God has been good to us here in Chiapas. For news on the trip back down here and fotos of Mark, our new dog (Princess) and some of the work I got finished in Texas see the website at www.bishopruizproject.org .
> The rainy season continues, broken with two or three days of sunlight and clouds. Our garden is awash in colors. The flowers, down here in Southern Mexico, are planted amongst the vegetales so that nothing is in rows, arranged, etc. We are dining almost each evening on fresh peas, lettuce, arugula, carrots, etc. all from the garden that Santiago and Araceli planted. As we harvest the goods we divide them up for Santiago and our neighbors so that nothing gets wasted. The carrot tops, etc. go to the chickens or the rabbits, as well. These days we are slaughtering 3 or 4 rabbits each Saturday which usually results in us being able to buy the food for both rabbits and chickens. We sold two of the roosters and cooked one other this last weekend. I have to say the meat is not like the regular chickens that are from the big factory farms around here. I can now see why people pay more money for the "ranch" meat that we produce. I barbecued the carcass with the cavity filled with garlic and lemons. A lovely dinner on Sunday last with soup and sandwiches for the bulk of the rest of the week. (The rooster was about 12 pounds, the size of a small turkey.)
> With princess now ruling the apartment I am struggling to get a chain link fence finished around the small animals so that the dog, a great Pyrenees, can start doing her job of protecting and herding the animals. I figure she can practice on the chickens until we get our goats.> I quit smoking on the 20th of July and, so far, have done well. That is, I had a cigarette yesterday but didn't feel like one today. With the help of some drugs from the Veterans Administration I don't seem to have a need for the nicotine but my old habit is still there. Now I remember why I started smoking (to use it as a sedative.) My wife is understanding so we are getting along, still.
> I have been using the time to read more. In the last three weeks I have finished Chris Hedges "War is A Force That Gives Us Meaning"- a terrific work that goes a long way towards explaining the phenomenon. I finished Hyde's Biography of Stalin, Rimini's work on Joseph Smith and the founding of the Mormons, Ernest Becker's The Structure of Evil and rounded it all out with J.D. Salinger's Nine Stories. It seems the reading settles my nerves. The good news is that the cigarettes are not breaking up my routine. I just need to write more and work on some of the more sedentary pursuits because my back is killing me.
> Araceli and I celebrated my birthday with a slow lazy day while I barbecued and she worked on new recipes for shampoo and soap. .
> The pick-up truck I brought down on this trip is almost ready to be sold, that is, it is at the body shop (here called a hojalateria) getting the dents cleaned up. When it is sold we will be able to live for six months or so on the money. Though I really need to raise money for the two big projects at the farm.> The first big effort is the dormitory for passing migrants. We get visited almost every day by folks who need a place to stay for the night- mostly from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, etc. They are all young people, some only 13 or 14 years old. We are already trying to feed them and put them up in the wood shop for a night but the circumstances are not good since we don't often have much money to buy food. Our plan is to find 10,000. dollars to build a two story dormitory with a small house for a resident person (probably Santiago and his wife) to offer hospitality.
> The second project is our goats. Now we have the dog to tend them. We need to build two corrals and a barn to house them. Specifically, goats down here suffer from Tuberculosis if they are not housed and fed properly, secondly we want to have storage for the grains to feed all the animals so we are not reliant on store bought pet food. We have a neighbor down the road who is growing alfalfa. We have already committed to buying all the alfalfa he can produce (for our rabbit feed). With the barn we would have room on the second story to store and mix the grains for all our animals while the ground floor would house the goats and the milking area. We have folks down the road who are already making various cheeses with cows milk and they would love to buy our goats milk.. For $10,000 we can build the barn and the two corrals. We have someone who has agreed to buy us five goats if we can get the housing and the corrals finished..
> Can you help us either of the above projects? We don't need all the money at one time- we could get started on the goat corrals for another thousand dollars. Please send any donations to either Ralph Heuser at Holy Family Catholic Church, 1715 Izard Street, Omaha Nebraska 68102 or to Jim Groff via the web site at www.bishopruizproject.org . Or, send me an email and I will send you a copy of my deposit slip that can be used at any Bank of America Branch..
> Saludos, Richard Flamer from The Chiapas Project
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Emily's updates
I have put a bunch of Emily's updates on her page at http://www.bishopruizproject.org.
Check them out as well as the pictures there.
Jim
Check them out as well as the pictures there.
Jim
A few more comments.
As usual Richard brought joy and excitement to our house. We loved offering hospitality to Richard and Mark. The conversations were great and the work was hard but rewarding. As usual, Richard left our dog, Susie, spoiled and anxious for him to come back. It has always been a joy for us to have CWers here even though we never even make it close to their devotion to the needs of the poor. 
Richard wanted me to post a picture of the barn addition he and Mark built, either to show off the craftsmanship or to prove how hard they worked but in any case I am happy to do that. As usual it is a job that I would have done poorly when and if I had gotten to it. Same with the fence for our goat pen. So here are pictures of the barn addition and the fence. Not much to see on the fence but it was a heck of a lot of work.
Mark brought back a bunch of handicrafts from San Cristobal so I will be posting pictures of those here soon. We are going to try to sell then and transfer the money back to the women in the weaving coop in San Cristobal that Aracelli works with.
Richard became really attached to the goats while he was here. He took care of them in the morning and the night. He was a little too generous with the food though and I think Dora put on a little weight. We trimmed hooves and dewormed them so he could get some real goat learning. We are anxious to get the herd started at La Casa de Camillo Torres as soon as possible. Hopefully by this fall or winter. I counted the goats when Richard and Mark left and they were all still here so he didn't sneak 
one out with him. I am sure he is missing them though. When you read Richard's post you will see a picture of Princess his new great pyrenese livestock guard dog. One of the things that came out of having Princess here was the eventual need for a mate for her. Pat and I also wanted to get a guard dog of our own so when we saw two male great pyrenese/anatolian shepherd cross pups for sale we bought them with the understanding that one will be going back with Richard after his next trip to the states. Here are their pictures. Their names are Buck and Buddy. Buck is going to Mexico because Richard said he calls every guy he knows Buddy so there is no need for more confusion.
one out with him. I am sure he is missing them though. When you read Richard's post you will see a picture of Princess his new great pyrenese livestock guard dog. One of the things that came out of having Princess here was the eventual need for a mate for her. Pat and I also wanted to get a guard dog of our own so when we saw two male great pyrenese/anatolian shepherd cross pups for sale we bought them with the understanding that one will be going back with Richard after his next trip to the states. Here are their pictures. Their names are Buck and Buddy. Buck is going to Mexico because Richard said he calls every guy he knows Buddy so there is no need for more confusion. God bless the work of Richard, Aracelli, Emily and all of their friends in Chiapas. Thanks for reading.
Jim
P.S. I still have a bottle of Jatoun olive oil for the first person to email me.
A TREK, MAY-EARLY JULY, ‘08
Victor Elizondo in his book THE FUTURE IS MESTIZO talks of Jesus, the man from Galilee who lived as a migrant in a place with Greeks on one side, Jews on the other. Rather like an Hispanic living in Texas, neither American nor Mexican but one who could be more.
On this latest journey I was reminded much of the historical Jesus. The Jesus who lived amongst the poor.
I set out by plane from San Cristobal de Las Casas to Mexico City then on to Charlotte, N.C. with a final landing in Kansas City. The trip was strange, as usual, with many conversations around me in Spanish on my way to Charlotte. From Charlotte to Kansas City the plane was filled with NASCAR folks. Mostly mechanics with tools checked on into the luggage. So the conversations were mostly about the current stars on the NASCAR circuit.
In Kansas City I was picked up by my cousin, Peggy Giokaris, who is physically disabled with a problem of the heart. Only, her heart still functions well in her life. Her children were usual young teenagers so we had a fine time. I got to a gathering/retreat on Immigration of mostly Catholic Workers where I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with old friends and meet new people. From Carl Kabot to Frank Cordaro the groups were lively.
On this latest journey I was reminded much of the historical Jesus. The Jesus who lived amongst the poor.
I set out by plane from San Cristobal de Las Casas to Mexico City then on to Charlotte, N.C. with a final landing in Kansas City. The trip was strange, as usual, with many conversations around me in Spanish on my way to Charlotte. From Charlotte to Kansas City the plane was filled with NASCAR folks. Mostly mechanics with tools checked on into the luggage. So the conversations were mostly about the current stars on the NASCAR circuit.
In Kansas City I was picked up by my cousin, Peggy Giokaris, who is physically disabled with a problem of the heart. Only, her heart still functions well in her life. Her children were usual young teenagers so we had a fine time. I got to a gathering/retreat on Immigration of mostly Catholic Workers where I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with old friends and meet new people. From Carl Kabot to Frank Cordaro the groups were lively.
While in K.C. I stayed at the Shalom House Catholic Worker in K.C., Kansas where I got to meet with Halsey and Miro and Pedro. The house was a joy to stay in with lots of good food, camaraderie and a place for the poor to hang out and be good.
I cadged a ride from K.C. to Des Moines to meet up with the workers there where I stayed in Dingman house with Mike Fuller, Kirk Brown, et al. A wonderful time it was with lots of petty spats, deep conversations, moments of faith and hope. The usual Catholic Worker stuff. I managed to get some work done on the house electrical system, building a new sleeping loft, some minor repairs, etc. In return, the Worker there paid for new tires and shocks on the pickup that I got donated and which now sits outside this little apartment in San Cristobal..
My talks started quickly and I went to Greenfield, Iowa to the United Methodist Church. What a joy to stay at the home of Catherine and Jay Howe. (They had formerly visited our little project here in San C.) Catherine was a gracious hostess and a wonderful spirit both at her home and in the community. A wise woman, she helped me get a truck donated (a ’98 Chevy pickup) so that I could again bring tools and supplies back down for our projects here. After my visit to Greenfield I am more convinced than ever that small towns are the life-blood of the United States.
Back in Des Moines I went to work for Forest Corson at Language-Tech and his family building a fence, tearing out the entryway and building a new one, installing a small worm bed in the rear and in general tearing up the yard a lot. My workers were various through the actual time of working. I always try to employ the poor around me at the Catholic Worker. The workers were good and bad, like all of us. Some days there was a terrific camaraderie while other days were marked with ill-humor and all the foibles that drug addiction produces. But the job got done. And, it was done well. And, I made enough money to get the things needed for down here and was able to get to Omaha where I was going to have the truck worked on and readied for the trip by an old friend.
I stayed around Des Moines long enough to take part in a talk with Bob Cook and Gil Dawes, clergymen from the region. Bob has spent much of his life working with the poor in El Salvador while Gil presented an interesting view of Panama. I fear I didn’t hold up my end of the event in talking about Chiapas as I got into a rant about U.S. policies in the region and the effect they had on those around us (i.e. the effects of Nafta, the School of the Americas, the responsibility of each of the U.S. citizens in saying NO to the current immigration policy, etc.) Lois Crilley, our good friend, managed to organize the whole thing and I think it was well done. She’s a wonderful spirit, that Lois.
In Omaha I went to mass at Holy Family, as is my usual custom when I am anywhere near, only to find that Fr. Lee Lubbers had been hospitalized and later went to the Jesuit Hospice Care Center. Amongst the Holy Family crowd I always find great joy and a strange peace amongst all the chaos of their work. Roger Flannery got me involved with a young fellow working on vegetable seeds (which we are just beginning to plant this week) while Ralph Heuser and I had a great chance to visit (while I borrowed his wife’s car since she was out of town.) The truck repair went on for awhile so I ended up getting to visit Fr. Lee in his Hospice care on several occasions. What a spirit? I have never seen anyone approach death in such a loving, magnanimous way. On my last day in Omaha I went to visit him and found him at Mass with a few others. What a glorious mass of five believers and two old priests. I shall never forget the Holy Spirit that visited us all as we partook of the communion. I understand that Lee died a few days after my visit. I shall not forget that great force in my life. His sense of aesthetics, our shared interest in languages, the worker priests of Paris, the Catholic Worker, etc. And, as good a priest as he was, as fine a scholar as he was, he was a better man than all of that. I never met anyone in my life who had such an intellect and yet was so humble. A truly great spirit.
As I was getting ready to leave Omaha, tornadoes struck. When I got to Des Moines the flooding was just beginning so I got out quick.
My friends in Des Moines, Joanna Russell and her son, Ryan, helped me get a Great Pyrenees puppy who is currently named Princess, though from her behavior she should be called “The Queen.” A real delight she was on the trip, though only three months old.
I stopped off at my cousin Peggy’s in K.C. where Princess was the star of the show with Peggy’s 2 older dogs and two teenagers. The following day Princess and I headed out to Texas where I met up with Jim Groff and his wife Pat. The princess was equally at home trying to be the queen of their household, as well.
Mark Kinney rode his motorcycle down from Omaha to join me at Jim and Pat’s where we built fence, a small goat enclosure, etc. to earn enough to get back down to the projects here in San Cristobal. (And a plane ticket for Mark for his return as he accompanied me down in the truck with the dog.)
Both Mark and I had a blast doing hard labor again. Talking, reading and living with the Groff family. I truly love the diversity of all of our lives with Mark representing a real worker’s background (he usually refers to Catholic Workers as Catholic Slackers…) with what Peter Maurin would call a scholars knowledge of The Gospels. Jim with his Academic job that he does well because he is such a good Christian- a real peacemaker. Pat and Chris Groff are the holy ones among us. Pat has this quiet kind of grace that goes everywhere with her while Chris is the truthteller of us all. A grand time it was.
The trip down was different this time. The taxes were higher on the truck importation but much less on the goods we brought into the country. For the first time ever, I had to pay no bribes on the journey. Yes, Mexico is changing.
Araceli was here to welcome us all, along with a guest from the Las Vegas Catholic Worker, Andrew Davit. It was a treat but I am glad that everyone is gone and it is back to just Araceli and I in the house. The farm has done well in my absence with seeds galore sprouting with all kinds of flowers and vegetables aplenty. God is bountiful.
None of what we are able to do in our little project here in Chiapas would be possible without the people named above and all of the “nameless” along the way. We are truly blessed in this life. Saludos, Richard Flamer
I cadged a ride from K.C. to Des Moines to meet up with the workers there where I stayed in Dingman house with Mike Fuller, Kirk Brown, et al. A wonderful time it was with lots of petty spats, deep conversations, moments of faith and hope. The usual Catholic Worker stuff. I managed to get some work done on the house electrical system, building a new sleeping loft, some minor repairs, etc. In return, the Worker there paid for new tires and shocks on the pickup that I got donated and which now sits outside this little apartment in San Cristobal..
My talks started quickly and I went to Greenfield, Iowa to the United Methodist Church. What a joy to stay at the home of Catherine and Jay Howe. (They had formerly visited our little project here in San C.) Catherine was a gracious hostess and a wonderful spirit both at her home and in the community. A wise woman, she helped me get a truck donated (a ’98 Chevy pickup) so that I could again bring tools and supplies back down for our projects here. After my visit to Greenfield I am more convinced than ever that small towns are the life-blood of the United States.
Back in Des Moines I went to work for Forest Corson at Language-Tech and his family building a fence, tearing out the entryway and building a new one, installing a small worm bed in the rear and in general tearing up the yard a lot. My workers were various through the actual time of working. I always try to employ the poor around me at the Catholic Worker. The workers were good and bad, like all of us. Some days there was a terrific camaraderie while other days were marked with ill-humor and all the foibles that drug addiction produces. But the job got done. And, it was done well. And, I made enough money to get the things needed for down here and was able to get to Omaha where I was going to have the truck worked on and readied for the trip by an old friend.
I stayed around Des Moines long enough to take part in a talk with Bob Cook and Gil Dawes, clergymen from the region. Bob has spent much of his life working with the poor in El Salvador while Gil presented an interesting view of Panama. I fear I didn’t hold up my end of the event in talking about Chiapas as I got into a rant about U.S. policies in the region and the effect they had on those around us (i.e. the effects of Nafta, the School of the Americas, the responsibility of each of the U.S. citizens in saying NO to the current immigration policy, etc.) Lois Crilley, our good friend, managed to organize the whole thing and I think it was well done. She’s a wonderful spirit, that Lois.
In Omaha I went to mass at Holy Family, as is my usual custom when I am anywhere near, only to find that Fr. Lee Lubbers had been hospitalized and later went to the Jesuit Hospice Care Center. Amongst the Holy Family crowd I always find great joy and a strange peace amongst all the chaos of their work. Roger Flannery got me involved with a young fellow working on vegetable seeds (which we are just beginning to plant this week) while Ralph Heuser and I had a great chance to visit (while I borrowed his wife’s car since she was out of town.) The truck repair went on for awhile so I ended up getting to visit Fr. Lee in his Hospice care on several occasions. What a spirit? I have never seen anyone approach death in such a loving, magnanimous way. On my last day in Omaha I went to visit him and found him at Mass with a few others. What a glorious mass of five believers and two old priests. I shall never forget the Holy Spirit that visited us all as we partook of the communion. I understand that Lee died a few days after my visit. I shall not forget that great force in my life. His sense of aesthetics, our shared interest in languages, the worker priests of Paris, the Catholic Worker, etc. And, as good a priest as he was, as fine a scholar as he was, he was a better man than all of that. I never met anyone in my life who had such an intellect and yet was so humble. A truly great spirit.
As I was getting ready to leave Omaha, tornadoes struck. When I got to Des Moines the flooding was just beginning so I got out quick.
My friends in Des Moines, Joanna Russell and her son, Ryan, helped me get a Great Pyrenees puppy who is currently named Princess, though from her behavior she should be called “The Queen.” A real delight she was on the trip, though only three months old.
I stopped off at my cousin Peggy’s in K.C. where Princess was the star of the show with Peggy’s 2 older dogs and two teenagers. The following day Princess and I headed out to Texas where I met up with Jim Groff and his wife Pat. The princess was equally at home trying to be the queen of their household, as well.
Mark Kinney rode his motorcycle down from Omaha to join me at Jim and Pat’s where we built fence, a small goat enclosure, etc. to earn enough to get back down to the projects here in San Cristobal. (And a plane ticket for Mark for his return as he accompanied me down in the truck with the dog.)Both Mark and I had a blast doing hard labor again. Talking, reading and living with the Groff family. I truly love the diversity of all of our lives with Mark representing a real worker’s background (he usually refers to Catholic Workers as Catholic Slackers…) with what Peter Maurin would call a scholars knowledge of The Gospels. Jim with his Academic job that he does well because he is such a good Christian- a real peacemaker. Pat and Chris Groff are the holy ones among us. Pat has this quiet kind of grace that goes everywhere with her while Chris is the truthteller of us all. A grand time it was.
The trip down was different this time. The taxes were higher on the truck importation but much less on the goods we brought into the country. For the first time ever, I had to pay no bribes on the journey. Yes, Mexico is changing.
Araceli was here to welcome us all, along with a guest from the Las Vegas Catholic Worker, Andrew Davit. It was a treat but I am glad that everyone is gone and it is back to just Araceli and I in the house. The farm has done well in my absence with seeds galore sprouting with all kinds of flowers and vegetables aplenty. God is bountiful.
None of what we are able to do in our little project here in Chiapas would be possible without the people named above and all of the “nameless” along the way. We are truly blessed in this life. Saludos, Richard Flamer
Sunday, May 4, 2008
New Posts
Richard is in the US visiting supporters in the Midwest. He started off his visit with a presentation at the Midwest Catholic Worker Retreat in Kansas City on April 28/29. I have posted Frank Cordero's update with links to a number of pictures.
I have also posted an open letter from La Via Campesina that was sent to Richard by Catherine Howe. It is well worth reading.
Finally, I have an update from Emily on her work at Campo Santiago with some great pictures by Allen Rice.
Now the big question. Does anyone read our posts? No one emailed me to get the free bottle of Zatoun Olive Oil. Surely that is a gift worth an email. So if you don't want the olive oil at least one person please write a comment so I know there is someone besides me reading this. Thanks.
Jim
I have also posted an open letter from La Via Campesina that was sent to Richard by Catherine Howe. It is well worth reading.
Finally, I have an update from Emily on her work at Campo Santiago with some great pictures by Allen Rice.
Now the big question. Does anyone read our posts? No one emailed me to get the free bottle of Zatoun Olive Oil. Surely that is a gift worth an email. So if you don't want the olive oil at least one person please write a comment so I know there is someone besides me reading this. Thanks.
Jim
An update from Emily
The pictures on this page are from Allen Rice. They are of the children in Chiapas who Emily works with.Dear group,
I have missed sending out my last couple of reports so todays report will include it all. Last week I was happy to take with me my mom and my friend claire. They both enjoyed the community and the people were excited to meet them. I have been getting busy with lots of vominting and diahrea. Last week I took one baby and mom to the doctor, today she reports the baby doing much better. (The picture at the right is of this mom and baby) 
I have two appointments for next week for the same thing. I was able to help a couple families out with some hospital bills. One was a women with 6 kids who had a miscarraige and was in the hospital for 5 days, another was a man with diahrea who I mentioned in a earlier report, and the last one was a mother who took her baby in for chickenpox. They were all very grateful for the help. 
Today I also saw a 10 month old who was seen two days earlier in the hospital for vomiting and diahrea. He is not doing better and is still vominting up everything. I educated the mom about food to give him, small portions, and keeping him hydrated. He has the medicine he needs he just needs to eat and drink. The mom reported she has no money to buy the proper food, so I was able to get some food for her and some pedialyte. 
I will check up on that next week. I was able to deliver old clothes my son does not use to about 6 different families, and two new pairs of earings for babies whos ears were infected becuase of improper technique. I also took the lady who needs her gallbladder out and who was sick a few weeks back with a parasite infection for some blood test today.
I will check up on that next week. I was able to deliver old clothes my son does not use to about 6 different families, and two new pairs of earings for babies whos ears were infected becuase of improper technique. I also took the lady who needs her gallbladder out and who was sick a few weeks back with a parasite infection for some blood test today.
Alot of the sick kids I see are very malnourshed and the parents have no money for food. If they could eat right they would not be so sick all of the time. Anyone interested in providing money for food to a family I would be happy to set it up and deliver food to them each week.
Emily
Frank Cordero Provided this update on the Kansas City CW Conference.
Richard was one of the presenters at the Kansas City CW Retreat at the end of April. The report below was prepared by Frank Cordero from the Des Moines Catholic Worker House.
What is this? Someone was playing music and Richard was singing. Some pictures from the Kansas City CW Retreat. More photos are included at the links below.Report and Photos: April 26-28 Midwest CW Resistance Retreat in KC MO- Immigration Protest Leads to Six Arrests
Slide Shows:
Slide Show from April 26-27 Retreat
Slide Show of Witness at KC Federal Building – Monday April 28, 2008
More than 100 people circled at the entrance of the Federal Buildingin Kansas City, MO, on Monday, April 28, 2008, to protest U.S. immigration policies. Holding a 40-foot banner with panels that read"NO MAS MUERTES POR LA PRONTERA", "NO MORE BORDER DEATHS", "DON'TDEPORT MY NEIGHBORS", and "NO DEPORTA MIS VECINOS," Catholic Workers and friends called for an end to policies that lead to the needless death and suffering of families who try to cross the border seeking economic survival. Most of the protesters also carried wooden crosses bearing the names of those who had died in their attempt to cross.The group began the protest with Ellen Euclide from Su Casa Catholic Worker in Chicago reading a prepared statement decrying the inhumanity of current policies, (see text of statement below) and then staged a"die-in" as some fell to the ground to represent the deaths at our borders. They also called out the names of those who had died.
Within ten minutes, federal marshals arrived and asked the group to move from federal grounds. All but six complied with the order and relocated the protest on the public sidewalk. The six who remained were immediately arrested. They are: Frank Cordaro, 57, Catholic Worker from Des Moines, Iowa; Eric Garbison, 39, Kansas City Catholic Worker (Cherith Brook House); Mike Leutgeb Munson, 25, Catholic Worker from Winona, MN; Jacob Olzen, a peace activist from Roselle, IL; Harold "Halsey" Reynolds IV, 30, Kansas City, KS, Catholic Worker(Shalom House); and Henry Stoever, 59, attorney and peace activist from Overland Park, KS. All six were issued a federal citation and released the same day. They may either pay a $75 fine or appear in court on June 23rd. All are still reviewing their options. The action was the culmination of the 6th Annual Midwest Catholic Workers Resistance Retreat held each spring. This year's retreat was held in Kansas City. Previous retreats have taken place in St. Louis MO, Omaha NE, Minneapolis, MN, Columbia, MO, and South Bend, IN.
The retreat attracted more than 100 Catholic Workers and local community activists. Catholic Workers from nine cities; Columbia, MO,St. Louis, MO, Omaha, NE, Yankton, SD, Des Moines, IA, Winona, MN,Chicago, IL, Wisconsin Dells, WI, and Tucson, AZ, were in attendance. The theme of the three-day retreat was "Beyond Walls of Fear: FaithResistance to Unjust Immigration Policies and Practices" and invited participants to examine the impact of U.S. immigration policies.Presenters included Maryada Vallet and Walt Stanton representing the No More Deaths project http://www.nomoredeaths.org/ that provides humanitarian aid to stranded border crossers in Arizona. Former Des Moines Catholic Worker, Richard Flamer now with the Chiapas Project in Mexico also presented. The Chiapas Project offers aid to Central American as well as Mexicans in Chiapas, Mexico. http://www.bishopruizproject.org/ The retreat was hosted by the threeKansas City-area Catholic Worker communities, Cherith Brook, Shalom,and the Holy Family Catholic Worker houses.
--------------------------------
Prepared Midwest CW Statement read at the Immigration protest at theKansas City, MO, Federal Building.
"As Catholic Workers we refuse to accept that extending humanitarian aid to immigrants is illegal, and we will continue to provide hospitality and support without discrimination. 'We gather to witness at our federal building protesting policies that have resulted in a rising number of deaths each year at theU.S./Mexico border, especially of women and children. 'Border policies have made it here to Kansas City resulting in raids, deportations, and family separations. These actions are instilling an overall climate of fear amongst ourselves and our neighbors. In response we publicly proclaim: No more deaths! Don't deport our neighbors!"
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