has been my home for the last 5 years.
To say that my time here has profoundly changed
my life and the way I see the world would almost be an
understatement. This community, and the work that we do
here, has shaped me, stretched me, and taught me
otherwise unteachable lessons.
Im so thankful for the fellow community members
and the guests, and for this unique space that weve
created together, where all people are valued and
welcomed. Even as I move on to this next step in my
career, Im overwhelmingly proud to have called St. Francis
House my home.
Much love,
Robby

Heres a final photo of Robby, in front of his new

professional home: Johns Hopkins Hospital. Robby starts
his residency in pathology here this summer.

In Memoriam

Please join us as we remember our friends,

benefactors and guests who have passed away, including
Albert Mermelstein and Jim Jamey Davis. Please also
hold in your hearts all who have died by violence in our
community, nation and world, especially those who were
targeted because of their race, ethnicity, gender, faith or
other identity.

REFLECTIONS ON MEMORIAL DAY

question facing the spectators exiting the plane. A young

girl maybe 9 or 10 came down the ramp and asked me,
"Are you here just to ask the question on that sign?"
"Yes", I said. "I'm trying to see if anyone knows the
answer to this question".
"I think he wouldn't bomb anyone" she said with a
smile. "At first I thought, the devil but no, I don't think he'd
bomb anyone."
"You're the only person here who's given the right
answer to this question so far."
Moments earlier I passed an A-10 pilot who uses
depleted uranium shells to destroy enemy armored
vehicles. He looked at the question, pursed his lips and
said disgustedly. "I guess now I've seen everything".
Is it any surprise that an innocent 10 year old girl would
know the answer that an experienced fighter pilot
probably conveniently forgot when he left all the heavy
mental lifting about morality to some general or politician so
that he could be used to unleash his weapons upon people
they wanted dead?
On Memorial Day I also think of my friend Shakir
Hamoodi who as a Muslim and an Iraqi/American was
imprisoned for doing what other immigrants have done for
generations; to send money back to family in the old
country (Iraq) who were impoverished by economic
sanctions imposed by the U.S. after the first Gulf War.
Iraq's economy was destroyed by sanctions so severe that
humanitarian officials of the U.N. who administered the "oil
for food program" felt morally obligated to resign because
vital necessities for civilians were being denied and
500,000 children died unnecessarily from waterborne
diseases and malnutrition. Shakir's family begged him for
assistance because they were sick and suffering so he sent
them money which turned out to be illegal. But there's a
difference between what is legal and what is right. If I were
him I would have done the same thing.

By Steve Jacobs
As I entered the tarmac of Columbia's annual
airshow this year, I began my own annual event which
starts with a slow meditative walk through the throngs of
people carrying a sign that has an icon of Jesus over the
question "Who Would Jesus Bomb?" Silently past
spectators, veterans and their families, past pilots,
soldiers and beneath the wings of gigantic war machines I
wend my way. Some mutter insults sometimes barely
audible but often not. Some blurt out "He'd bomb you" or
"Al Qaida" or the "Taliban". Sodom & Gomorrah are offered
as an example of Jesus's willingness to annihilate despite
reports of their destruction hundreds of years prior to
Jesus's time. These folks seem to have created a Jesus in
their own image who hates all of the same things they do
despite His admonitions to "Love your enemies" and "Turn
the other cheek" but these are the very folks I offer the
question. But most stare at my question and turn away as if
entertaining the question somehow gives it legitimacy that it
is not deserved. Mixing religion with politics is a dangerous
combination.
Cultural patriotism works to get young people to
disregard their religious teachings in childhood. A boy
scout offered to sell me a program to the airshow as I
entered. Boy Scouts manned booths selling war toys, pins,
patches, t-shirts and war souvenirs. You can buy a shirt
with military insignia over the words: "Kill them all and let
God sort them out." "Good slogan for sociopaths", I think to
myself. But the ultimate recruiting tools are the combat
simulators where you can blow stuff up and kill people
digitally. All these steps lead to the dehumanization of real
people who are targets for our military and who are
conveniently forgotten on Memorial Day. As airshow
officials ask for a moment of silence and a round of taps for
those who have served in the military, nothing is mentioned
about the civilians who have died in every modern war in
numbers greater than combatants. At this moment I
remember these words from an anonymous source:

St Francis/Lois Bryant House Needs

Would you like to contribute to our hospitality work at
St. Francis and Lois Bryant Houses? Here is a list of our
ongoing needs:
Coffee
Sugar
Fresh Produce
Cleaning supplies
Underwear in all adult sizes, mens and women
Socks
Sunscreen
Deoderant
Toilet Paper
Cash donations
Your prayers
Towels
pillowcases
Sheets (twin size)
gas cards

"When we remember soldiers but not their victims,

When we glorify the pointless deaths of millions,
When we portray the slaughter as noble,
When we aggrandize patriotism,
When we celebrate militarism,
We are not honoring the dead of war.
We are enticing the living to join them."
Despite the overwhelming sense of tragic irony evokes
in me there are always moments of grace. While standing
at the tail end of a huge C-5 transport plane with my
3

New Loaves & Fishes work space? Check;

New Attitudes about Hunger? In Progress

Restaurant/Hotel Supply to make sure that we got the most

for our money when it came to transforming a 1970s era
church kitchen into a 21st century space any commercial
eatery would be proud to work from.

By Ruth ONeill
First off, many thanks again all to the wonderful people,
faith communities and other groups who came together to
help our partner, Wilkes Blvd United Methodist Church, to
realize the dream of updating and professionalizing the
kitchen we use to prepare and serve the meals at Loaves
and Fishes. In the 3 years since we moved into their
space, the church has been a wonderful partner. They
provide a large dining room, friendly faces to greet our
diners at the door and now a spacious commercial kitchen
in which to prepare good food, serve our friends who come
to eat, and perhaps, most exciting, to me, at least, a
fabulous clean up area, with new dishwasher and the
means to more efficiently clean and store what we need.

Ruth ONeill, Kent Murdoch, Walker Thomas, Cindy Brown, Bill

Moyes & Alice Wondra, at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Bequests, fundraising events, grants and the generosity

of our long term partners made it possible to complete this
project without incurring debt. Hooray and thanks to all our
partners in this effort.
This outpouring of money by the greater Columbia
community is heartening and we believe that it signals a
recognition by the city of the value our nightly meals
provide for those who may otherwise not have a hot
evening meal. We continue to serve 70-150 people a night,
and we are seeing more families with kids than ever before.
I would like to take a minute to reflect on the whys of
Loaves and Fishes: why do we bother at all? And as
importantly, why do we, as a Catholic Worker community,
continue to oversee and coordinate the operations of
Loaves and Fishes?
Recently, a volunteer asked me why we didnt expect
our guests to do something in exchange for the meal, like
help clean up. I responded that we were there to offer a
meal with no strings attached and that it didnt seem
appropriate to require a payment. At the same time, I
noted that we have many guests who have offered to help
out with serving and cleaning up when they are needed. (In
fact, some former regular guests of the kitchen helped out
that very night.) But I sensed that she was not satisfied with
my response, and truly, I didnt feel like I had given it my
best shot.
I think my answer was incomplete, and maybe even a
bit of a cop out. I think maybe the real answer comes from
asking these two more questions: why is Loaves and
Fishes here and who is it designed to benefit? Because the
answers are not as obvious as they may seem.
True, our main purpose is serving food 7 nights a week,
to feed those who are hungry. But our purpose in inviting
community groups from many traditions and walks of life to

Pastor Meg Hegemann spoke at the dedication celebration for

the renovated kitchen.

Most of the thanks goes to Brad Hegemann, Pastor

Megs husband, pictured here, who served as the overseer
for this project. Brad promoted fundraising efforts. (We will
always remember the gravy challenge.) Brad,
along with Annette Molitor and many others wrote grant
applications, (including Thrivent, and Boone County

Community Trust) that brought in much needed funds. He

scoured auctions and sought out recyclable kitchen
equipment, and did most of the purchasing of new
equipment for the kitchen. He worked with Randy Adams
Construction, Asbestos Removal Services, Inc. and Ford
4

make and serve those meals is to provide a transformative

space for everyone who comes to the soup kitchen, not
just the dinner guests. The dinner hosts (volunteer groups)
are there to be evangelized by the hungry as much as the
guests are there to be fed by their more comfortable
neighbors.

compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It

comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars
needs restructuring.
When we serve a plate of food to a person who is
hungry, we are Good Samaritans. But Loaves and Fishes
is designed not only for those individual moments, but to
be a place where we can begin to transform that Jericho
Roadwhere the edifice of power and privilege is
recognized as a road block to opportunity, a wall whose
time is past. Like the work that transformed our kitchen
from a relic of the past to a forum of opportunity, the day to
day work of feeding our guests can transform the hearts of
those who serve.

Trivia Night Benefits St. Francis House!

By Britt Hultgren
[On April 25, St. Francis House (with a ton of help
from the extended Lang family) sponsored and presented a
Trivia Night to benefit out hospitality houses and Loaves
and Fishes Soup Kitchen. The Emcee for the evening was
our own Britt Hultgren. Heres his take on the event.]
Nearly a hundred faces sat before me awaiting
instruction. Eight-member teams gathered in half-moon
arrangement around circular tables: some had silly and
ornate table decorations, while others wore wild hatsstill
others wore expressions of boredom at the emcee. An
eclectic mix of people joined together for an evening of
trivia to raise money for the Columbia Catholic Worker. It
seemed to me the only thing many of them had in common
was that they were hungry hungry to win, that is.
I cleared my throat and read the category and
instructions: Columbia Catholic Worker. This round will
have to do with justice issues, the Catholic Worker
Movement, and our very own St. Francis House
community. We turned the slides and I read questions
such as Who inspired Dorothy Day and helped her found
the Catholic Worker Movement? Iconic resident William
Blackwell constantly wants to know if you have one of
these ("Hey, you got a ______?)
The evening was filled with the sound of pencil
scratches and conspiratorial whispers.
Everyone seemed to have a good time. I cant recall
who was the victor of the competition, but overall everyone
involved ended up winners. The Columbia Catholic Worker
managed to raise several hundreds of dollars, the
participants gracious enough to throw money our way had
a great time and -- hell they might have even learned
something, and somewhere far away, sitting on his porch
smoking a cigarette, William Blackwell must have felt that
press of dozens of minds trying to remember one of his
many inimitable phrases.

Bobette Rose training a volunteer to use the new dishwasher.

We give our volunteer hosts a lens through which to see

the common humanity they share with our hungry guests.
We give our hosts the opportunity to make personal
connections with the people they feed. We give our hosts
the opportunity to gain insight into the multiple reasons why
people in the middle of America, in a food producing state,
need Loaves and Fishes in their lives. We give our hosts an
opportunity to serve persons who usually are doing the
serving, because many of our guests work, usually cleaning
up after those who are better off, or serving them meals in
restaurants or fast food joints, or mowing yards, or nailing
on roofs or sweeping sidewalks.
Granted, many of our guests dont have jobs because
they spend all their time battling mental demons or losing
their daily struggle with addiction. And too many of our
guests are children.
In any event, while I believe we should gratefully
welcome offers by our guests to help out, we need to
remember that this can diminish the host volunteers
opportunities to serve, and in serving, to grow in
compassion. I think that our model of soup kitchen is one
way to put into practice the observations of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. when he talked about the need for a
revolution of compassion as a means of building a society
that makes room for its least powerful members. He said,
On the one hand we are called to play the
Good Samaritan on lifes roadside, but that will be only
an initial act. One day we must come to see that the
whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men
and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed
as they make their journey on lifes highway. True
5

Micah Prenger saves the back porch at

Lois Bryant House and earns Eagle Scout
badge in the process
Some kids spend their spring breaks going on
trips, or playing with their friends, or zoning out by binge
watching the latest greatest pre-teen TV or movie series.
But Micah Prenger used the time to earn an Eagle Scout
badge and give back to the community: he remodeled and
replaced the rickety back porch and steps at Lois Bryant
House.

First, they carefully dismantled and removed the steps and

their erstwhile supports (yes, that was a concrete block
holding up the bench seat). After they safely removed the
deck platform, steps and other boards, it was time to start
the reconstruction. Micah dove into this project with a great
deal of enthusiasm, and managed to maintain his high
spirits throughout the project.

As seen in these first 2 pictures, the porch and steps had

deteriorated quite a bit over the years and were actually on
the verge of becoming a health hazard for those who dared
to use them. Micah, with the help of a mentor, friends and
siblings decided that early spring would be the perfect time
to resolve the matter. He rounded up his siblings and some
fellow scouts, along with an adult mentor experienced in
construction projects to help him with his endeavors. He
was able to arrange for materials to be donated for the
project as well.

After things get torn down, it is time to build them back up,
and so the reconstruction began.
Check out the photos on the next page for the results.

In Celebration of Andrews Graduation

By Jeff Krall
On May 23, we had the pleasure of watching our son Andrew graduate
from Hickman High School here in Columbia. It was a great time to
celebrate his accomplishments
with friends and family. During
his high school career, Andrew
helped members of our
community by leading the Repair
It Forward and Cause An Effect
programs, whose focus is
refurbishing recycled computers
for people who need computers
but dont have the means to buy
them. Andrew also led the GayStraight Alliance to support
friends who are coming to terms
with their sexual orientation.
Andrews compassion and
protection of others, especially those who cant defend themselves, is a
great attribute that will help him navigate this world. Congratulations
Andrew! We wish you all the best as you enter college in the fall, and
we are excited to see the wonders that your compassionate spirit will
bring to your fellow students. (The members of the St. Francis Catholic
Worker have watched Andrew grow up; the Kralls have been part of
our community since Andrew started grade school.)

Invasion of the (Honey) Bees!

St. Francis House and Lois Bryant House
are the proud keepers of our first beehive,
generously hosted by local farmer Richard
Knapp. Community member Lincoln Sheets
purchased the queen and colony, and
salvaged hive boxes with the help of Adam
Saunders of the Columbia Center for Urban
Agriculture. Within a year or so, we hope to
be serving our own honey to guests at our
breakfast table. At left, see our new girls as
they are transported to their new home. The
center photo shows our friend and
bee host, local organic farmer
Richard Knapp, adding honeycomb
frames, and finally, at the right, our
former house guest and current farm
hand, Gerald Crow ,shows the results
of the "hiving" process.

St. Francis Catholic Worker Community

St. Francis & Lois Bryant Houses
Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen
1001 Rangeline
Columbia, MO 65201