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Why This Issue?
I was missing the party! We had a last minute cancellation and I was filling in conducting interviews at Karen House’s 35th Anniversary Reunion weekend. During the interviews, I could hear people laughing in the hallway—people who preceded me at Karen House and whom I’d read about in the RoundTable; folks I lived with at Karen House but hadn’t seen in years and long-term friends of the house. And I was missing all that joking and reminiscing!
As it turns out, these interviews were an incredible part of the weekend for me, and it was incredibly humbling and moving to be a witness to these stories. Former community members and friends of the house reflected on the impact of the St. Louis Catholic Worker (CW) on their lives. Parents talked about the influence of the CW philosophy on their parenting years later. Couples spoke of meeting at Karen House. Folks shared about the difficulties of community life, of their own regrets, and of the amazing power of relationships with both community and guests. While these stories come from our experience in St. Louis, they are surely not unique within the larger CW movement. Experiments in urban farming, neighborhood houses of hospitality, tales of struggle and evolution on issues of faith, and questions about technology and oppression can certainly be found in the narratives of different Catholic Worker houses across the country. We hope these reflections are helpful in the wider conversation as we look forward to 35 more years in St. Louis.
That weekend, I saw that people carry both immense joy and pain from their time at the Catholic Worker; that there have been very few communities where all people do their own dishes consistently; and that depending on the composition of needs and personalities at any one time, different community members have felt warmly embraced and supported, or judged and ignored (often within the same community!) We learned about the large and inspired community of people who founded the house (the video from the Foundress’ Breakfast on our website is a hoot to watch.) We discussed how we’ve been both inspired by (you know, continuing to live simply after leaving the CW) and ruined by (you know, continuing to smell milk before pouring) our time at the Catholic Worker. We reflected together on resistance. We shared liturgy, music, meals, and a deep fellowship of shared time and vision. And we heard, over and over again, what a central part Karen House has played in the lives of so many of us.
And so we bring you this issue, filled with reflections and ideas gleaned from that magical weekend. Ellen Rehg, Barb Prosser and Carolyn Griffeth share delightful stories and reflections from the early days of Karen House, Cass House, and Kabat House, respectively. Annjie Schiefelbein describes some ways the Karen House community has evolved—and remained the same—over the years. We hear about the particular joys of urban farming from Mary Densmore, while Becky Hassler discusses her experiments in hospitality outside a “traditional” CW house. James shares analysis and ideas on ending racism in the CW movement. Jim Plato talks about how living at Karen House has affected his parenting. Our regular columns feature a sweet “From Karen House” from Braden Tobin, a report from Kabat House by Mary Densmore, and reflections from experiments in eating justly from Danny Schuler.
I did miss some laughs that night at the party, but I also got to witness the most inspirational and touching tales about the St. Louis Catholic Worker. If you like, visit our website and share in the inspiration from that weekend through the videos we have posted. We hope you enjoy these reflections—here’s to another 35 years!
- Jenny Truax |
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