Fwd: Pentecost Update from House of Grace CW

[Catholic Worker]

From: House of Grace <houseofgr...@gmail.com>

House of Grace Catholic Worker Community of Kensington Pentecost 2026 Dear Friends, We hope that you have had a blessed Easter season. Today we celebrate the end of the Easter season: Pentecost. Today we remember the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the Virgin Mary and the beginning of the church’s mission in the world. May is a significant month for the Catholic Worker. On May 1st, we celebrated the founding of the movement by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin 93 years ago! This year, House of Grace celebrated it’s 32nd anniversary on May 1st, and the 35th anniversary of the Catholic Worker Free clinic. But who’s counting? We are so deeply grateful to be with you on this journey of faith. A faith lived in both contemplation and action, especially in these times, when both feel more necessary and significant than ever. We would not be here without your presence, your faithful support, and your prayers. We are grateful to everyone who joined House of Grace CW for New Sanctuary Movement’s Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Immigrant Justice outside the ICE office in April. The rain did not stop people from coming out. We stood with our immigrant and refugee neighbors, and prayed and sang for justice. It was wonderful to see so many long- term friends and supporters gathered together. During the vigil, we reflected on St. Oscar Romero’s life and witness, drawing specific attention to his sermon from the day before he was assassinated. Art Laffin of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker provided an adaptation of St. Oscar Romero’s appeal to Salvadoran soldiers and police in the name of God to stop killing and repressing their fellow Salvadorans. St. Oscar Romero’s appeal clearly relates to the present immigration policy of terror and those carrying it out. The following is Art’s adaptation that we proclaimed at the vigil: “No ICE agent is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time for those carrying out the current unjust immigration policy to obey their consciences rather than a sinful order.” We were so inspired by everyone’s passion and commitment to stand – even in the rain to speak out against injustice. A huge thank you to Nate Harlan of “Singing Resistance Philly” who did a fabulous job leading us in song. Here are videos of our vigil singing “Somebody's Hurting my Brother” and “Abolish ICE." The month of May also brings to a close the year that post-bac pre-med students from Bryn Mawr spend volunteering at the clinic. In June, we will say good-bye to two other faithful volunteers who also embark on careers in medicine. We are so impressed by their enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to help and learn. We send them off with much gratitude and confidence that they will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge about those who are underserved into their future professional lives. They gave so much of themselves to us and to our patients. They give us hope for the future. For a retrospective reflection on life at the Catholic Worker, please see Lauren Grace’ article “The Spirit of the Worker Remains.” Lauren is a former community member at House of Grace, and current clinic volunteer. We are grateful to all of our volunteers who show up weekly, some for decades, at the clinic to work with us and care for those who live with so many struggles, face difficult hardships, perplexing obstacles, and challenging barriers to care. We are also grateful for our volunteers who show up to help us take care of our beautiful community gardens. We could not do any of this without you. May the spirit continue to move in our hearts and lives, bring us peace, replace fear with love, and embolden us to work for justice. Deep Gratitude, Mary Beth Appel Johanna Berrigan Copyright (C) 2026 House of Grace Catholic Worker. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: House of Grace Catholic Worker 1826 E Lehigh Ave Philadelphia, PA 19125-1112 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe