WINTER 2017

What I learned when I went to the Border

By Maureen Doyle
"Yeah, I've pretty much seen it all," I used to think as I looked back on 64 years of what has been a rich and beautiful
life. I mean, I've traveled the world! I've been to war zones! I've spent most of my adult life trying to serve (but mostly being
served by) my immigrant and refugee sisters and brothers. So when Missouri Faith Voices did me the tremendous honor of
sending me to the convention of PICO Network on the Mexico/US border in Las Cruces, New Mexico last August I thought, in my
privileged arrogance, that it would be a sort of fact finding mission. I would meet some people, take a few notes, and give a report
to the board on my return. Just another in a series of many such excursions. And I wouldn't even be leaving the country this time.
What I learned during my three days at the border isn't as important as what I felt. Sure, I had heard all about the border
wall; haven't my Latinx friends described it to me often enough? So what is it that brought me to my knees, unable to stop crying,
when I actually saw it and touched it for myself? And I thought I knew all about how people are herded like cattle in immigration
court; I'd read countless articles about it. But I respectfully challenge you to watch a mother, shackled hand and foot, being
dragged off to jail as her young children watch, calling, "Te
queremos mamita!" ("We love you mommy!") and come away
unchanged by the experience. Then there is Vado, an
unincorporated community, which receives almost no infrastructure
services from any governmental agency. As we drove around the
bumpy, unpaved roads, taking in the lack of storm sewers (which
has resulted in the drowning deaths of children during heavy rains),
nonexistent street lights, and the general dilapidation, I noticed that
no one in the car was talking. We were just feeling, and it hurt.
That night our hosts from PICO Network asked us about
our day, and the answers were telling. A young woman who grew
up in Mexico and now lives in the US remarked, "When we looked
into Mexico through the wall today I remembered that I might never
be able to return. I might never see my abuela (grandmother)
again. That thing isn't a wall; it's a cage." A young man talked
about Vado: "That community is exactly like Jamaica when I left it
thirty years ago." His voice breaking, he continued, "And this is the United States of America in 2017." He burst into tears and left
the room.
So what did I learn from my fact finding mission? Not much, to tell you the truth. Instead, I saw, heard, and experienced
a lot of things that my brain already knew but that my heart never felt. And I realized, for the thousandth time, that Jesus was
literally and absolutely serious when he said to me and the rest of us who have power and privilege, "To whom much is given
much is required."
 Its Never Too Cold for Ice Cream or to Listen Gratitude
By Bob Heinz By Elizabeth Modde
The week before Christmas Day was frigid with minus 13 If service is a way of life, so too is gratitude.
wind temps and still icy streets. Most churches had I came into my lab the Friday before Thanksgiving
declared a holiday except for us Catholics. I attended at to a letter on my desk. It was from a friend who had recently
Newman and afterwards decided to eat lunch at Micky Ds been to a conference where they discussed the concept of
on the Business Loop. While finishing up and enjoying my service. In his letter, he reflected on the inseparability of
hot coffee, this huge, scruffy fellow with a stringy white service and gratitude. In gratefulness, service is complete.
beard sat down near me. He was eating an ice cream cone! Alone, gratitude becomes a form of service in itself; the
I kind of laughed and said its kind of a cold day for ice recognition of impact and value in that/whom we are grateful
cream. He grinned and said it is never too cold for ice honors, allowing us to enter into giving relationship.
cream. I asked what the folks at the counter said when he This holiday season, I am grateful.
ordered it. He said so many crazies come in here that Grateful for the privilege to share what I have with others.
they didnt even notice. He then proceeded to tell me his Grateful that others let me touch their lives.
life story. He spoke rather loudly and sprinkled in some Receiving the gifts and services of others in gratitude.
salty language; I slyly looked around to see if any of the few This holiday season, I am also challenged to find
customers were staring. good and gratitude among the people I judge as greedy and
He told me how 40 years ago he was working as a gluttonous. I seek to truly celebrate God in All.
nurses aide at a hospital. According to him a careless Anothers gratitude can reveal the surprising ways in which
doctor had caused the early death of an elderly woman that we serve. This holiday season, I encourage you to write a
he had cared for and befriended. As her family tearfully letter to someone you are grateful for or who you find to be
filed in and out of the room, he couldnt face them. He sat a good example of service.
on the hard steps of the stairwell and cried for ten minutes
before deciding to quit his job. He then became a
carpenter. I gave him a sideways glance and eye squint
when he said he had a kind of a computer app in his head.
He said that whenever an idea or project came into his
mind, he could build it in his shopno problem. Then he
worked with a crew rehabbing old houses. After a while he
bought an old, dilapidated house and rehabbed it himself.
After a few such houses under his belt, he met up with a
fellow who was an ex-addict who also rehabbed broken
down houses to be used for rooms for other ex-addicts and
alcoholics who needed a supportive place with low rents.
So, he partnered with this fellow rehabbing derelict
houses to become sober living housing for folks coming out
of rehab facilities. They called it Fresh Start. According to
my jovial acquaintance those chosen had to have a job and
a commitment to staying sober and following house rules.
He said they had over 10 houses now, and they were on the
lookout for an old apartment building to rehab for guys who
wanted to graduate from the one room to a small,
affordable apartmentbut in a supportive environment. I
asked him if he thought that guys from St. Francis who had
stayed sober and had gotten jobs might qualify for the Fresh House Needs
Start program. He gave me his business card and said to This time of year, we can really use lots of mens
give them a call. He said there is a long waiting list, but socks, stocking caps, gloves, basic lightweight blankets and
anything is possible. After about 20 minutes we parted, with sleeping bags. As always, we always need coffee, sugar,
me a bit wiser and embarrassingly less judgmental. He cleaning supplies, peanut butter, jelly and salad dressing
gave me a loud farewell and a hardy laugh. (ranch, Italian and French seem to be favorites). As it is
When I got home, I started telling Cindy about this fat, jolly, property tax time, we could use an infusion of funds to
old guy with the big white beard that I met at defray the costs of property taxes on the two houses and
McDonaldswhen I suddenly heard my own the house van. As always, thank you for your prayers and
wordshummm. support.
 Im Todd: the New Guy The second core reason is that I want to practice
By Todd Lombardi the concept of Intentional Community. Its like if a
community of joggers decided to live together but instead of
Hey everybody, how's it going? My name is Todd jogging they did acts of justice. Having adopted this idea
Lombardi and I am the newest community member of the from Marianist teachings, in its most simple form Intentional
St. Francis House. I moved over to Columbia from St Louis Community means a group of individuals with intentional
this August for graduate school in Physics at Mizzou lives. I am presently swaddled by the cocoon of academia.
working as a Teaching Assistant - a.k.a. Glorified Test So someone like myself needs to have intention to do acts
Grader. I did my undergrad down at St. Mary's University in of justice, otherwise I would stay in office solving physics
the sweltering heat of San Antonio and also had the problems all day. Not bad, but also not what I want. Even
privilege of studying abroad in South Korea for 10 months though living together as an intentional community is not
too. necessary to serve, I wanted to give it a try again but this
I knew about the community prior to moving to time as a Catholic Worker.
town because I have known one of the members, Elly, for The third core reason is that I have hope that the
close to 8 years, and after having heard several intriguing Catholic Church will continue to evolve in my lifetime and I
stories I wanted to learn more. So after talking with her see being a Catholic Worker as a way to live that change. I
through a spotty email correspondence, I decided to check it am not saying I need to see women priests and a complete
out for myself. overhaul on sexuality tomorrow, but as an organization that
I made the trip to the house on a late-July evening has changed its beliefs much over time there is no excuse
and showed up to find Steve helping the most recent bed not to change now. I also dont believe that the answer is
bug victim, William, move to a new room. After a brief hello, jumping ship, especially since nearly every Catholic my age
Steve showed me the cluttered Entropy Room where I with whom I talk would like to see the Church have a more
would stay should we all decide Id be a good fit. Despite progressive platform. I think that like any meaningful
the fact one could hardly see the floor, I loved it and the change, it takes some time and I am willing to wait for it.
charm of the house immediately. For the next 20 minutes or I hope I can make my community-school balance
so I waited at the kitchen table as the community filed in for work out as I struggle through my first year of graduate
its bi-weekly meeting. I was immediately delighted by the school. I have already learned a lot such as always locking
spectrum of personalities present as I listened to them the bathroom door, not being manipulated into doing chores
discuss the past two weeks happenings and things to for old farts, along with avoiding surprise tickle attacks and I
come. cant wait to see what else is in store. I hope to see you all
As the regular discussion ended, I was the next around the house!
item on the list. I wasnt sweating, but the interview
conducted mainly by the houses most fiery personality,
Kristen, did force me to dig a lot deeper than I had
anticipated. The main concern of my moving in seemed to
be why?. Nothing beyond that seemed to matter much. I
thought I had prepared a pretty decent answer, but I was
not as clear and understood as I had hoped. So why do I
want to participate in a Catholic Worker community?
The first core reason is that I enjoy living in community. Its
like living in a sauna: nice and warm, but less privacy than
ones used to. I knew that from having lived in a Marianist
Living Community with 6 others my junior year of college.
Though the two have different end goals, from that
experience I knew that for myself the personal costs of living
in a community were nothing compared to the fruits that it is
capable of bearing. Remembering what its to like open the
door of an empty, solitary dorm room, I would much rather
come home to a community; it gives a little glow in my heart.
In a community members can literally - but most importantly
metaphorically - lean on each other. In a world where more
than ever people live alone AND dont know their neighbors,
I think its important to have a geographically close and Todd is the one on the right. [Photo by Kristen Jameson]
active social network like the one at the St. Francis House.
 .Flags, Guns and the General Lee:
The Real American Idols?
By Ruth ONeill
When so many people were upset at the peaceful
protest by NFL players taking a knee I got to thinking
again that lots of people in this country seem to be treating
the US flag and the Star Spangled Banner as sacramental
objects these days. When the mass killing in Las Vegas
took the headlines, I realized some people treated guns the
same way. (As I edit the newsletter, there have been at
least two more mass killings in the US by citizens with guns
one at a church and one involving a school).
As I drove over to Fayette for a high school band
competition one Saturday in October, I heard something
that tied it all together. One story on the NPR show This
American Life that day chronicled two African American
men discussing how, as children, they watched the Dukes
of Hazard and that THE Christmas gift they wanted that
year was a toy version of the Dukes car, the General Lee.
As they explained,
the General Lee
had its doors
welded shut so the
Dukes had to climb
in and out the car
windows to drive
the car, which had a
giant Confederate flag painted on the roof. One of the men,
rapper Breeze Brewin, wrote a song dedicated to the car,
called Generally (shoulda been a convertible: listen to have a conversation with someone who has a different
the song).
How we talk about guns, flags, demonstrations, or
even must have Christmas toys depends more and more
on where we live, what we look like and our experiences in
terms of being included or excluded. These objects have
become, for some, more important than the ideas they
represent; Our responses seem scripted for us, allowing
only for binary responses that stifle critical thinking and
crush creativity. How can we participate in-- or initiate--
conversations geared toward problem solving when we
cant get everyone to agree on what the problem is?
Flags are one of many objects used in this country
as shorthand. Ive heard people I know say things like I
love our flag and then complain about Black Lives Matter
and object to removing symbols of oppression and racism in
our public squares. It seems like some people love the
flag but fail to embrace that the only intrinsic value the flag
possesses, outside the cost of the fabric, is that it
symbolizes the values and sentiments proclaimed as good
by the people who live in this country contained in the
constitution and its amendments. If you love the flag but
hate to see someone expressing themselves in a way you
dont like, if you love a piece of fabric and not the people of
this country, and not the principles we are supposed to
aspire to, what are you respecting? And yes, the
constitution can be an idol, too, if we pretend that it contains
everything we need to live just and peaceable lives.
Some of this confusion stems from how we teach
children about respecting our country. A lot of my country
right or wrong and love it or leave it pounds into those
little noggins, but without a lot of understanding. Children
grow up, leave school and remember only that they must
pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of
America. There are other lines more important though: to
the republic for which it stands explains that the flag is a
symbol, not a sacrament. But it seems it is the with liberty
and justice for all that lots of folks seem to forget, or else
they add who are like me under their breath at the end. {I
wont discuss the later addition of the words under God at
this time, but maybe we can talk about it later.) The flag is
losing its identity as a symbol of a nation (hopefully worthy
of respect), and being transformed into something to be
worshipped in its own right. (This still doesnt explain the
fondness in some quarters for the Confederate flag by these
flag worshippers, though. I dont know, maybe theyre all
just Dukes of Hazard fans.)
Guns seem equally venerated in our current US
culture. Especially when the guns belong to white people. A
man walks into a shop with a gun. Are you going to defend
his 2nd Amendment right to carry or will you call for the
police to be tough on crime? I havent said why he has the
gun or what he looks like, but if I did would it make a
difference? I admit I have a gun bias, but I am still willing to
position. There may be things on which we can agree. One
is that, in addition to the other 26 amendments, we have a
2nd amendment that deals with rights of individuals to have
guns. Does our nations love affair with firearms prevent
meaningful dialogue about reasonable regulations on gun
ownership? And what does that say about our faithfulness
to God, that we would put the protection of such things
above the protection of humanswhether music lovers,
dance club partiers, church attendees and schoolchildren?
How does that help us hold law enforcement officers
accountable when they make the wrong decision and kill
someone? Or when an abuser shoots and kills his/her
partner? Or when a despondent teen takes her/his own life?
Im concerned that patriotism today is becoming
something to be worshipped and taken on faith, not earned
by right action. I am not sure exactly when patriotism
becomes idolatry, but it seems that in some places it has
already happened. When will we as a nation learn that the
USA is not Gods chosen country, and the flag, the
Constitution, guns-- or an orange stock car-- are not our
God? I have a lot of questions that I cant answer. If we
are to have real conversations about these issues, we must
first put away these false idols. Then we can talk, but more
importantly, then we can listen to one another.
 St. Francis House News
by Steve Jacobs
After our Memorial Day action resulted in a citation for
disturbing the peace with loud noises, or what we like to call
"music", I attended three court hearings where I met the city
prosecutor and pled not guilty and she informed me that due
to the difficulty synchronizing police officer Bell's schedule
with the courts sessions that they were going to drop the
charges.
In July we celebrated William Blackwell's 71st birthday
and in August watched the total eclipse of the sun, which
depending upon your sources, either is an omen of
impending doom or natural phenomena with no apparent
sinister consequences. We thought about sacrificing a virgin
by dropping one into a volcano but we had neither a willing
virgin nor an accessible volcano so we dropped the whole
matter until the late date made the issue moot.
In other news, Columbia College knocked down the
trees around St. Francis House and began building a
parking lot. It'll probably be done in another week or two.
Another exciting event which none of us saw coming
was a brick hurled through our living room window by a local
woman with unresolved mental health issues. She has been
living on the streets in our neighborhood for about 3 or 4
years now. A couple years ago she wandered into our yard
and lopped off the heads of 4 giant sunflowers we'd planted.
She didn't give any reason for this. Then a few Sundays
ago, after we fed folks lunch and our house had closed up
for the afternoon she was pacing back and forth in Field
Park which is right across the street from our house. She
would pace a bit and then stop and stare at our house and
then resume her pacing at a different place and glare at the
house. This went on for about 20 minutes. Then she started
berating the other homeless folks who hang out in the park
and do recreational drugs and she frantically started
sprucing up the broken branches from the trees and picking
up trash. She was so intense about it that she ran the other
people off and out of the park. I watched this from my
bedroom window in amusement which quickly turned to
surprise when she picked up a stick and then a brick and
started running towards our house with a determined look
on her face.
I grabbed the phone and before I could turn the corner
on the stairwell, the brick came flying into the living room. I
went onto the porch watching her as she retreated across
the street and dialed 911 and told her the police were
coming. She just paced back and forth. We told the police
that she was mentally ill and off her meds and needed to be
hospitalized as it was obvious that she was a danger to
others. They drove her to the hospital where she was
admitted. Then 4 days later she was back in the park and
was picking up trash and tree branches again. So, rather
than wait for Deja Vu to manifest itself, I went outside when
she appeared directly across the street with another stick
but without a brick. I called her name and asked her how
she was doing. She said, "Oh, I know I owe you for that
window". I asked her if she'd been in the hospital and she
said, "Yes, I had a restful few days there." I said, " We were
wondering why you threw that brick through the window?"
She said, "I had to; otherwise they wouldn't take me
seriously."
"Seriously about what," I asked? "About all the mess in
this neighborhood. We've just got to let them know how we
feel about it because you guys were here first". "What a
cryptic reply", I thought to myself.
Then I sought some assurance that she had no further
plans to break any more of our windows and she said she
did not.
You might think that I am totally against tossing bricks
through windows but I don't believe I can give 100%
assurance on that; despite the adage that people living in
glass houses should not throw stones.
I assume the wisdom therein might have been gained
after the fact that bricks and stones sometimes fly where
they are not wanted. Now if the windows at the State Dept.
of Mental Health or those at the offices of politicians who
have systematically defunded social services in this state for
the mentally ill were to get the message that we got; they
might see the need to fund more psychiatric facilities
instead of giving tax breaks for wealthy corporations.
Caroling Reflections
By Elly Lang
Christmas caroling has an interesting, disputed and
complicated history. It's many things, stemming from
seasonal pagan joy tidings (yay winter solstice!), to poor
folks singing door to door in exchange for food, to St.
Francis of Assisi purportedly utilizing the melodies to
contrast the religious severity of the time, to the now
quintessential holiday tunes heard so frequently on the radio
and so infrequently at a doorstep. Our communitys workers,
guests and friends of many creeds have been caroling
annually for the past few years now, admittedly because
many folks generously offer donations for the house but
mostly for the amity and simple delight, spending time
together and being present in our town with music.
Here We Come a Caroling was an oft-repeated
melody, much to the pleasure of most (it's an easy one) and
consternation of Kristen (she detests it). Some of the lyrics
though have stuck with me all year long, year after year.
We are not merely beggars that beg from door to door, but
we are friends and neighbors whom you have seen before.
It strikes me, the necessity for distinction between mere
beggars and friends and neighbors. It's telling of the
boundaries that exist in our communities, our society, and
our own hearts and minds. [Continued on next page]
 For instance, are you friends with anyone who has been
homeless or living under the poverty line? The answer is
likely no if we havent been poor or homeless ourselves.
The same question could be asked about race, religion,
ethnicity, ability, age, sexuality and gender identity. Our
communities are divided, often intentionally segregated.
This disconnection reinforces the concept of the other, a
concept that shows up unequivocally in common Christmas-
time stories but that is largely either romanticized or ignored
in our daily lives.
Maureen Dickmann pointed out one Thursday at the
house that the nativity shepherds are often portrayed as
kind, modest and trustworthy country folks, faithful even.
Deserving. But someone living in that time period would
have been horrified by their presence. Real life shepherds
were known as violent, criminal, and morally deviant. When
they visited town people locked their doors in fear and
retreated with revulsion. I think perhaps of a modern day
gang member, convicted felon or death row inmate. I think
of our innocuous community members who have been
assigned harmful stereotypes, the panhandler or black male
[thug, as goes the stereotype]. Undeserving.
We look at the holy family and think of them
sentimentally as poor, quaint and pure. Deserving. In
actuality, they were an impoverished, displaced young
Middle Eastern couple far from home, pregnant out of
wedlock, who left home without much of a plan and ended
up sleeping on the floor of a filthy animal pen with their
infant. Perhaps our contemporary equivalents can be found
amidst the global refugee crisis, in immigrants and
undocumented folks in the US, through poor families and
the homeless, in lazy welfare queens who refuse to pull
themselves up by their bootstraps as someone once told
me. Undeserving.
The little drummer boy, so simple, humble and ultimately
generous in his poverty, might today be a homeless youth,
in the US statistically likely to be LGBTQ, mentally ill,
engaging in high risk behaviors like crime and drug use, or
to have dropped out of school. The Cratchits in A Christmas
Carol, the aloof elderly neighbor in Home Alone, Rudolph
the red-nosed reindeer, are all characters we know fondly in
their stories (deserving) without connecting them to their
real life counterparts today, the poor, elderly, differently
abled (undeserving). When I think about such characters, I
think about the way our society treats the real humans. The
prison industrial complex, capital punishment, the lack of
accountability for police who kill unarmed black people, the
refugee crisis including the culpability of US colonialism and
militarism, the call to build a wall and close borders and
repeal DACA, the push to end social safety net systems for
low income families, anti-LGBTQ legislation, stigmatizing
mental illness, trampling of first nations rights to land and
resources, and I could keep going.
In the nativity story through a socio-historically realistic
lens, God chooses true life others to be the very first
humans to be present with Divinity incarnate in the form of a
vulnerable infant. Think about who they are. Let it sink in.
We have romanticized these characters in such a way that
we effortlessly emphasize in them what we already consider
good and worthy. Then we extend these misrepresentations
to real people. In this way it's possible to both demonize
anyone who falls short of worthy by societal standards and
to justify our own complicity in the system that has shaped
the real lives and stories of these others. We want the
happy and deserving but shut out the undeserving.
A happy poor narrative goes like this: There were
some lowly shepherds, a humble foreign couple, a poor
meek drummer boy. We like them because theyre modest
and wholesome people; it's inspiring to think of them. Were
sad for their situation, perhaps slightly envious of the
happiness they find in their simple lives while we live
complex and stressful ones. Secretly and definitively
though, were grateful that we arent in their positions. When
we apply this narrative to real individuals from any
oppressed demographic today, we avoid the urgency and
discomfort of addressing unjust systems because although
these folks are disadvantaged, we view them as whimsically
content in their situations. However, nobody's life is just
simple and happy; being poor certainly doesnt make it so.
Nor does happiness justify injustice. The narrative is
dangerous and patronizing.
In Dorothy Day's words, The Gospel takes away our
right forever to discriminate between the deserving and the
undeserving poor. It isnt our job to decide how worthy
someone is of compassion, support, mercy, or ultimately
love. A realistic view of the Christian nativity story, and
indeed Christ's example throughout his life, make this
painstakingly clear. Were called to love especially when it's
difficult. That means doing the personal work to recognize
the ways in which, via oppressive systems, we benefit at the
expense of others. That means working with diverse groups
of people in our communities to dismantle those systems.
That means sharing our time, money and skills in ways that
serve, honor and respect the intelligence, autonomy and
intricacies of people and their experiences.
The thing is, it's easy during the holidays to hold onto
the romanticized and sanitized interpretations of various
Christmastime characters and to turn away from the real
marginalized people they represent in our world, to justify
others plights because we deem them either happy or
undeserving. In no way do I suggest it is simple to change
this tune, to see a mere beggar instead as a friend and
neighbor, as the carol proposes. Indeed, it's a constant
effort for me personally and for us as community as we
continue doing hospitality for folks living in the peripheries.
To me it's a worthwhile undertaking, the work to abandon
judgments and tropes and narratives in order to see
individuals as they are: worthy, perfections and
imperfections, in all their wild, precious complexity.
Because in reality, I hope theyll do the same for me.
 We Are Christs Presence in the World By using our voices to speak the truths that we
By Jeff Krall have learned, we give voice to the voiceless. We spread
awareness of the needs of those in our community to a
Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on wider audience. We act as witnesses to the truth, calling
earth but yours. those in power to recognize the need and to act to assist the
Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on most vulnerable members of our society. We speak out in
this world. order to turn the conversation from self-interest to the
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. common good and to pursue justice for the oppressed.
Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. By physically going where the need exists, we
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, stand in solidarity with the poor. To the extent that the poor
you are his body. are in harms way, this sometimes means placing ourselves
Christ has no body now on earth but yours. St. Teresa of in harms way too. However, our status in society often
vila means that we are able to safely occupy places that the
Its quite sobering to realize that God has placed vulnerable cannot. We reach out our hands to support; to
His trust in us. We, the current occupants of this planet, are comfort; to embrace; to protect; to create. Through our
called to carry out Gods loving mission nowtoday!and actions, Gods vision becomes reality. May we work to
every day of our lives. Christs call is expressed in simple realize the potential that God has placed in us: to become a
terms: love God and love your neighbor as you love living embodiment of Christs love!
yourself. But when we find that this includes loving our
enemies and praying for our persecutors, living as Christ
asks of us becomes challenging. We know what we are
called to do, but how do we find the will and the capacity to
do it?
As with a physical body, our Christian body requires
strength training in order to meet the demands that the
Christian call places upon it. By focusing consistent effort
over a sustained period of time to live as Christ would live,
we develop new capabilities for living out our commitment to
Gods call.
By turning to God in prayer and study, we train our
minds to listen for Gods persistent call to use our own
unique talents to move our society toward justice for all
people. We expand our thinking beyond our limited
individual viewpoints, more fully grasping Gods universal
perspective: that we are all children of God sharing a
common home.
By focusing our eyes away from distractions and
toward those around us, we begin to see how much more
alike we are than we are different. We gain the ability to see
through the eyes of loveGods limitless love, where
Want a cup of coffee? You got a car? I need a ride to
endless possibilities exist for redemption and reconciliation.
the store.William Blackwell (Photo by Kyle Jones)
We become able to gaze deeply into others lives, looking
Below: St. Francis crew creates a new parking pad in the
past the surface where so many of our biases take root. We
back yard.
begin to see those who have been pushed to the margins of
society.
By tuning our ears to hear the cries of those who
suffer and taking the time to listen closely, we learn the
circumstances of others lives. Sharing our personal
experiences with each other deepens our relationships,
converting us from strangers into neighbors. We begin to
understand that our basic needs are the same, and we
discover structures and attitudes in our society that produce
inequality, injustice, and discord; that push us apart rather
than bringing us together. We start to dream of change.
What we observe moves us to act.
 THANK YOU VETERANS UNITED
FOUNDATION
AND V.U. EMPLOYEES
FOR YOUR GENEROUS DONATION TO
LOAVES AND FISHES
SOUP KITCHEN!
Ruth got the surprise of the season in November
when she showed up to meet with some employees of
Veterans United Home Loans. The companys employees
named Loaves and Fishes as a recipient of their 2017 giving
campaign, through the VU Foundation. We are sharing
some of the proceeds with our host church/partner, Wilkes
Blvd UMC, to help fund the lift they are installing to make
Loaves and Fishes truly accessible to all.
After 35 years, Loaves and Fishes is still going
strong, serving an evening meal 7 nights a week, 12 months Veterans United presents a big symbolic check It wasnt
per year with the generous assistance of our many cashable, but they promised to send us one we could cash.
volunteers who work through over 25 faith and community
groups.
Currently, we are looking for a few folks who would
be willing to commit to greeting our guests at the soup
kitchen door 2-3 nights per month. When the lift is
installed, we may need extra folks so that we can provide
help with the lift. The hours for this position are 4:30 p.m. to
6:30 p.m. No pay, but lots of job satisfaction. If you
interested, let us know.

St Francis House Catholic Worker

1001 Rangeline St.
Columbia, MO 65201