PAGE 1

It was the fifth time that day I told Anthony to put his phone away. It wasn’t typical for him to be this disruptive, and I was fed up. My ini-tial response to these situations tends to be the easiest solution. I blame and criticize. I react harshly to disrespect. I feel compelled to punish bad behavior.

“If I see you touching that screen one more time I’m taking it.”

Though he protested, he wasn’t surprised when a half hour later I asked him to step into the hall with me, and bring that dang cell phone with him. I stood tall as I asked for him to explain himself, my eyes judging: “Which girl you’re texting is more important than our group work right now?”

“Man, you don't even know half of it!”

After I took a deep breath, we sat down and he explained: His broth-er got locked-up late the night before and he was facing some seri-ous charges. Anthony’s mother was scraping together what little cash they had to bail out her son so he wouldn’t have to spend an-other month or more in the county jail. Anthony was checking his phone to keep up-to-date on the progress. He was worried about his brother. He was concerned about their finances. He, like many young men growing up in poverty, was burdened with greater re-sponsibility, anxiety, and trauma than the average teenager.

This summer I worked at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR), a restorative justice hub in Back of The Yards. I helped coordinate one of the summer work programs focused on education for black youth between the ages of 13-16.

The guys I accompanied face great challenges. Their community is a place where jobs are so scarce that slinging dope or hustling for the local gang are often the only possible sources of income. It struggles under the weight of gun violence and police brutality. And most teens don’t ride public transportation for fear of traveling through “enemy territory.” In the course of our program, the family of one teen moved to Indiana to escape violence in the city. Another moved in with the family of a friend and plans to attend school away from his block to find respite from the violent home life. Another teen, the oldest of eight children, with his mother working three jobs, has the responsibility of waking, bathing, clothing, and feeding the young ones, all before he showed up for work at our program. Our human lives are far more complex than what meets the eye.

Even though I consider myself a strong restorative justice propo-

Wearing A

Restorative LensAaron Pierre, SJ

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

KAIROSsu casa catholic worker community - chicago, il Vol. 25 | No. 3 | Summer/Fall

hospitality & healing community & outreach

peace & justice

The guys I accompanied face great challenges

PAGE 2

nent, the American conceptions of harsh punishment and retribution have shaped my thinking and in uenced my reactions. This has been a challenging self-realization because all of these easy responses result in more harm. My initial re ex is rarely, if ever, restorative. Again, An-thony, who keeps looking at his phone: take it away. omeone steals from the center: call the police. One of my youth shows up for work halfway through the day: dock his pay, no uestions.

Time and again I was humbled by the staff at PBMR when they called me in to embrace the restorative responses to con ict or ruptured rela-tionships. or example, after docking one’s pay, explain why, then of-fer an alternative way to earn back a full paycheck. When I wanted to kick-out two of the youth for continued bad behavior, the staff helped me reconfigure our program into small groups where we could focus our attention on their specific needs a creative solution that resulted in cohesion and not harm.

The work of PBMR, one of several restorative justice organizations in Chicago, extends beyond these summer programs. They strive to

“reach out to the victim, the wrongdoer, and the community to create a safe space where healing can begin and where people can find the support and encouragement needed to begin reconciliation.” Con ict is an inevitable part of human relationships. On the small scale, it is a sign of interpersonal growth. On the level of community, it occurs natu-rally and healing and rebuilding are essential next steps. Instead of seeing con ict as a failure, places like PBMR see it as an opportunity for building new and deeper relationship.

My life and communities, including u Casa, are not immune from con-ict. Though much of my upbringing leads me to want to run away

when voices are raised, I am slowly learning to embrace con ict as op-portunity. or example, when tensions began to run high in u Casa, we decided collectively to engage in the restorative justice practice of peace circles.

With the help of our PBMR neighbors, for years u Casa has turned to peace circles as a means to reconcile differences, heal wounds, and build relationship. Peace circles are a semi-structured format of group

dialogue. They serve as a means to relationship, communication, and healing. This ancient practice, believed to have originated with the na-tive peoples of America and Australia, brings people together on an e ual level so that all parties might be heard and con ict might be re-solved.

Emmaus House Catholic Worker Community, in the North awndale neighborhood of Chicago, recently hosted a roundtable discussion on restorative justice and peace circles. Our engaging conversation helped me expand my vision from the microcosm of the workplace at PBMR to imagining restorative justice on a larger scale. Organizations around the city, such as Circles and Ciphers, Alternatives Inc., and

awndale Christian egal Center, are helping implement restorative justice practices in schools, churches, parks, and community centers.

Other inspiring examples of this alternative societal vision are taking place in North awndale. The first is an occupation called reedom

uare which the et Us Breathe Collective initiated on uly 2 th in protest of the Chicago Police Department black ops site, Homan

uare. The occupation attempts to manifest the dream of a communi-ty without violence or police no surprise, peace circles of all kinds are a daily occurrence. econd, Cook County received a federal grant to begin a community court initiative in North awndale where young adults facing nonviolent felony and misdemeanor charges may opt to participate by taking responsibility for their actions and seeking to re-pair any harm done through peace circles, community service, and for-mal apologies.

This restorative justice lens that I am learning to wear involves seeking to understand the other, to hear their experience. We are complex hu-man beings and our stories are far more than what meets the eye. Re-storative justice is built on communication and listening. It isn’t popular, easy, or ashy. It doesn’t make headlines. However, when done well, it restores communities and relationships to peace, connection, and bal-ance. It involves not giving up on people. It involves holding some ac-countable for harm caused and attempting to create venues for healing. Restorative justice is as much a worldview as it is a practice.

continued from page 1

The restorative

justice lens that I am learning to wear involves

seeking to understand the other

Aaron Pierre, SJ

PAGE 3

When you last heard from u Casa, we were a house emptied of families, kept grounded in the works of mercy by the soup kitchen guests at rieda’s Place by the unexpected knock on the front door (“We could not say, Go, be thou filled.’) by the worker turned guest who consis-tently reminded us that charity began at home, so we had better start loving one another.

In that abbath space between “open” and “closed,” some workers discerned a new call: to a new spiritual way, to a waiting family, to the open road with a heart drawn to the farm, to a neighboring community to call home.

ome of us sat in the dark at night with our eyes open. Others continued to rise to greet morning’s first light.

Until one afternoon, we were just standing up on a ladder painting and the phone rang.Bueno? Yes, we will keep our appointment to visit your house.To see if it can become….our home.

oon we woke up on a aturday morning knowing that there were children in the house again, feeling the lightness and weight that brings.

Before too long we had a birthday cake and lit the candles twice, once for the birthday teen, and another time for his year-old sister, who shed a few tears because she wanted a birthday, too.

une brought new hands to help in the house, some to visit, some to stay.Br. Denis trekked from Trinity House in Albu uer ue, bringing sense in the midst of storm. irst Christian Church from Norman, Oklahoma identified us as mission territory and contributed to our indoor and outdoor home improvement. And Chicago’s youth workers keep us in good order as our walls continue to expand.

o a house, rapidly filling, knows summer at u Casa:

Children at the garden gate, calling for “Bre-

ann!” - its caretaker.A visit to a Planta’s neighborhood farmer’s market for a tour (en espa ol) and some vegan elotes.An Independence Day of bb (and liking it so much we asked Mike to continue grilling each Monday night) singing traditional atin Ameri-can songs, accompanied by Nee on the guitar, dodging firework refuse and being treated to the professional grade fireworks show of our neighbor on Bishop treet.Morning prayer or evening prayer (always at ). And countless prayers uttered over the

course of the day, Gracias a Dios.Dinner at (so we can finish in time for the evening summer reading program) and having enough food for guests who arrive at :1 , and :3 , and 6: .

Worker meetings held in a packed biblioteca at the peak of summer, to be reconciled by a trip to the beach with our three families. Gratitude for shorter dark nights and morn-ings that arrive early.

T h e H a p p e n i n g s

u Casa is one of those places that whether you visit there once for a community dinner or live there for months you know it will have an impact on you for the rest of your life the same is true for my time at u Casa. I lived at

u Casa from last October to this May during a time of great transition but as I soon learned

u Casa is constantly transitioning, transitions are part of u Casa’s DNA. This is what makes

u Casa such a strange and beautiful place there is always room to grow and change. To say that every day at u Casa was sunshine and rainbows would be untrue, but something amazing happened every day, from spontane-ous lunches with our moms or art projects with our kids. u Casa will stay with me wherever I go and I am profoundly happy to say that after my time at u Casa I am changed for the bet-ter. I would like to thank all our moms and kids for teaching me so much and with out you u Casa wouldn’t be the same. Peace and ove, - Katy Herder, Brethren Volunteer

As a college student at aint avier University I was introduced to the Back of the Yards. Throughout the nights I spent volunteer-ing there with the Port Ministries I grew in understanding and love for the area. At u Casa I found another glimpse of God in the Yards. I was spending my first week at the house in a sort of trial to see if I would move in. It was riday and I had made my decision to stay, so I was heading back to my parent’s house in the sleepy suburbs to gather some more of my belongings and stopped in to the dining room with my backpack on. I walked in to find one of the families eating with some volunteers from DePaul and one of the girls yelling my name. “That’s hay! That’s hay!” The college students laughed at the sight of me which confused me until I heard my little seven year old friend, one of the guests at the time, had told them that I was her sister. I think they were a little surprised by my age and starkly opposite color of skin, but to her it was so simple and clear that I was her new sister and

full time friend as a worker at u Casa. When I look back on my time at u Casa it’s clear that it was that pure love and joy despite the circumstances that filled my time at u Casa with purpose. The hope and love that the kids I lived with at u Casa showed me that day and in the following days filled me up. As Dorothy Day once said, “We have all known the long loneliness ” It was hard to feel that loneliness though with my instant sisters sitting around the dinner table every night. That was love. That was community.- Shay O’Toole

F a r e w e l l s / D e s p e d i d a s

PAGE 4

New Arrivals & Summer Workers

Well, wouldn’t you know… ol’ Dorothy

Day brought me to Su Casa! What a

magnificent woman—learned quite a bit about her in a class I took at DePaul University. Our class, called Pioneers of Social Change, came to visit this Catholic Worker after study-

ing her courageous struggle for justice. At the time, I was in my first term of college, but I felt a strong connection to the model of shared life and work

here. With the intention to develop

collaboration-oriented skills for com-

munity-based engagement, I finished my first year at DePaul, studying Inter-cultural Communications. At the start of my sophomore year, however, I felt torn. My community and resources at DePaul were important to me, espe-

cially the engagement in dialogues and actions of Social and Environmen-

tal Justice, but… if I had never actually lived in the shared community-lifestyle in which I wanted to invest my future, how would I know I was studying meaningful, practical subjects or skills

at DePaul? It wasn’t long after that that I applied to Su Casa and decided to take a year off school. I was accepted to live and learn here as a worker from

July through December 2016. So far, so good! Gotta hand it to you, Dorothy,

Su Casa is still kickin’.- JANNA LYHUS

Hello! I’m Michelle. I have been involved with the Catholic Worker Movement for 10+ years now as “extended community” but am grate-

ful to be a live-in community member at Su Casa this year. I look forward to growing in my understanding and

practice of the CW values, and to doing that in a communal context. I grew up in Kansas City and moved to

Chicago several years ago to pursue my medical education. This year will be full of decisions about my future career as a physician and I am hopeful that remaining grounded in the life of

Su Casa will help with this important

discernment. I am excited to make my

home in a vibrant, multicultural space in a historical neighborhood. It’s also nice to have a vegetable garden in my backyard, a piano in my living room, and murals in my dining room!

- MICHELLE BYRNE

Hi! My name is Anna Rimlinger, and I am so happy to call Su Casa my home for about three months this summer. I began volunteering in the soup kitchen this past spring, and it has been amaz-

ing to see how relationships begun

while cracking eggs at 7am have transformed and grown over the past

few months. Though I am a newcomer to the Catholic Worker movement, I have already learned much about Dorothy Day’s ideals by seeing them

in action here at Su Casa. Community is spontaneous kitchen dance parties and rather absurd late-night games

of Scrabble. Hospitality is teaching a young boy how to pronounce the word “bird” (hint: it’s not like “beard”) and translating for his mom at an appoint-

ment with her lawyer. And personalism

is that incredible feeling you get when people really, genuinely care about you for no good reason. I know that all the challenging and beautiful things I have learned here will change my lens on life as I head back to the University of Chicago in the fall to finish my BA. But don’t worry! I have a feeling Su Casa hasn’t seen the last of me…

- ANNA RIMLINGER

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Dancing at our end of the summer fiesta!

PAGE 5

Presentaciones de nuestros voluntarios de verano

Bien, quien lo dir a …Dorothy Day me trajo a Su Casa! Aprend un poco sobre esta mujer espl ndida en una de mis clases en la Universidad DePaul. Despu s de estudiar sobre su valiente lucha por la justicia social, mi clase que llevaba por nombre, Pioneros del cambio social, tuvo la oportunidad de visitar a Su Casa

Catholic Worker en Chicago. En ese momento, yo estaba en mi primer

semestre universitario, y sent una fuerte conexi n con el modelo de vida comunitaria y el trabajo en Su Casa. Con la intenci n de desarrol-lar y mejorar habilidades orientadas al trabajo en equipo y servicio a la comunidad, termine mi primer a o en DePaul estudiando Comunicaci n Intercultural. Al comen ar mi segundo a o, sin embargo, me sent incom-

pleta. Mi comunidad y los recursos en DePaul eran importantes para

m , sobre todo la participaci n en los di logos y acciones de justicia social y ambiental, pero … sent la necesi-dad de tener experiencia de prim-

era mano ya que este estilo de vida quer a para mi futuro. O si no C mo hubiera sabido si en realidad estaba

estudiando, materias pr cticas y sig-

nificantes en DePaul? Debido a esto, decid tomar un a o de descanso en el mbito acad mico y convertirme en un miembro más de Su Casa. Mi

solicitud fue aceptada y ser una trabajadora en Su Casa desde julio hasta diciembre del 2016. Hasta el momento, todo me ha ido de mara-

villa! Te lo debemos a ti, Dorothy, que Su Casa contin e siendo un espacio vibrante.

- JANNA LYHUS

Hola! Soy Michelle. He estado involucrada con el Movimiento del Trabajador Cat lico, como una comunidad extendida , por m s de

10 a os pero en este a o estoy agradecida de ser un miembro activo y vivir en la comunidad de Su Casa. Espero crecer en mi entendimiento y

la pr ctica de los valores de Su Casa y hacerlo en un contexto de vida co-

munitaria. Crec en ansas City y me traslad a Chicago hace varios a os para continuar con mi educaci n en el campo de la medicina. Este a o estar lleno de decisiones que afec-

tar n mi carrera futura como doctora. Tengo la esperan a que la vida y los valores en Su Casa me ayudar n con este importante discernimiento. Estoy muy contenta de vivir en un espacio vibrante y multicultural en un barrio hist rico. Tambi n, es agradable tener un huerto en mi patio trasero,

un piano en mi sala, y unos murales

en mi comedor! - Michelle Byrne

¡Hola! Mi nombre es Anna Rimlinger,

y estoy muy feliz de vivir en Su Casa

durante tres meses este verano.” Empec como voluntaria en la Soup

itchen en la primavera pasada, y ha sido sorprendente ver c mo relaciones interpersonales nacen mientras se rompen los huevos para

el desayuno a las 7 am y como estas se han transformado y desarrollado

en los ltimos meses. Aunque soy nueva en el movimiento del Traba-

jador Cat lico, he aprendido mucho acerca de los ideales de Dorothy Day simplemente con mirar las acciones en Su Casa. a comunidad se siente en bailes espont neos en la cocina y juegos nocturnos de Scrabble. a hospitalidad es ense ar a un ni o c mo se pronuncia la palabra bird (pista: no es como beard ) y servir de traductora a una madre en una cita con su abogado. el personalis-

mo se siente cuando la gente en esta comunidad realmente, realmente, se preocupan por el bienestar de cada miembro. Estoy segura que todas las cosas ya sean dif ciles o hermosas que he aprendido aqu van a cambiar mi objetivo en la vida, mientras me dirijo de nuevo a la Universidad de Chicago en el oto o para terminar con mi licenciatura. Pero no se preo-

cupen! Tengo la sensaci n que Su Casa no ha visto todo de m … - ANNA RIMLINGER

CONTIN A EN A P GINA 7

Don’t tell me I am brave

Because I live in a city that is aching,

Because I hear gunshots from my

window.

Last night I lost count after seven.

None were aimed at me.

Don’t tell me I am strong

Because I am a woman

Who has learned to thrive

In a world built for men.

Sometimes it hurts.

Don’t tell me I am talented

Because I speak two languages.

(Why do foreign tongues

Never seem to sound so sweet

On foreign lips?)

Instead

Place your feet upon the ground

And know

There is nothing between you and me

And all those others

Who are brave and strong and talented

But the earth.

Just this (justice?) earth that

Connects

My feet to yours and hers and his and

theirs.

Let’s not all jump at once.

- Anna Rimlinger

PAGE 6

Brother Denis Murphy, who founded Su Casa Catholic Worker in 1990, came to stay with us for a few months this spring and summer. In April, we sat down with him to learn more about the early days at Su Casa as they help map our course for the future. Below are snippets we’d like to share from that interview.

Q: Brother Denis Murphy, how in the world did you go from being a teacher of social work at colleges around the world to being a down-and-out Catholic Worker?

Denis: Gradually! Actually I went to volunteer at t. rancis House while I was getting my degree in social work at oyola. After I got my degree in 1 6, I went and lived in a Catholic Worker house for a summer. I lived at Denver House for a while, and also went to Covenant House, for runaway kids in New York. Most of my education until then had been book-learning, so I wanted to get to talk directly with people who were poor or homeless. o anyhow, I was there for a summer, and a thought struck me, it’d be kind of neat to start a Catholic Worker house!

Q: How did you discern the original mission for Su Casa?

Denis: Well, because I was teaching at ewis University out near oliet, I went out and con-tacted Catholic charities there to find out if they needed a Catholic Worker house. And they said they probably did, but they already had this building program to house homeless folks. At the same time, there was a fellow working for the diocese there who had gone to atin America several times. He saw the need to open houses

for atin American migrants because our gov-ernment doesn’t favor them, and they can’t get any kind of welfare services. o he was inter-ested. Then I contacted my sister Pat, who was somewhat ac uainted with the culture because she had worked for ten years in Peru, but she didn’t want to go to oliet, so we started up in Chicago.

Q: What about the name? How did you get the name Su Casa?

Denis: Well first, we started as the Central American Martyrs Center. And we said, oh my goodness, how are we going to write all that out every time? o my sister Pat came up with the name u Casa, and that’s how it came about. But evidently there’s a restaurant in Chicago called u Casa, and sometimes we’d get calls to make reservations. We’d say, well, ok, but you may not like the meal you get!

Q: You know, Denis, this is such a huge building. What did you do to make it homey?

Denis: Well, I think the fact that we had children had a softening effect for those first six years when we took in survivors of torture. We tried to make things joyful. Whenever we could celebrate, we would. We’d celebrate baptisms, we’d celebrate marriages, where folks’ children would be the ring-bearers and so on. We had groups of college kids and high school kids come in, and during those times we’d have dances. Then there were always birthday parties for the kids where we’d have a pi ata, so things along that line, where the kids would look forward to things that were happening in the house. ike in most Catholic Worker houses, there was never a dull moment!

Q: Denis, if you were interviewing yourself, what question would you ask?

Denis: I guess, what fascinated me about the Catholic Worker? I think it was the simple lifestyle, working with people who needed help, and being with other people who had the same motivations as I did. Being in the Brothers is much different because we focused on educa-tion, and when my hearing went bad I couldn’t teach anymore, so that was one of the things that drew me to the Worker. But also, I’m very open to experience various things, like I was on a Christian peace-making team, and I went to Ira for three months, I’ve been arrested 6 times, taught in Palestine so I guess I’m kind of on the edge of things, but I’m fine with it.

Su Casa Founder,

Br. Denis Murphy

Br. Denis Murphy is joined by

co-founder, Sr. Joann Persch.

PAGE 7

Word games at Su Casa

atho ic or er!

New Arrivals & Summer

Workers, continued

My name is Aaron Pierre and I'm a esuit seminarian (Catholic priest-in-training) study-ing Philosophy at oyola University. I am so grateful to have lived as a member of the u Casa community this summer. Many reasons drew me to this beautiful lifestyle and mission. Because I need community and deep relation-

ship. Because I have long been inspired by Dorothy Day and her radical commitment to living out her faith through acts of justice and resistance. Because remaining close to those in need draws out my most authentic self, roots me in the reality of the world, and teach-es me about love and generosity, about God and myself, and about giving and receiving. I was blessed this summer to be ministered to by the wonderful families who fill u Casa with life and also by the inspiring staff, youth, and community members who make up Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation. You can read about some of the work I engaged in through

the article in this newsletter titled, Wearing A Restorative ens.-AARON PIERRE, SJ

We also have been fortunate to have two pre-vious workers, Mike Cronin and Edison Pati o, stay with us for the summer.

Mike has recently returned from the North-west and has been a great help with outdoor maintenance, soup kitchen, heavy lifting, and Monday night barbe ues!!!

When not en u Casa, he is spending uality time with his local grandkids.

ince his last time at u Casa, Edison has been a steady volunteer for weekend house managing shifts and our unday Trader oe’s run. We value his skills in translation, tutoring assistance, and philosophical conversation.

Presentaciones de nuestros

voluntarios de verano,

continuado

Mi nombre es Aaron Pierre y yo soy un seminarista jesuita (sacerdote en formaci n cat lica) y estudio ilosof a en la Universidad de oyola. Estoy muy agradecido de haber vivido como un miembro de la comunidad en

u Casa en este verano. Hay muchas razones ue me atrajo a este hermoso estilo de vida y

misi n. Una de ellas es por ue necesito la co-munidad y la relaci n profunda ue esta ofrece y del mismo modo por ue desde hace mucho tiempo he estado inspirado por Dorothy Day y su compromiso radical a vivir su fe a trav s de actos de justicia y resistencia. El estar cerca de los necesitados me ayuda a extraer mi yo m s aut ntico, y pone en mi las ra ces del mundo real y me ense a sobre el amor y la generosidad de Dios y de m mismo, y sobre el concepto de dar y recibir. ui afortunado este verano de servir a las maravillosas familias ue llenan u Casa con vida y tambi n a los

miembros del personal, la juventud y la comu-nidad ue integran el ministerio de

reconciliaci n en Precious Blood. Usted puede

leer acerca de algunos de los trabajos ue particip a trav s del art culo en este bolet n titulado, Wearing A Restorative ens.- AARON PIERRE, SJ

Tambi n hemos tenido la suerte de tener dos trabajos anteriores, Mike Cronin y Edison Pati o, ue permanecer n con nosotros durante el verano.

Mike ha regresado recientemente del Noroeste

y ha sido de gran ayuda con el mantenimiento de reas exteriores de la casa, el comedor y en el mbito de la cocina ya ue prepara bar-bacoas todos los lunes por la noche!!! Cuando no est en su Casa, l aprovecha el tiempo libre para pasar con sus nietos.

Desde su llegada a u Casa, Edison ha sido un voluntario estable y comprometido. Algunas de sus funciones ha sido colaborar los fines de semana con la gesti n de turnos y recoger alimentos donados de Trader oe’s. Del mismo modo, valoramos sus habilidades en el campo de la educaci n y el papel ue desempe a como traductor, tutor y sus conversaciones filos ficas amenas.- TRADUCIDO POR EDISON PATIÑOComienzos de verano en el jardín

Visit our website for more

communit ne s!

WWW.SUCASACW.ORG

R E T U R N S E R V I C E R E Q U E S T E D

Su Casa Catholic Worker

. a in t.

Chicago, I 6 6

Phone 3 3 6 263

ax 3 3 6 2 1

e-Mail sucasacw gmail.com

P R I N T E D O N R E C Y C L E D P A P E R

Salsedo Press, Inc.

FRIENDS OF SU CASA:• share their fix-it skills when house repairs are needed

• manage the office when workers are away• tutor moms and kids

• mentor teens

• do amazing things we haven't imagined yet

ant to e a friend end a hand! Please contact Michelle at sucasacw gmail.com

If you or a friend would like to be added to the u Casa mailing list please let us know at sucasacw@gmail.com