|
|
August 2023 Newsletter
...a community of people who live sustainably, creatively, and in solidarity with those in our Ames community seeking refuge or spiritual sanctuary
|
|
An Opinion on Happy are You Poor
I have been reading Thomas Dubay's book, Happy are you Poor, which is a dialogue for what living voluntary poverty and solidarity might look like in varied states of life. I highly recommend it! There is an abundance
of spiritual wealth that comes out of it, though I found a few key points that stuck out to me…First, homeless prevention seems to be the hot topic these days, but why does it often end there? Second, why are we scared of poverty? And finally, how the hell
do we do solidarity ?(the question we sent out last month)
Getting people secured in a place to live is great and all, but is it the end all, be-all? Dubay writes that we fight against poverty like it is the root of all evil. To play the opposite side a little bit, is poverty in general really evil? Now my opinion
is coming from a place of privilege and not a lot of experience being destitute or poor myself, so please take my thoughts with a grain of salt. In my little experience, both personally and at the Romero House, dependence (substituted here for poverty) leads
to a child-like need and abandonment which creates open space in one’s heart. It opens us up to the possibility that we might not actually have it all together and we might need something or someone more. Our mission thus far at the Romero House has been
focused intensively on housing men, but we often struggle to meet the men’s continued needs after we’ve housed them. I don’t think we are alone here. Upon visiting the United States, Mother Theresa said “the spiritual poverty of the Western World is much greater
than the physical poverty of our people [In India].” I believe what she meant by spiritual poverty is a poverty of relationship, both human and divine. If what she said has validity, should our mission as a people in the Western world (and the Romero House
more specifically) focus on that physical alleviation of poverty, or maybe instead the relationships that can bear fruit through the experience of poverty?
I think I am scared of poverty because it means vulnerability and lack of control. Imagining myself without any certainty of where I will lay my head that night throws my entire world upside down. I would say I romanticize poverty, but I really haven’t truly
lived it. Living in homeless poverty is messy, ugly, and uncertain from what I've seen these past three years at the house. So then why does Christ call us to imitate him in how became poor for the sake of others? I’m not saying we all need to go be homeless,
but maybe we are called to experience a little bit of poverty in the way we don’t have control over something. Living an independent life without any variables for risk tell us that we have the ultimate control, that we don’t need anything (or anyone) else,
and that we need not worry. This is the ultimate lie! We are made to be free of attachment to those things that tell us we don’t need others or God. We are created to be children, and to be free to be in need! So how can we implement poverty into our lives
so that we can return to our true identity- as sons and daughters of God?
Lastly, and most practically, we ask the question “How the hell do we do solidarity?” Well I don't have the best answers, though everyone from the last newsletter who responded came up with good ones. One said solidarity is about ‘living with and creating space
for shared experiences’. Another said solidarity is about ‘consistently showing up.’ I think these are great answers that address what we are trying to accomplish in our mission: to simply accompany. Accompaniment means that we encounter similar situations
which, WHOA, means living into and welcoming our poverty also! Ground-breaking right? It’s kind of like solidarity teaches us how to truly live! This could maybe be one of the reasons so many have said “I gave so little, but received so much.” Practically
living solidarity first requires you to have relationship with another, in this case, someone in poverty or instability. Secondly, it requires that you involve yourself in their mess which naturally leads to their involvement in your mess :)
I pray these reflections on Thomas Dubay’s book assist us all in living a more radical life in the care of others and for the glory of God! Please respond to this email if you would like to share any thoughts in response to this review!
Peace and love!
Matt Mitchell
|
|
Mass Tonight, Community Meal NEXT Saturday
Come tonight for mass at 6pm celebrated on the feast of St. John Vianney! Vianney is a great example of a saint that was rejected by many of his peers until his passion and pastoral care for others revealed his deep life of prayer
and devotion. As the patron for all our diocesan priests, we ask for his prayers!
Next Saturday we will have our public meal at 6 pm. As always, all are welcome.
We are still needing someone to cook the meal though! If you are able or want to sign up for future public meals, visit the link here to sign up:
|
|
Daytime Hospitality Beginning Soon!
Time is flying by and we are soon shifting to only daytime hospitality at the Romero House. As we enter this new period, there are definitely a lot of unknowns, but we trust that God will guide us as we go and we will continue
to learn how best to serve.
How you can help- We still need more volunteers and leaders for daytime serving. Our hospitality hours will start at 1-4 pm all days of the week with a one hour and a two hour slot. We will offer services such as made-to-order food, showers, laundry,
pool and board games, resource sharing, bible studies, and simple conversation. This is a great opportunity to get to see the heart of what serving at our front door looks like. Each shift will have a 'leader' and a 'volunteer'. We encourage all who are able
to become leaders. In order to do so, come to the training (with dinner) on August 13th at 5:30 pm.
To sign up to serve during our daytime hours beginning August 21st, please sign up below. Thank you for your openness to serving those on the margins!
|
|
Boats...
Thanks to all you awesome supporters, we were able to rent a boat from Saylorville Marina and spend the afternoon on a pontoon together. It was truly a blast and a beautiful day for a ride. Take a look at some of these funny photos
from the day...
|
|
...and Goats
As promised, here is a photo of a goat
|
|
Wish List
Check out our Amazon wish list below.
|
|
August Needs
Laundry Detergent!!!
Mens Razors!!!
Mens Deodorant!!!
Dry erase markers
A large sectional leather couch |
|
|
Eggs, Mugs,Stickers and T-Shirts for Sale
Our homegrown eggs, custom mugs, stickers and NEW T-shirts are for sale. See below prices:
- 1 doz eggs from 'Our Ladies of Perpetual Clucking": $4
- Romero House mugs- $25/ea
- Romero house stickers- $5/ ea
- Catholic Worker Tshirts- $25/ea
- available in tan or white
This money will go directly to supporting the Romero House mission. Eggs are not always available but give us a call or email to see if we have some. If you are interested in purchasing any merchandise, email:
outr...@amesromerohouse.org.
|
|
|
Click button below to read our previous newsletters.
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2023 Ames Catholic Worker House, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.
Our mailing address is:
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can
update your preferences or
unsubscribe from this list.
|
|
|
|
|
