“Blessed Are the Peacemakers”: Vietnam War Resistance at Chicago’s Catholic Universities

Sr. Myra Johnson and John Schmitz at DePaul University in Chicago partake in a campus protest following the deaths of four students at Kent State University in May 1970. Other universities across the United States also expressed their dismay and sustained their vigorous resistance to the Vietnam War. DePaul’s students and faculty reacted to the war’s implications under a moral framework guided by the university’s Catholic commitment to justice and peace. May 1970. Digital Collection, DePaul University Library, DePaul University, Chicago, IL.

My research project traces the emerging radical histories at three of Chicago’s Catholic universities during the Vietnam War: Loyola University, Mundelein College, and DePaul University. Published research on resistance to the Vietnam War at Catholic universities, specifically in Chicago, is largely overshadowed by substantial scholarship on the broader anti-war movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Unlike protests at secular institutions, Catholic universities were specially guided by religious faith in their approach to the Vietnam War. While the United States encountered revolutionary social change in the 1960s, the Catholic Church also experienced a dramatic transformation. The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, in the early 1960s acknowledged the Church’s commitment to social justice and recognized its potential as a global moral authority. Church officials also considered traditional teachings on war and violence within the context of Cold War ideology and nuclear proliferation. American Catholics embraced the radical changes unfolding in Rome, and implemented their renewed faith into discourse and action concerning contemporary global issues. As the Vietnam War escalated in the late 1960s, American Catholics responded with a zealous message of peace and justice evocative of their faith. Specifically, in Chicago, the universities and colleges of Loyola, Mundelein, and DePaul utilized the Church’s modernized moral codes to demonstrate their disapproval of the war. These university communities in Chicago applied their Catholic faith in discourse and action aimed at understanding the Vietnam War’s moral dilemmas. National events during the war, especially the Kent State massacre in 1970, also invigorated Chicago’s Catholic universities to sustain their moral opposition to the war. Their Catholic character challenged ROTC and the military draft’s contributions to the war, and demonstrated an active opposition to their presence on campus. Loyola, Mundelein, and DePaul resisted the Vietnam War under the guidance of a moral foundation that derived from their evolving Catholic identity in a post-Vatican II era.

Revising the Rough Draft

I received feedback on my rough draft shortly after submitting it. I somewhat knew what was coming ahead in terms of revisions. My professor’s comments and suggestions mostly touched upon the structure and argumentative aspect of my paper. I intentionally structured my rough draft to categorize each school, to develop their stories separately. Previous conversations with my instructors prompted me not to take this route with the final version of my paper. During the writing process of this first draft I struggled to fortify an argument. Instead, I wrote more of a detailed report on each school’s activism during the Vietnam War. I also lacked a well-structured historiography — this is where I talk about some of the sources used in my paper. I recently met with my instructors to evaluate my progress in revising and to review the rough draft. From our conversation we decided it would be ideal if I emphasized the religious dimensions in the radical anti-war activity at Loyola University, Mundelein College, and DePaul University.

The comments on my rough draft and the revelations in my recent meeting have prepared me to continue the revision process. Since receiving verbal and written feedback I have revised my historiography to in a thematic structure, and continue to revise other aspects of my paper. Rather than offering a comprehensive timeline of the anti-war movement on these campuses, I have decided to arrange the paper by themes: moratoriums, teach-ins, ROTC and the draft, etc. I will also need to conduct more research to further stress the religiosity in the activism, and to distinguish the schools from their secular counterparts. I am hoping to explain how the 1960s and 1970s were a turbulent time not just for the United States but also for the Roman Catholic Church. Radical changes from the Second Vatican Council affected American Catholics in the way that they handled social concerns. Catholic universities were not exempt from this transformation. These new developments from the Vatican were demonstrated in the students’ disapproval of the Vietnam War.

-Matthew Day

Rough Drafts, Prayers, and Pedicures

Between mid-January and early March I visited multiple archives around Chicago to collect research for my project. I compiled anything I found substantial to my topic into my own stylized notes. These notes later helped me during the writing portion of this draft. I was conflicted about telling the stories of Vietnam War resistance at Loyola, Mundelein, and DePaul in their own separate entities or to weave them together to encapsulate their common cause and objective. I decided to pursue the former. For my own purposes I believed that writing about each university separately would be easier to distinguish their timeline, similarities, and differences.

After multiple long nights and excessive amounts of green tea, my rough draft is complete. When I say rough, I mean very rough. The document itself is plastered with notes for future revisions, grammatical and stylistic errors. I found challenges in the lack of some evidence that I needed to support my arguments. In particular, I did not realize until writing my draft that I was missing crucial information on Mundelein College and DePaul University’s response to the Kent State shooting. It must have slipped my mind during research. I was also overwhelmed by the required page count (25-30 pages), but I’m not sure why. I have written 15-page research papers in the past, so a few more pages couldn’t be that more difficult. My classmates and I were #blessed to receive an extension from our instructors. Long nights also didn’t necessarily mean writing at the library. Because of the skewed weekend hours at the library, my friend Amanda and I opted for a more radical setting at Clarke’s on a Saturday night. Though this draft took a lot of sweat, blood, and tears, it is satisfying to have something on paper.

Taking a break from writing in the most appropriate way. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Malmstrom Photography)

Praying for an extension. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Malmstrom Photography)

My fellow Ramonat Scholar Amanda and I treated ourselves to a spa day after submitting our drafts. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Malmstrom Photography)

Thankfully, this is just the first draft — there is still room to improve! I will take my professors’ feedback and revise my paper. Between now and the second draft’s due date, I will revisit the archives at Loyola University and DePaul University to gain clarity on some of my sources. And, once I begin to revise my paper, I will take a more thematic approach to my topic and try to interweave the histories of anti-war activism at Loyola University, Mundelein College, and DePaul University. I am looking forward to finalizing my argument and evidence, and to eventually produce a polished paper.

-Matthew Day

“Blessed Are The [Pancake-makers]”

For those who did not know, I co-led an Alternative Break Immersion (ABI) to the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House in Washington, DC this past week. Below, I hope to share my thoughts and reflections on this immersive experience:

After a peace vigil at the Pentagon on Monday morning we returned to the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker for a breakfast and de-briefing. In return for hospitality, the Loyola participants and I agreed to help cook meals and complete chores around the house. On this morning Art Laffin, one of the Catholic Workers, decided we were to make pancakes for breakfast. Several of the participants enjoyed perfecting their pancake-pouring skills, thus igniting a new Beatitude from Art: “Blessed are the pancake-makers, for they shall be full and satisfied.” This certainly struck a chord in me because my project for the Ramonat Seminar is similarly titled “Blessed Are The Peacemakers”.

The DC Catholic Worker was founded in 1981 by Fr. Dick McSorely, a Jesuit at Georgetown. (Side note: Fr. McSorely was the Kennedy family’s tutor and consoled Jackie after her husband’s assassination in 1963 — I was elated to be staying in this house). His vision for this Catholic Worker revolved around Gospel nonviolence and the promotion of peace through direct action approaches of solidarity. The Catholic Workers we met — Art, Colleen, and Kathy — proved to be purveyors of their Christian values and pacifist principles. Whether we were at the Pentagon holding a peace vigil or marching in unity with Standing Rock on the National Mall, the Catholic Workers displayed a brotherly love that could only be compared to that of Dorothy Day’s message of compassion.

I anticipated this ABI for a number of months, and it was hard to grasp the reality while I was actually there. Throughout the years, the house hosted several Catholic Workers and speakers, like the Berrigan brothers, to nurture a common good. As a house of hospitality, about four or five mothers and their young children — from Ethiopia and El Salvador — live in the residence. We were fortunate to eat most meals with the families, and learned of their hardships and triumphs as refugees in the United States. My interactions with the Catholic Workers themselves, especially Kathy, brought a whole new dimension to my experience and understanding of the Catholic Worker Movement. Their friendly hugs and honesty complemented our tiring schedule of activities throughout the week. In particular, I enjoyed my morning chats with Kathy upon her return from prayer at a nearby Franciscan community. The Catonsville Nine action in 1968 prompted Kathy to lead a life of servitude and pacifism, and later brought her to the DC Catholic Worker in the late 1980s. She was also very frank about her multiple stints in jail for trespassing government property, including the Pentagon and a trident submarine base in New England, and her subsequent refusal to pay the fines stipulated by the courts. Kathy also invited women Catholic priests — yes, they do exist — to celebrate Mass at the house. Word got out, and the Archdiocese removed the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House from their directory of lay organizations.

Throughout the week my group and I met with different organizations in the DC area to learn about their advocacy work, including TASSC International (Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition), Pax Christi, and the Jesuit Conference of North America. Each of these organizations provided an insight into the broader Catholic peace movement on the national and international level. We also had the opportunity to meet with Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, a friend of my dad’s from his time at Yale Law School. It was particularly enlightening to meet a lawmaker, regardless of political affiliation, and to learn about how his faith interacts with his political career.

I was especially thrilled to hear from the DC Catholic Worker’s speaker of the month Eric Martin, co-editor of The Berrigan Letters. His intriguing lecture on Daniel and Philip Berrigan’s loving and tumultuous relationship expanded my perception on the Catholic Leftist duo. Nearly fifty people filled the small confines of the house’s dining room for the lecture, and, when asked about any relation they may have had with the Berrigans, over half of the attendees raised their hand. Stories of inspiration and redemption from Martin and the attendees contribute to the legacy of the Berrigan brothers and the ongoing mission for social justice today.

My week-long “pilgrimage” to Washington, DC will remain a constant source of encouragement as I discover how to advocate on behalf of the oppressed in the world. It has also been a source of inspiration as I research and write my seminar paper on radicalism at Catholic universities in Chicago during the Vietnam War. I hope to return to the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in the future to reconnect with the people who confront violence with nonviolence, in the spirit of a woman whose tenacious outlook on social concerns persevere in today’s world.

Check out some photos below from the Alternative Break Immersion:

(Hint: click on an individual photo to enlarge)

The eight of us at the South Lawn of the White House.

Posing after our tour of the US Capitol.

Standing behind VP Biden’s former desk with Senator Coons.

Kathy showed us a clip from “Hit and Stay”, a documentary on the Catonsville Nine action.

Posing with Kathy outside the house before departing.

One of the many beautiful pieces of art at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.

At the Standing Rock march on the National Mall.

-Matthew Day

And the Oscar for Best Outline goes to..

To view my outline, click here.

Procrastination has been a common theme throughout my academic career, and it certainly persevered this past weekend. As many of you know, the Academy Awards held its ceremony last night, where films like Moonlight and La La Land dominated the scene. Now you may be wondering why I’m writing about the Academy Awards.. Well, it certainly played a role in delaying the completion of my outline. I’m hoping, and crossing my fingers and toes, that I can shake off this procrastination “bug” when it comes time to write my first draft!

Now, back to the outline.. In about five-and-a-half pages I was able to encapsulate my research project in its entirety, but as a work in progress. After many hours at the archives of Loyola, Mundelein, and DePaul, I was conflicted in how to present the evidence to back up my thesis: should I write three separate histories for the schools of interest that stem from my argument, or should I weave them all together to tell their story of solidarity during the Vietnam War? I ended up doing the former because each university has their own unique story and deserves to be told on its own pedestal. However, this could change as I begin writing my first draft. While there are differences between the schools, there certainly are similarities. Many of the schools I am researching participated in the same events, including the 1969 Moratoriums and the strike in response to the Kent State and Jackson State massacres of 1970.

Writing this outline was no easy feat. I have accumulated so much information over the last month at various archives and digital collections. I tried to make my outline as detailed as possible so that I can easily navigate it as I write the draft. I inputted sources that I believed were crucial to the stories of how these three Chicago Catholic universities participated in direct action against American intervention in Indochina. This also meant I had to be cognizant of sources that were of the era but are not so essential in defending my argument. In particular, I came across a joint letter to the Loyola News editor written by Dorothy Day and other pacifists. The letter is a clear endorsement of the Catonsville Nine’s direct action against the draft. Though its significance is obvious and relevant to this year’s Ramonat Seminar, the letter does not describe an event taking on campus or portray a student’s response to American foreign policy in Indochina.

“Letter to the Editor,” written by Dorothy Day and other pacifists calling for support for the Catonsville Nine, a group of laity and clergy who burned draft records in 1968.

Thanks for reading!

-Matthew Day

Reflecting on a Dorothy Day Symposium

Earlier this week the Ramonat Seminar hosted our final speaker, Robert Ellsberg. Originally, Mr. Ellsberg was to be the only event of the week. However, with much interest from other departments at Loyola, especially the Hank Center for Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the Revolution of the Heart: A Symposium on Dorothy Day was conceived. Over the course of February 16 and 17, panels and speakers converged on Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus to discuss a range of topics attributed to Dorothy Day, including: the Catholic Worker movement and the experience as a Catholic Worker, an update on her canonization process, and Day’s significance as an icon to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Mr. Ellsberg lived at St. Joseph’s House between 1975 and 1980, and became well acquainted with Dorothy Day during the last five years of her life. Over a two-year period he was the editor-in-chief of The Catholic Worker newspaper. Since then, he has become the publisher of Orbis Books, and has edited anthologies of Dorothy Day’s writings. Ellsberg’s talk mainly focused on his relationship with Dorothy Day, and her significance in today’s world of turmoil. He also commented on how her unusual background as a socialist, suffragist, and unwed mother seem to have little impact on her candidacy for sainthood. The comparison between Pope Francis and Day asserts their shared concern for the marginalized and the belief of “faith that does justice.” His uncanny Trump impersonation received praise from the audience, especially when he referred to Day as a “nasty woman” – in good spirits, of course. A few of my fellow Ramonat scholars and I had the privilege to accompany Mr. Ellsberg and our instructors to dinner.

Dorothy Day and Robert Ellsberg at St. Joseph’s House

To top it off, the Hank Center made it possible for Kate Hennessy, the youngest granddaughter of Dorothy Day, to make a keynote speech on the second day of the symposium. Hennessy recently published Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty, a beautifully-written portrayal of Day’s life as a woman, mother, grandmother, and activist. In her address, Hennessy made a plea for hope that stemmed from her grandmother’s willingness to be an advocate for the voiceless in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Hennessy also shared details of her own mother’s relationship with Day and Catholicism.

Some Ramonat Scholars (Carolina and Amanda) and myself with Kate Hennessy, granddaughter of Dorothy Day (L). Hennessy’s inscription in my copy of her book; note that it’s addressed to “Matthew Day” (R).

I had been looking forward to this event since the beginning of last semester. Having read many of Robert Ellsberg’s writings on Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement, I was excited to share how Day has been a lifelong symbol of social justice and empowerment for myself. At dinner, I learned that I share the same middle name (Day) as his daughter. Ellsberg and Hennessy’s personal stories with Day and the Catholic Worker brought the readings from last semester to life. Day’s perseverance and strong convictions  were greatly portrayed by the people that knew her, and this conference gave them the platform to help others understand her spirit.

-Matthew Day

Primary Sources Tell All

After a month of rest and travel, I am back on Loyola’s campus and the Ramonat Seminar is in full throttle. This semester has a special focus on a research project, each tailored to the interests of those in the course. But, of course each project will have some emphasis on the social activism in the realm of Dorothy Day’s America. My project focuses on anti-war activism during the 1960s and 1970s at Chicago’s Catholic universities and colleges, including Loyola and its now-affiliated Mundelein College, DePaul University, Rosary College (present-day Dominican University), and Saint Xavier University. Because my project considers specific college campuses during the Vietnam War rather than the broader anti-war movement across the country, a large proportion of my research will be based on primary sources. I will be utilizing student journalism, administrative records, oral histories, and photographs to portray the fiery activism that occurred on Chicago’s Catholic university and college campuses in the 1960s and 1970s.

Today in the digital collection of the Women and Leadership Archives, I came across the January 24, 1969 issue of Mundelein College’s student-run newspaper, The Skyscraper. The article of interest, “Apathy deflates radical’s bag” by Ellen Roucek, describes the challenges that Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) face in the conveyance of their message for peace and equality at their respective campus. Rose McKiernan, a member of SDS, explains that students are not aware of the devastating conflict in Vietnam, and thus feel that the intentions of SDS are not sincere to the matter. The article also notes a working relationship between student organizations, like SDS, at Mundelein College and at the neighboring Loyola University.

The January 24, 1969 issue of Mundelein College’s The Skyscraper. (Courtesy of the Women & Leadership Archives, Loyola University Chicago)

The anti-war sentiment at Loyola University was heavily reported by its (former) campus newspaper, Loyola News. In the May 16, 1969 issue, “SDS Holds Demonstration” by Tom Hayden reports on a student-led strike against the ROTC program at Loyola. SDS at Loyola openly challenged President James Maguire, SJ and the university’s policy on ROTC. The author’s name rings a bell to me: Tom Hayden drafted the monumental “Port Huron Statement” in 1962 for SDS. However, this could be – and probably is – a completely different Tom Hayden, but I digress.

The May 16, 1969 issue of Loyola News. (Courtesy of the Loyola University Chicago Archives & Special Collections)

Thanks for reading.. More to come soon!

Peace,

Matthew Day

Give Research Topics a Chance

I hope my title has resonated with some of you – yes, it is a reference to John Lennon’s 1969 anthem “Give Peace a Chance”. The Beatles’ frontman, along with other prominent musicians of the time, spoke to a certain chord of uneasiness towards American policy in Vietnam. I have many historical interests that span over the course of the twentieth-century America, especially the crusades that tackled the social and political landscape of the 1960s and 1970s. Out of my interests in the Vietnam War and my upbringing as an activist, I plan to pursue a research project surrounding the anti-war climate on the homefront in the 1960s and 1970s. I want to take a special look at student activism at Chicago Catholic colleges and universities, including Loyola University and its affiliated Mundelein College, DePaul University, Rosary College (present-day Dominican University), and St. Xavier University. The social justice tradition of these Catholic institutions of higher learning certainly evoked a call to action in the wake of the Vietnam War.

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s entrance into the war in 1965 initially received wide public support in the effort to suppress communism. However, the late 1960s saw a correlation between the unprecedented number of American troops deployed in Vietnam and the major losses of life on both sides of the conflict, triggering anti-war sentiment on the homefront. Student groups, like Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), emerged out of the New Left movement in response to the formidable loss of life and human right violations occurring in Indochina. Inspired by activity at the University of Michigan, universities and colleges in Chicago hosted teach-ins and other events to engage the community in an open dialogue on the violent upheaval occurring in Vietnam.

Students gather outside of Piper Hall at Mundelein College in May, 1970 for an anti-war demonstration.

The Skyscraper, Mundelein College’s student newspaper, thoroughly reported anti-war activity on its campus, including this sit-in in 1967.

This is where my project comes into play. While I value the critical attributes of SDS, I am also curious about any other student organizations that surfaced out of the anti-war movement within the Chicago sphere of Catholic colleges and universities. I also want to explore the administration’s response to the rising outcry of this anti-war sentiment on their campus. Because this project will be focused on a certain region of the United States, I am looking forward to discovering any communication between these specific schools. Because of my close relationship with Loyola University and Mundelein College, I have a more well-rounded idea of the activism that occurred there in the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, I am excited to learn more about Rosary College (present-day Dominican University), St. Xavier University, and DePaul University’s activist presence in Chicago during the Vietnam War. I plan to utilize archival and library materials from each of these institutions to sew together a story of solidarity against the aching war in Vietnam.

My first semester in the Ramonat Seminar has already proved to be a rewarding experience. In September I made a goal to explore the tools of the historian, and have seemingly done so through various projects, including an Omeka exhibit. I want to contribute to the digital age by creating an online exhibit showcasing the anti-war movement in Catholic Chicago. I am excited to see what the next semester holds as my classmates and I tackle our respective research projects.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my journey so far.. More to come next semester!

Peace,

Matthew Day

The Jazz Age: Catholic Edition

The Ramonat Seminar’s speaker series continued on Wednesday with a visit from Dr. Randal Jelks of the University of Kansas. Dr. Jelks’s intimate yet colorful presentation dismantled his current book project, ‘I Am Free to Be What I Want’. In this fascinating venture he encounters the faith life (mainly Catholic) of four prominent African-American figures in twentieth-century culture: blues singer Ethel Waters, jazz musician Mary Lou Williams, writer and political activist Eldridge Cleaver, and the late Muhammad Ali. Dr. Jelks’s intellect and humor, and frequent referral to the “dead white guys,” added to the ambience of a well-rounded lecture on the coming of faith through personal struggle.

Dr. Randal Jelks

I was extremely fascinated by Mary Lou Williams, one of the University of Kansas professor’s subjects. Known for her . Jazz sensationalist Duke Ellington described Williams as “soul on soul.” Though she had been involved in the industry since the 1920s, her real claim to fame did not arrive until after her conversion to Catholicism in 1956. “St. Martin de Porres,” the first track on her album Mary Lou Williams Presents Black Christ of the Andes, offers the listener a chilling and enlightening perspective on the first black person canonized by the Roman Curia. This album precedes the dawning of liberation theology in the Americas, a movement that emphasizes the liberation from social, political, and economic restraints. Her self-arranged liturgical music evoked feelings of disapproval and uncertainty from clergyman, both at home and abroad at the Vatican. After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Williams wrote music for a mass for peace, and planned to perform it during her visit to the Vatican; however, she was denied this request due to the use of bongo drums in her music. Though she received appraisal from clergyman and the laity, her music could not be officially the setting for a mass’s liturgy. In this case, Williams was invited to lead a sixty-voice choir in a special mass dedicated to her music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on February 18, 1975. Her work inspired the choreographer Alvin Ailey to create a performance to her liturgical music, and dubbed it Mary Lou’s Mass.

Portrait of Mary Lou Williams (L); the jazz pianist leading her ‘Mary Lou’s Mass’ at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in 1975 (R).

Dr. Jelks’s lecture holds a special place for me, especially in terms of my cultural interests and personal life. I really don’t find modern music appealing – besides Adele of course. But I have always been fascinated by the works of Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and their contemporaries. Their dark and powerful voices along with their cinematic-like sound reminds me of Williams’s liturgical music. I have already found a strong spiritual connection to some of the pieces written by Williams, and I would not be opposed to a jazz band taking over the Madonna della Strada Chapel from time to time. Loyola could certainly use a change of pace! My local parish back home is predominately African-American, and each Sunday mass is brought to life by the seemingly powerful gospel choir. I find similarities between the jazz of Mary Lou Williams and my parish’s choir, each focusing on the struggles of the marginalized while finding ways to be uplifted. Jazz music emerged out of the African-Americans’ sidelined situation in twentieth-century American culture. They developed a new breed of music in the 1920s that eventually caught on to the mainstream, but pushed the boundaries of the artist and the listener. Mary Lou Williams specially endeavored to bring about a new way of participating in mass in the old, much like Dorothy Day’s philosophy of developing a new society within the stringent borders of her world.

Thanks for reading!

Peace,

Matthew

Matthew Day Gone Wild

Wow – I can’t believe it’s been over two weeks since my last blog post! As you can imagine, a lot has happened in the Ramonat Seminar during my brief hiatus. We embarked on an unforgettable journey to northern Missouri to visit and participate in a Catholic Worker farm, and we listened to a colorful story about American Jesuits by our first guest speaker, Dr. John T. McGreevy of the University of Notre Dame. I am excited to share with you all my experiences below!

My classmates and I, and our instructors, journeyed to rural La Plata, Missouri during the first weekend of October to pay a visit to a special farm in the vast network of the Catholic Worker movement. White Rose Catholic Worker Farm, managed by John Bambrick and his wife Regina, developed out of a house of hospitality in West Rogers Park by the same name. A few years ago John and Regina felt a certain vocation to the farmland in Missouri in pursuit of a simpler lifestyle and to escape the modern luxuries (i.e., cell phones and plumbing). They also envisioned, and still do, a society of communal and sustainable living, by which John and Regina promote through social activism, interpretation of Biblical scripture and theology, and invitations to women and men of all ages to experience the farm.

My professors were serious about the lack of electricity. When we first arrived on Friday night, my peers and I heavily relied on head lamps, flashlights, and our senses during our brief strolls. And to mimic the Bambricks’ lifestyle, we turned off our phones to be in connection with one another and with the land. I should preface this reflection by saying that this weekend was a lot of firsts for me. Many of my friends and family members will tell you that I am not one to indulge myself in any outdoor activities, or really anything nature-related. I slept in a tent for the very first time. I also willingly participated in farm chores, specifically: raking up hay to be used as an odor control for the Bambricks’ compost; I cannot thank my co-raker, Emily, enough for her support and hilarity during this episode. I even branched out of my sleeping habits and napped on a bale of hay. As a sustainable community, Regina cooked our meals – with assistance from some of my peers – using ingredients from the crops grown at White Rose. Any leftover food was either stored for future meals or composted. We mainly ate vegetarian meals, and probably the healthiest meals I will ever eat. Our two nights were laden with coyote howls, informal discussion by candlelight, and the occasional human scream at the sight of a daddy-long-leg.

Though I was hesitant at first about embarking on this trip to Missouri, I tried to keep an open mind throughout the weekend. I participated on an Alternative Break Immersion during my freshman year, and witnessed and served the poor in Rutledge, Tennessee. I did not expect the same service aspect or experiences to occur at the White Rose Catholic Worker. I understood that the mission of this place was to fulfill that agrarian and egalitarian vision of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. My past experience on that service trip to Tennessee prepared me to comply with the Bambricks’ principled lifestyle. While I am not physically-attuned nor am I nature-oriented, I felt a duty to participate in farm chores for the exchange of shelter and food; John referred to this trade as a gift economy. I feel that this experience has brought my peers and I to a whole new level of understanding and respect for each other. Between our travel time and work on the farm, I was able to learn more about my peers’ motives for taking this course and their personal identities. I am excited to see what the future holds for my peers and I as we continue to grow in the Ramonat Seminar.

Emily and I raking up hay to be used for the compost (top); My peers, Professor Nickerson, and I pose in front the White Rose Catholic Worker workshop (bottom).

The Catholic Worker goals of the 1930s and the goals of today’s movement don’t seem to be far-fetched from each other. Peter Maurin envisioned agronomical universities, or farming communes, as an affiliate to the houses of hospitality in urban settings. Dorothy Day and Maurin’s idealism of building a new society within the current one continues to inspire the Catholic Worker movement, which was absolutely identifiable in the Bambricks’ philosophy. John and Regina, both highly educated, seek to convey the Catholic Worker ideology on their farm in La Plata, Missouri. Though fairly new, their farm has acted as a place of shelter for those in need and has hosted round-table discussions to address some of the world’s contentious issues, such as climate change. The Bambricks were clear in their convictions for creating a healthier world, especially for their young daughter: denouncing luxuries (i.e., cell phones) that I view as necessities, eating solely organic food, and advocating for justice and peace.

Another great shot of me doing manual labor.

(Courtesy of Amelia Serafine)

Our first guest speaker, Dr. John T. McGreevy, unfolded the Jesuits’ significant role in globalizing Roman Catholicism in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. He referred to his new book, American Jesuits and the World: How an Embattled Religious Order Made Modern Catholicism Global, during his lecture to focus on the effects of American Jesuits in the Philippines after the Spanish-American War of 1898. Upon reading McGreevy’s book and listening to him speak, it became more apparent that the Society of Jesus, the order of priests responsible for the onset of Loyola University Chicago, were unpopular figures in the Roman Catholic Church. However, this did not come to much surprise for me. As I understand, the Jesuits have a seemingly more progressive doctrine than the traditional dogma of the Church. Though their motto of “women and men for others” seems to be a mighty Christian action, the Church’s commanders as well as some other historical figures (i.e., Thomas Jefferson) felt undermined. The Jesuits’ evangelical mission in the Philippines succeeded in producing one of the most Catholic nations in the world. Their effort to bring about the English language and American customs not only aided in the expansion of Roman Catholicism but also welcomed the prospects of trade and exchange of ideas to a former Spanish protectorate.

Dr. John T. McGreevy’s recently published book, ‘American Jesuits’.

Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin’s movement sought to create a sustainable world within the old, and to create a crusade on behalf of the marginalized. The Jesuits had similar goals in mind on their globalizing effort. This order of priests believed that an evangelized world might be more ethically-inclined to provide a safe haven for those at the edge of society, and the inclusivity of different ideologies. I find this still to be true today, especially as a student at a Jesuit institution of higher learning. Each of my courses, both past and present, have explored social justice in a respective discipline that I believe Day, Maurin, and even St. Ignatius of Loyola might find desirable. The Catholic Worker movement and the Society of Jesus have intersecting values that seem to find a solution for the betterment of our world.

Thanks for reading!

Peace,

Matt

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For more pictures from out trip to White Rose Catholic Worker, click here!