Yesterday was Ash Wednesday for Catholics and many other Christians, the beginning of Lent, a time of reflection and introspection, forty days in the desert to learn (again) what it means to be human and to again dedicate ourselves to what it is we are here to learn and to do. Lent is a somber time, a time of fasting and penance; we drop the Alleluia and the Gloria at Mass and try harder to see the suffering Christ in the suffering of our brothers and sisters. It is a time for stillness, for listening, for beginning to understand how little there is to rejoice in when so many endure the wretched consequences of injustice, ignorance, prejudice, hatred, and greed. In many churches, there are special collections for the poor during Lent, and often there are programs highlighting issues of poverty, oppression, and suffering. Many people try volunteering during Lent, and many of us who live as full-time volunteers try to go deeper and make a renewed commitment, and to live and love as we are meant to do not just on these forty days, but on all the other 325 of the year.

May we someday rise from the ashes of this cruel and frightening world and build a new one, of mercy, hope, and caritas, on its desiccated, smoldering carcass.


Ash Wednesday (excerpt)
T.S. Eliot


...Because I do not hope to know again
The infirm glory of the positive hour
Because I do not think
Because I know I shall not know
The one veritable transitory power
Because I cannot drink
There, where trees flower, and springs flow, for there is nothing again

Because I know that time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one place
I rejoice that things are as they are and
I renounce the blessed face
And renounce the voice
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice

And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And pray that I may forget
These matters that with myself I too much discuss
Too much explain
Because I do not hope to turn again
Let these words answer
For what is done, not to be done again
May the judgement not be too heavy upon us

Because these wings are no longer wings to fly
But merely vans to beat the air
The air which is now thoroughly small and dry
Smaller and dryer than the will
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still.

Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Pray for us now and at the hour of our death...


Blessèd sister, holy mother, spirit of the fountain, spirit of the
garden,
Suffer us not to mock ourselves with falsehood
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still
Even among these rocks,
Our peace in His will
And even among these rocks
Sister, mother
And spirit of the river, spirit of the sea,
Suffer me not to be separated

And let my cry come unto Thee.

Bill Quigley on Haiti--27 Days Later

Haiti Numbers – 27 Days After Quake


By Bill Quigley. Bill has visited Haiti numerous times working for
human rights. He is legal director of the Center for Constitutional
Rights. His email is quigle...@gmail.com


890 million. Amount of international debt that Haiti owes creditors.
Finance ministers from developing countries announced they will
forgive $290 million. Source: Wall Street Journal


644 million. Donations for Haiti to private organizations have exceed
$644 million. Over $200 million has gone to the Red Cross, who had 15
people working on health projects in Haiti before the earthquake.
About $40 million has gone to Partners in Health, which had 5,000
people working on health in Haiti before the quake. Source: New
York Times.


1 million. People still homeless or needing shelter in Haiti. Source: MSNBC.


1 million. People who have been given food by the UN World Food
Program in Port au Prince – another million in Port au Prince still
need help. Source: UN World Food Program.


300,000. People injured in the earthquake, reported by Haitian Prime
Minister Jean-Max Bellerive. Source: CNN.


212,000. People reported killed by earthquake by Haitian Prime
Minister Jean-Max Bellerive. Source: CNN.


63,000. There are 63,000 pregnant women among the people displaced
by the earthquake. 7,000 women will deliver their children each
month.. Source: UN Populations Fund.


17,000. Number of United States troops stationed on or off coast in
Haiti, down from a high of 22,000. AFP.


9,000. United Nations troops in Haiti. Miami Herald.


7,000. Number of tents distributed by United Nations. Miami Herald.
President Preval of Haiti has asked for 200,000 tents. Reuters.


4,000. Number of amputations performed in Haiti since the earthquake. AFP..


900. Number of latrines that have been dug for the people displaced
from their homes. Another 950,000 people still need sanitation.
Source: New York Times.


75. An hourly wage of 75 cents per hour is paid by the United
Nations Development Program to people in Haiti who have been hired to
help in the clean up. The UNDP is paying 30,000 people to help clean
up Haiti, 180 Haitian Gourdes ($4.47) for six hours of work. The
program hopes to hire 100,000 people. Source: United Nations News
Briefing.


1.25. The U.S. is pledged to spend as much as $379 million in
Haitian relief. This is about $1.25 for each person in the United
States. Canadian Press.


1. For every one dollar of U.S. aid to Haiti, 42 cents is for
disaster assistance, 33 cents is for the U.S. military, 9 cents is for
food, 9 cents is to transport the food, 5 cents to pay Haitians to
help with recovery effort, 1 cent is for the Haitian government and ½
a cent is for the government of the Dominican Republic. Source:
Associated Press.

The Catholic Worker Movement described in 120 words

The Catholic Worker Movement began simply enough on May 1, 1933, when a journalist named Dorothy Day and a philosopher named Peter Maurin teamed up to publish and distribute a newspaper called "The Catholic Worker." This radical paper promoted the biblical promise of justice and mercy.

Grounded in a firm belief in the God-given dignity of every human person, their movement was committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, and the Works of Mercy as a way of life. It wasn't long before Dorothy and Peter were putting their beliefs into action, opening a "house of hospitality" where the homeless, the hungry, and the forsaken would always be welcome.

Over many decades the movement has protested injustice, war, and violence of all forms.Today there are some 185 Catholic Worker communities in the United States.



(thanks to http://www.catholicworker.org/aimsandmeanstext.cfm?Number=6)

Our Blog and Email were Hacked!!!

Hey Everybody,

Hopefully, you've found us....in case you didn't know, our email and blog were hacked and we did not have access to ANY email, contact lists or our blog, hence the new and improved email and blog names.

Other than that, since July, life has just been amazing and keeps getting better, I really couldn't ask for anything more...we have a great group of workers, from as far away as Washington State, Oakland, CA, and New Jersey (one of my childhood friends, of course!!) You might remember reading about that on our old blog....

I have SO much to write, but I'm fixing to go next door to St. Francis School and work the office, answering the phone, sorting and distributing mail, etc. One of the things we do in solidarity with St. Francis and the amazing work that they do.

If you are just rediscovering us, PLEASE get in touch asap!! We would love to hook back up with you....and again, we are unable to get ANY email since Christmas day, so if you've been waiting for a response, just give a hollar right away!!

Love love love,
Cristina

Our new blog!

Just set it up!! Stay tuned!! :):):):):)