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What it Is...
The Catholic Worker in Spencer, West Virginia
strives to provide a spiritual center of hope in Appalachia
by addressing issues of poverty through
education, contemplation & outreach. |
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Where It Is...
 In
August, 2002, the Gift of Tears began in Roane County, just outside Spencer, WV, about an hour
northeast of Charleston. Since then, the operation has
moved a few times but now the Retreat House is on the Sunny Bank
Farm Land Trust and the office is on its own little hill down a
long holler on the other side of town. Regardless where it is,
it's always “home” to an ark of animals and, at any given moment, a human or two. |
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What It Does...
Education:
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The Bag Lady - experiential education in peace & justice through -
· -Speaking Engagements
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- Group Building
· -Appalachia 101 The Inner Voice
- the occasional Newsletter.
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Contemplation:
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Retreats -
Peace & Quiet - individual retreats
Antioch - group retreats. Living Resistance -
my full-time lifestyle of voluntary poverty, simplicity,
service and contemplative prayer.
Cottage Industries -
Catholic Worker bookmarks, note cards and icons. |
Outreach:
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Service Groups - hosting visiting volunteer groups.
Hospitality
- long-term residency & short-term emergency
housing.
Pennies for Potties - fundraising for
children in Bandipur, Nepal
Community Projects
· -Catholic Committee of Appalachia - promoting Bishops’
Pastorals.
· -Roane Rural Housing - providing affordable housing to low
income families.
· -Sunny Bank Farm Land Trust - assisting
the marginalized of the community.
· -West Virginia Regional Land Trust - securing a natural sanctuary.
I.R.A.K.
(Isaac’s Random Acts of Kindness) |
In 2010, I will celebrate my 10th
Anniversary as a Catholic Worker. Since the beginning, my
ministries have been solely dependent upon the non-tax-exempt donations
of groups and individuals who support me and the services I provide.
Without non-profit 501(c)(3) status, literally hundreds of people can
claim ownership in the success of these programs. They graciously
give what they are able without any financial benefits for themselves. I
am accountable to them and all those I serve rather than to a few
corporate sponsors and a Board of Directors. Without the
management of grants and restrictions of by-laws, my donors enable me
with the time and freedom to serve wherever, however, and whomever is in
need. It is proving to be a financially sustainable way to run a
ministry, too, since, if the funds ever run out, it can mean only two
things. Either I am no longer the person for the job or our work
must be done!
Patron Saint
 St.
Isaac of Nineveh
Died, c 700 AD
Feast Day: January 28th
“The fruits of the inner man begin only with the shedding of tears.
When you reach the place of tears, then know that your spirit has
come out from the prison of this world and has set its foot upon the
path that leads towards the new age….”
St. Isaac is a 7th century saint of both the Eastern and Western
traditions, and a known source of wisdom and inspiration. He was an
ascetic from the town of Bet Qatraye on the Persian Gulf, and in 660
AD, was ordained Bishop of Nineveh, an ancient city in present-day
Iraq. Yet, Isaac was drawn to the solitary life and left his
position after only five months. He retired to a monastery in Iran
where he wrote and, it is said, studied Scripture so much it
eventually made him blind.
Isaac is best known for his writings on the exercises of asceticism
as means to focusing on God. He suggests a three-fold way of the
mind, body and spirit. Fasting, vigils and sacred song remedy our
earthly desires and distractions so the soul may be opened to a
greater understanding of, and communion with God.
However, it was Isaac’s concept of the Gift of Tears that
specifically touched my heart when the ministry was conceived. Tears,
as ‘gift’, have been alluded to by many mystics and scholars
throughout the centuries. Ignatius of Loyola talked extensively
about this grace, and the concept is often attributed to him despite
its earlier references by Isaac.
There are several instances, throughout life, and with this work,
when we experience so strongly God’s love and presence that we are
brought to tears. It is seeing the beautiful innocence of a
child in our rural slums, taking in the awesome vastness of these
ancient Appalachian hills, or displaying our weakest selves and
still being accepted by our neighbors; we feel completely emptied and
completely filled at the same time. Extreme polarities in
perfect balance. St. Isaac says, “But we are not
accustomed to such an experience and finding it hard to endure, our
body is suddenly overcome by a weeping mingled with joy.” It
is in gratitude for this experience of God that this ministry has
been named:
The St. Isaac of Nineveh—Gift of Tears Catholic Worker.
How It All Began…
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 “houses of hospitality” (and farming communes) where the
homeless, hungry and forsaken would always be welcome.
Over many decades the movement has protested injustice, war, and
violence of all forms. Today there are some 130 Catholic Worker
communities in the United States alone.
For more information on the Catholic Worker Movement go to:
www.catholicworker.org
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