September Newsletter: Common Sense

September 5, 2026 by admin

“At that time Jesus took a walk one Sabbath day through the cornfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick ears of corn and eat them. The Pharisees noticed it and said to him ‘Look your disciples are doing something that is forbidden on the Sabbath.’” (Matt 12)

Dear friends, Each week a few of us visit “encampments” of the very poor. These encampments are unhealthy, unsafe, dangerous and have nothing in common with camping at Yosemite. Often while visiting men and women (our friends) who are homeless, our volunteers (some retired nurses) see infected feet, urine bags that are broken or dirty, open cuts, coughing & sneezing & headaches that could be the flu etc. Dispensing medicines, cleaning wounds that are infected, changing urine bags….these acts of kindness and love could be viewed as dangerous and risky for our caregivers – especially since we have no corporate insurance. What if something goes wrong?

There is a strong tradition in the Catholic Worker Movement of using “common sense” instead of hiding behind doing what is professional. In the corporate world, “Being professional” often means avoiding possible litigation. In the military, “professional” often means “covering your ass.” Catholic Workers always seek to be excellent and informed and try to respond as best we can using “common sense.” We do give out medicine (Tylenol, Nyquil, Aspirin, etc) and we clean & bandage abscesses and change urine bags. We have called 911 even as our sick homeless friend has yelled, “NO DON’T CALL THEM!” We have saved lives on our front porch. Teachers, doctors, soldiers, workers of all kinds are often faced with the very same question: Will I do the right thing even if it is considered by many to be unprofessional?

When any of us respond directly to those in need, at times we will have to choose love over the law. The more we have to lose, the harder it is to risk doing what it right. It’s been said that “fear is the opposite of faith.” If we are afraid, it might stop us from responding to the hungry. Years ago, one of our volunteers, David Grady, started Sandwiches On Sundays. As this bag lunch for the homeless grew in scope the question arose: “How can we feed so many poor without liability insurance?” The answer is easy. USE COMMON SENSE: Be careful with the food, wash your hands often, and love one another in the breaking of the bread. It is just like cooking dinner for your family. S.O.S. has been feeding the poor for over 25 years in Redwood City and San Mateo.

“A man was there who had a withered hand. They asked him, ‘Is it against the law to cure a man on the Sabbath day?’” (Matt 12)

Years ago, a Redwood City code enforcement officer told sweet, gentle Sr. Mary Jane Floyd (AKA the steel butterfly) that she had to immediately remove the sign in front of our 25 year old English Language School that said: “Language School” and had about a 4 inch arrow pointing down her driveway. This sign was no bigger than those seen in many gardens that say “protected by ADT.” Mary Jane refused based on common sense and said, “I’ll go to jail before I remove that sign.” As far as I know, Mary Jane had never risked civil disobedience in her life. The sign stayed. May God bless us all with common sense as we try to treat one another as ONE FAMILY of sisters and brothers.

Peace and joy, Larry Purcell, Ronnie Georges, Susan Crane, Aurora Thibault, J Arthur White

NOTICE: The Catholic Worker House
and St Vincent de Paul Conference at St. Matthias
invite you to a talk:
“Community and Resistance”
Our speakers will be: Mark Colville and Martha Hennessy
Thursday September 24th. in the evening at 7 pm.
St. Matthias Church, 1685 Cordilleras Rd, Redwood City

Needs

Food in any amount. We especially need frozen hamburger patties, lasagna, coffee, powdered creamer etc. for our breakfast program.
Household needs: Simple Green cleaner, Kleenex, shampoo, detergent, black garbage bags, condiments, sugar, a car for Aurora, freezer bags,
Transportation: cars, bikes, trucks and RV’s. After housing and a job, the next priority is transportation.
We will have families adopted at CHRISTMAS TIME. If you want to help with gifts call Larry 650-366-4415.
To hire a man or woman, call the day laborers at 650-339-2794.
Homeless: tents, sleeping bags, deodorant, razors, camping stuff, back packs. Call Susan 650-366-4415.
A house or money to buy a house for another Catholic Worker center.
Your ongoing love and support. Sophia is off to college in Minnesota and is very excited and her sister, Sjohna, is just starting as a freshwoman at Sacred Heart High School in Atherton—these are very exciting times.

June 2026 newsletter

June 27, 2026 by admin

“The faithful all lived together and owned everything in common; they sold their goods and possessions and shared out the proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed.” (Acts 2)

Dear Friends, June 2026

The US bombing of Iran is a war crime. If there is any doubt, think of the 165 children in the grammar school who were killed during the initial bombing. Bombing boats on the Caribbean is a war crime. Enforcing embargos so that the Cuban people cannot get medicines, supplies or fuel they need to live is a violation of international law. Giving weapons to Israel that are used to commit genocide is a crime against peace. We have blood on our hands.

There are so many injustices around us right now, everyone could add many more items to the list. So how do we respond? How do we bring about change and withdraw our compliance from the criminality of our government?

The strength of people nonviolently acting together is the most powerful force we have. We have the nonviolent tools of boycotts, labor strikes, large numbers of nonviolent people on the streets…all leading to a general strike which could upend this current regime. The “No Kings” day gatherings are a start: So many joyful people, so much hope for a better world for everyone.

Perhaps we are ready to imagine a world that isn’t run by the military/ industrial/intelligence complex. Perhaps we are ready to imagine a world where we disarm our nuclear weapons, where we treat others, near and far, as brother and sister. Perhaps we are ready to imagine a world where medicine, schools, housing, are not all about profit, but about actual justice for people and the earth. Perhaps we can imagine a world where all people, children, women and men, are assured dignity and human rights.

We can unlearn war. We can live in community with others. We can convert our weapons manufacturing to useful work that sustains human life and the earth. We can get out from under the contagion of violence.

What keeps us from taking the next steps? What keeps us so compliant? Can we talk with others and imagine a world without hierarchy and exchange, and then take that one step out of our comfort zone toward making our world more merciful and just?

Stanley Milgram did an interesting experiment at Yale about obedience and authority. He set up an experiment in which volunteers thought they were giving people a memory test. The volunteers were told to shock the learners with progressively stronger shocks when they made mistakes. The learners were actually actors, who made mistakes, and, as the shocks got stronger, yelled for help. The volunteers were told by the scientists, in white lab coats with clip boards, that they were to continue the test to the end. The volunteers were told that silence was considered a wrong answer, and the shock must be given.

Most of the volunteers continued to shock the learners, even after cries for help.

In a variation they also studied, a second actor was placed at the table with the volunteer. This actor would at some point say, “This is crazy. I refuse to continue.” At that point, the volunteers would also refuse to continue.

To me, this gives us an argument for community in resistance.

It is hard to stand up to authority alone, but with others, it is easier in discussion to get to the truth, and decide what to do.When people are in community, we get strength from each other, and resistance to unjust authority breaks us out of our compliance. Some of us call this community the Body of Christ.

Love, Susan Crane for all of us.

P.S. Susan returns to Germany this Summer to give a series of talks on non-violent resistance to nuclear weapons. Please be patient with us when we are less efficient without her presence.

NEEDS

Food in any amount. We especially need main dishes for our breakfasts for the homeless (150 meals on Wed, 150 meals on Thurs). Costco Cards are the best. We use Lasagna, hamburger patties, coffee, powdered creamer, etc. Call Susan or Aurora 650-366-4415.
Household needs. Kleenex, Simple Green cleaner, detergent, toothpaste, a reliable car for Aurora and her family, dish soap, Back packs with school supplies. Both Sophia and Sjohna graduated this year. One from High School and the other from 8^th grade. What an accomplishment.
Transportation: bikes, cars and trucks
Workers: If you need men or women, call the Day Laborer
Hiring Hall (closed weekends) 650-339-2794
A house or money to buy a house. Call Larry 650-366-4415.
Your ongoing love and support.

March Newsletter: Life or Death? Resist Warmaking!

April 7, 2026 by admin

“My definition of Resurrection is Phil Berrigan’s ass in
Jail.” (William Stringfellow –theologian).

Dear Friends, Easter 2026

In early March, a group of 45 non-violent resisters to war and nuclear weapons met to encourage and invite one another in our search for “A WORLD WITHOUT WAR.”

Some will say, “This is a utopian search.” It’s good to remember that not long ago slavery was commonly accepted in most parts of our world. Today, in a few places on earth, women still cannot work outside their homes and are not allowed to decide anything. My grandparents on my mom’s side of the family were an arranged marriage in the beautiful mountains of Lebanon. In the beginning, love had nothing to do with their marriage. The arc of history is long and it bends toward justice and life. Love is not utopian.

Our group of resisters gathered in Bangor Washington which houses the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. These high ranking soldiers discussed a possible nuclear exchange between major powers and mentioned in passing that there would be a minimum of 30,000,000 U.S. casualties. Yes, that is correct “Thirty Million U.S. casualties.” These nukes are often described as guaranteed Peace through “Mutual Assured Destruction” or “MAD” for short. Kennedy was so upset and disgusted he walked out of the meeting prematurely.

There is a railroad track running right into the middle of the Naval Weapons Facility at Bangor Washington. As a 21 year old, I stood on similar tracks in Germany that led right into the middle the Dachau Death Camp. These weapons will be flying ovens that will vaporize everyone and everything from San Francisco to San Jose: our children….hospitals…. families and their homes….schools…libraries…churches and synagogues….neighborhoods…everything GONE IN A FLASH! We will not be able to find Redwood City let alone the loves of our lives. The “living” will rise up with the nuclear cloud and find God. The dead will be condemned to wander the earth alone. They will know hell on earth.

“What you did to the least of these you did to me.” (Jesus). OMG! OMG!! OMG!!!

The reason William Stringfellow described Resurrection as “Phil Berrigan’s ass in jail” was because Phil’s lifelong resistance and residence in Jail meant “LIFE IS STRONGER THAN DEATH.”

At the end of our retreat, twelve of us (Susan Crane and myself included) were arrested for “disorderly conduct.” We temporarily blockaded the entrance to the home of Trident Nuclear Submarines and the “first strike” missiles they carry. Each of the 7 Trident Nuclear Subs in the Pacific carry 24 missiles. Eight more Trident Nuclear Subs lurk in the Atlantic Ocean. Each missile carries 8 separately targeted nuclear bombs. These missiles and bombs can travel 4,000 miles in 30 minutes and have an accuracy within 300ft. The only reason to have so many warheads with such power and accuracy is if these weapons are made to be used first and take out hardened land missiles in Russia and China; and take out their command and control centers; and take out their airplanes and their ships. Of course, there will be mistakes and a few targets will not be taken out – ergo 30,000,000 U.S. casualties. This is not security. This is MADNESS.

Many years ago, Dorothy Day said “What we do is very little.” That is correct today. Nevertheless, we each must do whatever we can to celebrate life over death.

HOLY EASTER

Larry Purcell, Ronnie Georges, Susan Crane, Aurora Thibault and J Arthur White

Needs

1, Food in any amount. We especially need main dishes for our breakfasts for the homeless (150 meals on Wed. and then 120 meals on Thursdays). Chicken, lasagna, Hamburger patties, etc. We also need hot cups, plastic forks, coffee, powdered creamer, rice, etc. Call Susan or Aurora 650-366-4415.

2. Household needs; Kleenex, Simple Green cleanser, detergent, tooth paste, deodorant,

3, a reliable car for Aurora and her family, condiments, etc.

4. Transportation: bikes, cars, and trucks.

5. Workers: If you need men or women, call the Day Laborer Hiring hall (closed Week ends) at 650-339-2794.

6. A house or money to buy a house: Call Larry 650-366-4415.

7. This summer Susan has been invited back to Germany and Europe to give a series of resistance talks. If you would like to help with her budget that would be helpful. Call Susan 650-366-4415.

8. Your ongoing love and support.

December 2025: “The Word became flesh and lived among us.”

December 12, 2025 by admin

Dear Friends, Holy Christmas
About 30 years ago, two of our dearest supporters (Marc and Ragni Pasturel) funded the beginnings of a Catholic Worker House in Guadalupe, California (a small farming community where many many very poor farmworkers and ranch hands live and work). In addition to befriending the poor by feeding hundreds of them, housing a few of them, and running a massive medical clinic, once a month two of the Catholic Workers in Guadalupe stand on the corner with signs. Their signs were often against violence. For example, “No Nukes” or “love your enemies” or “Stop the Killing.” Recently their sign read, “ICE BE NICE.” As they were standing there, an unknown Hispanic man drove by and asked: “Can I take your picture?” They said, “Sure.” He posted their picture and within an hour they were surrounded by 400 mostly Hispanic neighbors who were carrying American and Mexican flags, singing, chanting, dancing, and laughing together. There is a lot of fear in our world today and there is so much strength in solidarity. The Body of Christ is powerful….is joyful…and is alive this Christmas.
Have a holy Christmas,
Larry Purcell, Ronnie Georges, Susan Crane,
Aurora Thibault, and J. Arthur White

After I (Larry) wrote the above, Susan Crane sent me an email. This is her reflection:
This morning I was playing with the West Bay Community Band at the San Carlos airport. Santa was soon to arrive by helicopter, children were excited. We played many of the traditional Christmas carols that I had sung in church as a child. I love music. We played “Oh Little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.” Oh no, I am thinking. Not today. The West Bank is immersed in intermittent war, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in this current war on Palestine. The family of Jesus were Palestinian Jewish refugees who had to flee.
As a country, we aren’t doing very well welcoming refugees, and we continually build weapons and sell them abroad as a method of keeping our economy going and making profits for warmakers.
In light of this, it is hard to know what makes sense in my daily life. I come to the conclusion that it makes sense to help those in need, to be kind to the people around me, to welcome the immigrants around us, to try to treat others justly and kindly. The authorities in the governments can bomb and destroy, but the one thing they can’t do is make us treat anyone as our enemy, or destroy the kindness and compassion that we feel and practice toward others and the earth.

Needs

Food in any amount. Our Wednesday and Thursday morning breakfasts for the homeless are a big hit. Faithful volunteers (along with Susan and Aurora) prepare home cooked delicacies and they are spectacular (lasagna, chicken, hamburgers, sausage & eggs, piping hot coffee, etc). On the Friday before Thanksgiving we gave out two gigantic bags of fresh produce, rice & beans, a box of fruit, a turkey and a $50 bill to 172 families that started lining up at 7a.m. for a food distribution at 11am. Food scarcity is real. Moms were so grateful – smiling, crying, and hugging us in gratitude. Your help really helps.
Household needs: black garbage bags, condiments, Simple Green and Pine Sol, Kleenex, deodorant, razors, Call Susan or Aurora 650-366-4415.
Transportation: We need a reliable vehicle for Aurora’s family; her car is dying. We also have a list of others who need transportation. We were given 30 bikes and they were gone in a week.
Homeless needs: sleeping bags, backpacks, underwear, bus passes, tents, tarps, food gift cards etc. Call Susan 650-366-4415.
A house or money to buy a house for a Catholic Worker center. Call Larry 650-366-4415.
Your ongoing love and support.

September 2025 Newsletter. “I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life.” (John 14)

September 27, 2025 by admin

Dear Friends, Sept. 2025

As Catholic Workers, we try to make sense out of everyday life and the gospels. We believe that the blue star streaking through the black velvet of outer space called Earth is home for the “family of God” and that on Earth we are all sisters and brothers. We know that all wars are civil wars, immigration issues are family issues. We know that love is the answer because “God is Love” and we are born to “love one another.”

Our commander-in-chief is a convicted felon and yet he ran on a platform of being “tough on crime.” He sent troops to L.A. against the wishes of the Mayor of L.A. and the governor of Calif. He’s now sending federal troops to take over policing Washington D.C. However, he failed to send any help of any kind to our Capitol Police on January 6, 2021 when they and our Congress were actively under violent attack and screaming for help. We all saw this on T.V. Then our “tough on crime” commander-in-chief pardoned & freed many of the violent protestors who were found guilty and imprisoned for injuring over 100 law enforcement officers and causing millions of dollars in damage. “Tough on Crime” Is a lie.

Our commander-in-chief, the felon and liar, built a wall along our border to keep immigrants out. Remember he promised us that Mexico would pay for this wall – another lie. He’s now offering a $50,000 bonus and college debt forgiveness to men and women who sign up to work for ICE. The goal of ICE is to arrest and deport our sisters and brothers. In 2024 while on the campaign trail, Trump promised to deport “the worst of the worst” undocumented immigrants from the U.S. On June 1, 2025, traceports.org found that 22,438 undocumented people detained by ICE have no criminal record. CNN reported on June 16, 2025, that less than 10% of those detained by ICE have been convicted or charged with a serious crime. Many of these immigrants are taxpaying workers and parents of children who are U.S. citizens. Families are being torn apart. He’s sending some of these immigrants to notoriously violent, overcrowded prisons in El Salvador. Even though he condemns immigrants in the U.S., our commander-in-chief (the felon who is soft on crime and a liar) tells the Arab States that they should open their borders to the millions of Palestinians so that he and others can develop their water front property. To add insult to injury, our commander expedited the arrival to the U.S. of 157 white Afrikaners immigrants whom he claimed, without evidence, were victims of genocide by the South African government.

Our commander-in-chief touts States Rights and less national government over-sight when it suits his needs (abortion and the environment) and simultaneously sends out national edicts on what elite schools can teach, how they should manage protestors, what ideas are acceptable in the classroom and what kind of research and development should be funded!!!! This does not sound like less federal government intrusion. What happened to States Rights and the independence of universities?

As Catholic Workers, we feed the poor, we house the homeless and we visit the imprisoned in the name of Christ. We never ask our brothers and sisters about their immigration status. Love is the answer. It is difficult to love in the midst of so many, many, many lies from the highest places.

Peace and gratitude, Larry Purcell, Ronnie Georges, Susan Crane, Aurora Thibault, and J Arthur White.

Needs
Food in any amount. Especially breakfast food (frozen lasagna, frozen chicken parts, eggs, sausage), Costco gift cards, coffee, powdered creamer. Call Susan 650-366-4415.
Household needs: laundry detergent, dish soap, large black garbage bags, brooms, cups for hot drinks, toilet paper, paper towels, plastic forks, condiments, Kleenex, computers, food carts with strong wheels etc.
Transportation: CARS, trucks, bikes and bus passes
For Thanksgiving and Christmas we will collect $20 Target gift cards to give to families who line up for our weekly Friday food give away. 150 families show up each holiday. We will have a list of families that need to be adopted at Christmas time. We will need Christmas gifts.
Our Friends living on the street: sleeping bags, tents, back packs, Bikes, locks, lights, bus passes, warm clothes, under wear etc.
If you Need workers (male or female) call the Day Labor Center at 650-339-2794. They are closed on the week-ends.
A house or money to buy a house. Talk to Larry. 650-366-4415 And get a free cup of coffee.
Your ongoing love and support.

Good Trouble in Redwood City

July 22, 2025 by admin

Redwood City Catholic Workers come out for the Good Trouble protest on Thursday, July 17, 2025.

John Robert Lewis was a civil rights activist with Dr. Martin Luther King. He helped orgainize the March on Washington, and participated in the Freedom Rides. He was in the House of Representatives representing Georgia for 33 years.

“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”

To find out more, go to Good Trouble Lives On

June Newsletter: “Revenge and retaliation always perpetrate the cycle of anger, fear, and violence”

June 13, 2025 by admin

“Revenge and retaliation always perpetrate the cycle of anger, fear, and violence.” Coretta Scott King

Dear Friends, June 2025

We at the Redwood City Catholic Worker recently read and agreed with a newsletter article from our fellow Catholic Workers from Worcester, Mass.

This article, written by Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, is reprinted here in full with his permission from the Catholic Radical, newsletter of Sts. Francis and Therese Catholic Worker.

STOP THE CYCLE OF REVENGE

Before sunrise on March 23, an ambulance, staffed by three Palestinians, was dispatched from Gaza’s southernmost city Rafah to help evacuate civilians after an Israeli attack. The marked vehicle, with emergency lights flashing, slowed to a stop when the driver saw Israeli soldiers blocking the road. A uniformed paramedic, Ezzedine Shaath and his driver, Mostafa Khafaja, got out of the ambulance with hands raised to determine whether they could continue along. Without warning, the Israelis shot and killed both of them. A third worker, Munther Abed, a 27-year-old volunteer paramedic since 2015, sitting in the back seat, sure he was about to die, began praying. Soldiers opened his door, ordered him to get out, strip naked, and kneel down. Abed was handcuffed, hit with rifle butts, spat on, and asked where he was on October 7, 2023 when Palestinian militants killed about 1,000 Israelis. One soldier shouted, “You are a terrorist. Why are you here?” Shortly thereafter, Abed was joined by Dr. Saeed al-Bardawil and his son who had been detained while on their way to go fishing. The three of them remained kneeling on the side of the road when two more Palestinian ambulances and a fire truck, with emergency lights blazing, pulled up to determine why there had been no communication with the first ambulance. A UN vehicle also pulled over. When two uniformed Palestinian medics got out to examine the damaged ambulance, Israelis opened fire, killing them and eleven others inside the vehicles. The sole survivor recorded the massacre with his cell phone. He can be heard saying, “Forgive me, mother. This is the path I chose—to help people. God is great.” Moments after he put the phone in his pocket, he too was shot and killed.

Afterwards, a soldier approached Abed and said, “Your colleagues, all are gone Abed replied, “May God have mercy on their souls.” Another soldier said, “God has taken those terrorists to hell.” Abed then saw the Israelis use a tank to crush the vehicles and push them and the bodies into a ditch where they all were buried.

When no word about the rescue workers arrived, the Red Crescent Society and United Nations asked permission from the Israelis to investigate, a request that was denied for five days. Once they found the mass grave, they demanded an explanation only to hear Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani say the Israeli attack was a deliberate response to vehicles without headlights or emergency signals “advancing suspiciously.”

When evidence exposed this lie, Israelis said, without proof, that at least six of those killed were armed Hamas operatives. A thorough investigation was promised, but, in 573 previous Israeli inquiries into Israeli war crimes in Gaza, only one led to criminal charges.

Unfortunately, the murder of unarmed Palestinians is common. On December 16, 2023, Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar Kamal Anton were shot and killed by Israeli snipers inside the grounds of Gaza’s Holy Family Church. On January 29, 2025, Israelis killed six members of five-year-old Hind Rajab’s family, two paramedics sent to rescue her, and then killed Hind. On April 10, 2025, UN rights office said every one of the victims of 36 Israeli air strikes, between March 18 and April 9, were women and children. On April 12, in the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, Israeli soldiers killed Amer Rabee, a 14-year- old American boy, while he was picking almonds with two friends, who were also killed. The next day, Palm Sunday, Israel targeted al-Ahli Hospital, Gaza’s last functional medical center, with three missiles killing 500 Palestinians. When considered with the Israeli killing of over 53,000 other Palestinians since October 7, 2023 and the Israeli blockade of food, water, and medicine, one has to wonder how can the responsible Israelis be so merciless?

History gives us clues. After decades of oppression in England, Puritans settled in New England, a place a professor of religious studies, Conrad Cherry, called “God’s New Israel.” Like the Jewish people, whose experience of slavery in Egypt motivated them to slaughter the Philistines, Amorites, and Moabites in order to occupy Palestine, the Puritans, armed with awareness of their suffering and belief that God had given them a new home, oppressed, displaced, and killed those who were not part of God’s chosen people. Indigenous people, Quakers, Catholics, Jews, and enslaved children, women, and men suffered the consequences. (Editor’s note by Larry Purcell…When Israel’s demolition of Gaza was criticized last year by representatives of the U.S. government, Israel’s leaders rightly said: “Who are you to talk? The U.S. used the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima.”)

Many Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, armed with keen awareness of their victimhood and the biblical promise of land occupied for almost 2,000 years predominantly by non-Jews, hold their heads up high while ethnically cleansing Palestinians. It makes no difference that the Philistines didn’t enslave the Jews in Egypt, Indigenous Americans didn’t victimize the Puritans in England, and Palestinians didn’t perpetrate the Holocaust. Anyone portrayed as standing in the way of a victimized people, faces the same end— genocide.

The belief that a loving God created each of us as members of one human family comes into question when faced with such cruelty as the massacre of ambulance drivers in Gaza. Some would conclude that the perpetrators are evil, morally different from us, a contention that, in turn, justifies unbridled vengeance. But instead of stopping mass murder, such ideas only change the names of the victims and plant seeds of retaliation.

Israeli crimes against Palestinians are indeed evil, but the Israeli perpetrators are still our brothers and sisters, albeit very wayward ones. To break the cycle of slaughter, a new society needs to be constructed which shows no favorites. Only a political system where Muslims,

Christians, and Jews enjoy equal rights can enjoy lasting peace. No matter how extreme the Israeli government and its armed forces become, we must not let that turn hearts into stone and deny the right of Jewish people to live in peace and security in their ancestral homeland.

I have no illusion that co-existence would be easy. As more and more Palestinians are terrorized, tortured, starved, or killed daily, the prospect of reconciliation shrinks. But Black South African victims of apartheid show it can be done. Many Israelis will need to be prosecuted and reparations paid, while the Palestinian nightmare which began over 75 years ago, must be meticulously documented by a truth commission and then preserved in museums, memorials, anniversaries, and school curriculums. If the accounting is full, fair, and centered on reconciliation, the cycle of violence in the Holy Land might be stopped. Security for all will come when Jews, Muslims, and Christians say with one voice, “Never Again to Anyone!”

“Revenge and retaliation always perpetuate the cycle of anger, fear, and violence.” —Coretta Scott King

Love, Larry for all of us.

NEEDS

Household needs: a $2,000 desk top computer for the Catholic Worker House, cleaning supplies, shampoo & conditioner, garbage bags, food in any amount – especially breakfast foods in large quantities, tickets to events, black garbage bags, 4 wheel food carts, gift cards to Costco for our breakfast program.

Transportation: bikes, cars and trucks etc. call 650-366-4415.

Scholarships: Sophia (who lives at the Catholic Worker) hopes to go to a four year college. We are trying to raise part of her tuition. Call Larry 650-366-4415

Website: We need a volunteer who is familiar with WordPress, who can help Susan on the website for about 2 hours.
Day Laborers: if you need a man or woman call 650-339-2794

A house for a new Catholic Worker center.

Your ongoing love and support.

NOTE: Living in our war-torn world, is there a place for Gospel Non-violence? Susan Crane will share her experiences on Thursday August 14^th at The Highlands Community Club (1665 Fernside, Redwood City.) Starts at 7pm. This talk is hosted by Highland Community Club in collaboration with the Associates of the Franciscan Sisters.

“Alas for you hypocrites.” Matt. 23 ” I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” John 14

March 31, 2025 by admin

Easter 2025
Dear Friends,

For both Jesus and Gandhi, living the Truth is knowing and being with God who is love. The further away we live from Truth, the more difficult it is to live with compassion and love and be near God.

In our commander-in-chief’s state of the union address he said: “Any federal bureaucrat who resists change will be removed from office immediately, because we are draining the swamp. It’s very simple, and the days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over.” Elon Musk is an unelected bureaucrat.

Our commander-in-chief suggests the Palestinians should all migrate to other Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon etc.) and simultaneously builds a wall to keep Central American and South American immigrants out of North America.

Our commander-in-chief wants States Rights when it comes to Abortion rights but wants Federal edicts for most of his other changes. The richest men in the world are attacking the weakest people in our country (immigrants, LBGQT, the Poor & homeless).

Our commander-in-chief (a convicted felon himself) says he believes in law and order and ignores, ridicules, and attacks any judge whose legal decisions disagree with him. He also pardons other convicted felons who we all saw violently attacking Congress.

Our commander-in-chief claims Ukraine started that war.

By any standard, our commander-in-chief is a hypocrite and liar.

As confusion and disarray rule the day when it comes to national priorities, we at the Catholic Worker in Redwood City will continue to feed, clothe, shelter, and educate the very poor in the name of Christ. We will try to be “go givers instead of go getters.” We hope to help “build a new society in the shell of the old.” We will “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” We will try to make it easier to be kind to one another. No one will be paid and no one will be charged at the Worker House. Love is the answer. We will try to live Sr. Monica’s and Sr. Christina’s motto at St. Francis Center in Redwood City: “Compassion Not Judgement.” We will continue to partner with Padua Dining Hall in Menlo Park (they feed 500 poor people 6 days a week and are located on the border of Atherton). We will cooperate with the Multicultural Institute in Redwood City. They organize hundreds of day laborers many of whom are immigrants. We will serve breakfasts to homeless men and women on Wednesdays and Thursdays and give out food each Friday to over 110 very poor families. We never ask our brothers and sisters what country they are from. We are all from Earth. Last year we gave out over 20,000 pairs of socks and in the last few years we have distributed close to 2,000 bikes. We cherish cars. And we thank God and you for giving us the ability to live as we do.

We will live knowing the poor are the “ambassadors of God” and that “love in theory is simple; but love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing.”

We will try to live in the truth that the cross is not the end of the story. He is alive.

Joy, Hope, and a holy Easter,

Larry Purcell, Ronnie Georges, Susan Crane, AuroraThibault, and J. Arthur White

NEEDS

FOOD in any amount. We serve 100 to 140 homeless men and women twice a week. We need coffee, powdered creamer, paper cups, plastic forks, frozen lasagnas, hamburger patties, eggs, chicken pieces, sausages (big and small), and other food for breakfasts. With Costco gift cards we can buy what we need.
Household needs: Pine Sol, Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, Costco gift cards, 11 X 14 inch 20# white copy paper, black plastic garbage bags, gallon freezer bags, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, condiments, tools, tickets to events, etc. Call Susan, Aurora or Larry. 650-366-4415.
Homeless needs: bus passes, tents, sleeping bags, blankets, warm clothing, toiletries, bikes, razors, deodorant, etc. Call Susan 650-366-4415
Scholarships: We try to help young people with college. Sophia who has a full scholarship to Sacred Heart H.S. in Atherton is applying to 4 year colleges. We are trying to put together a package to help her. Call Larry 650-366-4415.
Transportation: We have families that need cars, bikes, trucks and whatever helps to get them to work and school. Aurora, who lives at the Catholic Worker also needs a car. Her car is falling apart after many miles.
Day Laborers: If you need men or women workers call 650-339-2794.
Houses or money to buy a house for another Catholic Worker Center. There is also a request for a place for Catholic Workers to rest. Call Larry for a free cup of coffee. 650-366-4415.
Your ongoing love and support.

Christmas 2024

December 18, 2024 by admin

“In due course, John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the
wilderness of Judea and this was his message:
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’” (Matt. 3)

Christmas 2024

Dear Friends,

His pregnant mother and working class father were travelling to a tiny town that was located on the margins of Israel. Israel was occupied at the time and on the far edge of the Roman Empire. Once in Bethlehem , “there was no room in the inn.” He was born in a stable and wrapped in rags. The family soon ran for their lives to a foreign land and were without papers.

This was/is the light of the world…the hope of the destitute. This was God with us then and now. In the words of Thomas Merton:

“Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it, because he is out of place in it, his place is with those others for whom there is no room. His place is with those who do not belong, who are rejected by power because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons, who are tortured, bombed and exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in the world.”

2000 years ago, John the Baptist prepared for the coming of Jesus differently than many of us. John went to the DESERT. We rush to the shopping malls. John ran down bugs to eat. We run up credit cards. John lived repentance. We live well. John wore next to nothing and we dress up for the holidays.

While John prepared for the coming of Jesus differently, his world and our world are similar – both were and are driven by money & war, not by love & peace. The world then and now is not ready for God with us. John’s message on how to get ready was simple and clear:

“REPENT AND BELIEVE.”

Have a Holy Christmas,

Larry for all of us.

P.S. Susan’s release date from a German jail for protesting U.S. nuclear weapons on German soil is Jan 19, 2025. We can’t wait for her return home from the desert.

NEEDS

Food in any amount: especially breakfast foods.

2. Household needs: Kleenex, shampoo and conditioner, dish soap, laundry detergent, Brooms, black garbage bags, cleaning supplies (simple green or comet, pine sol), Umbrellas, food baskets with strong wheels, computers (lap and desk tops) etc.

3. Friends on the street: tents, sleeping bags, back packs, bus passes, socks, underwear, jackets and warm shirts, etc.

4. Transportation: cars, bikes, R.V.’s, trucks, etc.

5. Christmas: Target $20 gift cards for our food distribution, Costco gift cards to purchase garbage bags, hot cups, plastic forks, and breakfast food. Larry would also like Movie passes (Cinemark) to take homeless friends to the movies.

6. A house or money to buy a house for a new Catholic Worker.

7. Your ongoing love and support.

“Love and ever more love is the only solution to every problem that comes up. If we love each other enough, we will bear with each other’s faults and burdens. If we love enough, we are going to light a fire in others. And it is love that will make us want to do great things for each other. No sacrifice and no suffering will then seem too much.”

(Dorothy Day)

October 2024 Newsletter

October 30, 2024 by admin

“ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL.” (St. Paul and anyone with common sense.)

Oct. 2024

Dear friends,

As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded how gifted we are. All that we have and are and do is a gift. Again and again we say “thank you” to you, our supporters and to God, our rock. We know that serving the poor (the ambassadors of God) is a blessing.

I hired a homeless friend, Jason. To help me pick up 29 bikes from the “Bicycle Exchange” in Mt. View. There they receive donated bikes, repair them and then donate them to programs like the Catholic Worker. They make an exception for us and help us even though we are not a 501 © 3 tax exempt organization. What a gift they are. As Jason and I drove south on highway 101, he said, “Wow! There’s a lot of traffic.” It had been a long time since he was driving on the freeway. Then when I turned on the air conditioning he said, “Oh. My God! This has air conditioning!” It is so hard for us who live in the mainstream of life to imagine how hard it is to live on the extreme margins. Jason has lived in an encampment for years. His “unhoused” living arrangement is no comparison to what we normally call camping. Encampments are unhealthy, unsafe, unstable places of existence rather than living. There are no nearby toilets, no showers, no safe grills, or other amenities like running water or electricity. Periodically, all encampments of the “unhoused” are forcibly and abruptly removed. Three day notices are considered adequate notification for the bulldozers to move in and do their work.

In front of the Catholic Worker, for the past few years, the City of Redwood City has installed and paid for maintaining a porta pottie and hand cleaning station. At the Worker, volunteers prepare individually cooked meals. This is done on both Wed. and Thurs. mornings. Each day between 100 and 140 men and women eat very, very well. Most of these friends are “unhoused.” They love our coffee. The meals range from bacon and eggs, to lasagna, to chicken or hamburgers & sausages etc. These meals have dessert and salad and rice to boot.

In October we will give out 120 brand new, winter jackets that were purchased by one of our supporters. We’ll also give out a couple of vans full of winter jackets collected by St. Mathias parish. We will continue to share bikes, locks, and lights with the homeless. This is their primary means of transportation. Because of the generosity of so many of you, we will continue to share back packs, sleeping bags, toiletries and tents with our friends. Because of all of these gifts, the Catholic Worker is usually considered a safe and joyful place for our “unhoused” friends.

Thank you for helping us make friends with some of the people of God.

Joy and gratitude,

Larry for all of us.

The Lord’s Supper

NEEDS

1. Food in any amount or Costco gift cards. Especially breakfast foods (coffee, sugar, eggs, meats, frozen food etc.) The best times to drop off stuff are mornings Wed. Thur. 7am -10am or Friday 7am to noon.

2. Household needs: $20 Target gift certificates to give out at Thanksgiving and Christmas, freezer bags, shampoo and conditioner, black garbage bags, pine sol, simple green, strong food carts with wheels, etc.

3. Homeless needs: bus passes, back packs, sleeping bags, tents, camping gear, bikes, jackets, bike locks & lights, toiletries especially razors, deodorant, small toothpaste, toothbrushes, and hygiene kits etc.

4. Transportation: cars, trucks, RV’s bikes. After an apartment
and a job, the next critical need of the very poor is transportation.

5. Christmas: we will have families adopted and find them Christmas gifts.
If you want to adopt a family or donate a single gift call Larry
650-366-4415. I do not text. My cell number is 650-815-8339.

6. A house or money to buy a house. Call Larry. I do not text.

7. Your ongoing love and support.