Joshua McElwee's blog

As a younger person interested in trying to live a life of witness to the Gospel, there are some experienced heroes and heroines I would love the chance to talk with - to hear their stories and advice for ways to make it through the hard times. None more so than Daniel Berrigan, the Jesuit priest who became famous (or infamous) for his witness burning the files of a draft office in Cantonsville with eight others in 1968.

To my envy Jenn Svetlik over at Sojourners Magazine recently had that chance. In an interview with Berrigan in their current issue, Svetlik touches upon his life, his understanding of community, and his advice to younger people.

Here's my favorite snippet from Berrigan:

This last weekend violence visited the Catholic Worker where I live. A long-time guest broke into one of our houses and made mayhem of our things.

For the past couple of days I’ve been struggling with trying to make sense of the incident, to give some reason to the unreasonableness of such an act.

The timeline of events doesn’t seem to provide much light.

Our hospitality on Saturday went as it usually does. We opened the doors at the normal time and welcomed around sixty people to join us for supper and fellowship.

After the hustle and bustle of hospitality — cooking food, eating with guests, selling bus passes, distributing gloves and socks — we began to close-up for the night. As we did, one of our guests asked us to write him a late entry pass for the local emergency shelter.

That’s pretty normal. What followed this time wasn’t.

Pax Christi USA has posted a short reflection on the way we can honor Haitians suffering from the recent earthquake. The reflection is written by Pax Christi Haiti's project director, Daniel Tillias.

Here's a short excerpt:

Local Kansas City, Mo. paper The Pitch reports today that one of the nation's most productive nuclear weapons manufacturing sites is operating with expired permits for hazardous waste and water discharges.

The Kansas City Plant, which manufactures mechanical and electrical non-nuclear parts for nuclear weapons, has recently come under media scrutiny for claims of lethal contamination to employees and neighbors.

Last week the Environmental Protection Agency published a fact sheet regarding some 785 toxic chemicals known to be used at the plant and U.S. Senator Kit Bond called for a federal investigation of health concerns.

These revelations come one week after the Kansas City, Mo. City Council gave final approval for plans to relocate the manufacturing facility to a larger site farther away from the downtown area.

In a budget of $3.8 trillion it can be hard to see the importance of a few million dollars here or there. Yet, sometimes, where those few supposedly insiginificant millions are spent can tell the whole story.

With the combination of an increase in spending for nuclear weapons production estimated at around $625 million from last year and a proposed decrease in funding for environmental cleanup at nuclear weapons sites, the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) says President Obama’s new budget tells a story of misdirection regarding nuclear weapons policy.

“The threats from nuclear weapons include the environmental and health damage to U.S. communities that hosted weapons production facilities over the past 65 years,” said ANA program director Nick Roth in a press statement released Monday. “Yet the budget for the Department of Energy’s Environmental Management budget was reduced nearly $80 million.”

At a time when President Obama has said the United States is pruning its nuclear weapons stockpile, the director of one of the nation’s most active nuclear weapons watch groups said yesterday that Obama’s new budget drastically increases funding for nuclear weapons production.

“The budget that was released just yesterday is a big, big step backwards,” said Jay Coghlan, the executive director of Nuclear Watch of New Mexico. “Just this coming year, it’s raising the nuclear weapons budget for the Department of Energy ten percent. But most particularly, it’s quadrupling, in some cases, the funding for new production facilities.”

Coghlan, who lives near the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and has been a nuclear weapons analyst for years, was speaking to Amy Goodman on the independent radio program Democracy Now!. You can listen to the full conversation, or read the transcript, here.

The increase in the budget for nuclear weapons is part of a trade-off scheme by Obama to secure U.S. Senate ratificiation of a new arms reduction treaty with Russia, Coghlan said.

Something struck me yesterday as I was studying the emaciated figure of Christ on the crucifix behind the altar at my parish: Had the story of the incarnation taken place 2,000 years later, in our own time, that figure of Jesus would almost undoubtably be overweight.

Think about it. From the Gospel we know that Christ was an outcast who was economically impoverished. That means he probably ate only two types of food: cheap stuff and what was offered to him by the people he encountered on his journeys.

In his era the cheap stuff probably included lentils, beans and vegetables at market. In our era it mostly includes canned goods overpumped with sodium, juices which are mostly high fructose corn syrup and fast food sandwiches or hamburgers.

Even with all the exercise he did getting from place to place, I think it’s fair to say the difference in diet may have had the Lord looking a little more filled in.

Perhaps that’s just another sign of his solidarity with the trials of those who are forgotten by society.

We've probably all heard it by now. During a press event last Wednesday in San Francisco, Apple announced its version of the tablet computer: the iPad.

We've also probably all heard the hype. You know, the chatter about how this new product is going to save the world. How it's loaded with all the goodies you absolutely need: clean aluminum and glass styling, an innovative touch-screen interface, wireless internet, and on and on and on.

As an Apple user for the past few years, I've got to admit that I'm not immune to this chatter. Apple certainly knows how to create a product that is intuitive and just darned easy to use.

Apple fanboy in me aside, however, I just can't understand what the company was thinking with this newest creation. Yes, sure, the possibilities of the tablet computer for specific purposes are exciting. (Just for one example, can you imagine the time and energy a doctor could save by having a small, easy to use tablet computer to record and search for information?) But the iPad seems almost purposefully constructed so as to make it as useless as possible.

So, putting aside my Catholic worker sensibilities and my questions about the need for new technology, here are my four (thoroughly unresearched) reasons why the Apple iPad simply stinks, in no particular order:

The Boston Globe reports that Howard Zinn, historian and bestselling author of The People's History of the United States, has died at the age of 87.

Mashable, a website dedicated to social media news, is reporting that over 20,000 people have logged onto the White House Facebook page to ask the president to rethink his Afghanistan strategy in advance of the State of the Union speech tonight.

At the site users can leave comments for the President which can then be viewed by others worldwide. The basic script of the comments looks like this:

“President Obama, I am one of more than 20,000 signers of this petition from Rethink Afghanistan: ‘In your State of the Union address on January 27, 2010, I want you to provide a concrete exit strategy for our troops in Afghanistan that begins no later than July 2011 and which completes a withdrawal of combat troops no later than July 1, 2012.’

From time to time over the next few months I’ll be posting here the stories of some of the guests who visit us at the Holy Family Catholic Worker House in Kansas City, Mo. Many of these friends have little in the way of possessions or worldly success, but each has a unique story to share. And each of these stories shows an endurance of spirit which is simply incredible - and certainly worth considering at length.

The names of each guest will be changed to protect privacy. Certain personal details will also be edited slightly.

Ronnie walks through the door slowly. As he crosses the threshold a smile lights up his overly-freckled face. He ambles toward the middle room of the house, looking for the person selling bus tickets at half price. Finding her, he reaches into the torn pockets of his slightly soiled khakis and fingers two quarters and six pennies.

“Let somebody else who can’t afford bus passes today use these,” he says as he hands the coins over.

Here's one for college age students looking for some great work experience:

Pax Christi USA has announced in a press release that they are accepting interns at their Washington, DC office for a new year-long program.

The organization, which calls itself 'the national Catholic peace movement,' is looking for college-age students who will help with outreach to students and young adults.

“Interns will work out of our D.C. office, but their presence will go well beyond that,” said Dave Robinson, executive director of the organization, in the press release. “They also are living in community, overseeing Pax Christi USA’s internship house, and offering hospitality and communal witness as part of the program.”

If you're interested, it's definitely worth a look. Click here for the full release and contact info.

The freezing temperatures and blustering winds across the country this week have left many of the economically poor in peril. At the Catholic Worker where I live in Kansas City, Mo. we have guests who are still living outside, even in temperatures well below zero at night.

With these brothers and sisters in mind I would like to make a humble plea. It is inspired by another local Catholic Worker:

When you find yourself heading to the car to run some errands this weekend consider taking some blankets along with you. If you've got a little extra time and money to spare, think about even buying a couple of pairs of thermal underwear while you're out.

If you see a panhandler or homeless person outside as you travel, stop. Ask the person for their name. Ask how they're doing. If you feel comfortable, try and see if they have some place to stay tonight that's away from the cold. Offer them the blanket or thermals from your car. Give them a hug before you go on your way.

Remember that people are extremely vulnerable in weather like this. Let's help one another.

On Tuesday a friend and I had a discussion about original sin. Using the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which proclaims that the Virgin Mary was graced at the very first moment of her life with redemption from original sin, my friend proposed a thought experiment: What if, from that same moment, all of humanity was graced with a restoration to life without the stain of original sin?

The implications of such a notion are immense and beyond the limits of my knowledge to be able to fully consider. But the idea has spurred some thoughts for me.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of Dorothy Day. Dedicated to a life of nonviolence and solidarity with the impoverished, Day opened the first Catholic Worker house with Peter Maurin in New York City in 1933.

Wishing to live out the works of mercy, they opened their doors and offered food, company and a kind ear to those that stopped in. Inspired by Peter and Dorothy’s example, individual Catholic Worker houses live out the Gospel by providing different types of hospitality across the world.

Day has been granted the title Servant of God and is under consideration for sainthood. Todd Flowerday has a nice little reflection on her place in the process here.

During the various events at the School of the Americas Watch vigil in Columbus, Ga. this past weekend there were numerous times to see performing acts of all sorts.

I captured some on tape for you to enjoy. Click the 'read more' link to see YouTube videos of Kathy Kelly, Charlie King, and John Fromer.

Yesterday I attended the School of the Americas Watch vigil outside the gates of Fort Benning. While there I took many photos, trying to capture the size and emotion of the event.

These photos are much more vibrant than my previous post. Click on the 'read more' link to see a slide show of them.

While here at the School of the Americas Watch vigil in Columbus, Ga. I've been busy taking many photos. To give you an idea of what I've been experiencing, here is a slide-show of some of them.

Fair warning: these photos have not been edited in any way. But, as a whole they provide some idea of what it's like to travel to the vigil and conference near Fort Benning.

Click on the 'read more' link to see the show!

Speaking to a room packed full of people from around the country, Pax Christi International co-president Marie Dennis spoke here in Columbus, Ga last night and called for the U.S Catholic Bishops to send an official delegation to Iraq.The audience at the PCUSA event

Emphasizing the need for people to remember Iraq in current policy discussions, Dennis said she hoped that such a delegation would be a visible sign that the Catholic church cares about accompanying Iraqi people in their struggles since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.

Dennis spoke at a gathering sponsored by Pax Christi USA. The event tied together the current discussion concerning the direction of the war in Afghanistan with the situation on the ground in Iraq.

When thinking of individuals who have dedicated their lives to issues of peace and justice, Kathy Kelly certainly deserves a place near the top of the list. Kelly, the co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East - speaking with people and sharing their everyday experiences.

More reporting will follow on the event later. For now, here are Kelly’s answers to the questions, which are sometimes personal. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

The story of the road-trip is eternal. Of course, Odysseus had his famous one. Jacob's son Joseph had more than a few. And, even Jesus himself had at least two.

I've traveled by bus with 55 other Kansas City, Mo. locals to Columbus, Ga. While here I'll be reporting on the School of the Americas Watch Vigil and the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice. Check this link to see more coverage. Scroll down the page to see all the entries.

Tonight and tomorrow I'll be traveling on a bus from Kansas City, Mo. for 14 hours with other locals and students from Rockhurst University. After a short stop in St. Louis to pick up students from Washington University, we'll be on our way to Columbus, Ga.

I'll be there to report on the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice (IFTJ) and the School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) Vigil outside Fort Benning. Throughout the events of the weekend you can expect to see blog postings on this site with updates.

The plan to develop a new Kansas City Plant cleared a key step on Friday.

Meeting in a room full of supporters and critics alike the city’s Planned Industrial Expansion Authority (PIEA) unanimously voted to approve a development agreement for the new property, located about 13 miles south of downtown Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas City, Mo. PIEA members
“We live in a real world that is a dangerous world, and there are threats of all kinds,” said PIEA member Charles Erickson. “A facility of this type may, unfortunately, be necessary to preserve our way of life.”

As reported on this site, the Kansas City Plant is a major nuclear weapons manufacturing center located about 5 miles south of downtown Kansas City, Mo. The plant is planned to be relocated to a newly developed facility further south.

As part of my routine living at the Holy Family Catholic Worker house I frequently attend daily Mass at a local parish with one of my other community members.

Normally the Mass is quick and dirty. The prayers are read back-to-back, the homily is short, and there’s not much time to let your mind wander. It’s just a short little break in the day – not too long as to interrupt the rest of your plans.

This past Tuesday was a little different. In addition to the normal liturgy of the Eucharist we also celebrated the liturgy of anointing – allowing people who felt a particular need for healing to come forward and receive the mark of oil and the support of their friends.

This time the Mass was slow, even deliberate. We weren’t at a waypoint stop from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the day. We were gathered to take the time and effort to help those with health needs.

In this gentler pace I couldn’t help but feel something of a message for a Catholic understanding of healing: that we are to find ways to help those who are suffering from illness by slowing down and taking the time needed to acknowledge and confront their pain.

Looking through my news feeds this afternoon I've noticed that the new process to welcome Anglicans to the Catholic Church has garnered a lot of coverage today, in both the Catholic and mainstream press.

Here's a roundup of some of what I found most interesting:

• In The Boston Globe, John Carroll claims that the news heightens the debate between fundamentalist and rational religions and that "the survival of the human species is at stake."
• In The New York Times, Randy Cohen argues that it is "disheartening that the editorial pages of our most important newspapers did not castigate the Vatican’s invitation to misogyny and homophobia."

The New York Times reports that Senate majority leader Harry Reid has announced that the health insurance reform bill he will introduce in the Senate will have a public option, but one that allows individual states to 'opt-out' if they choose.

From the article it's not clear under what conditions, if any, states could choose to opt-out of coverage.

Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, who was the only Republican to vote for the Senate Finance Committee's version of health insurance reform, is quoted in the article as saying she is "deeply disappointed with the majority leader’s decision to include a public option as the focus of the legislation.”

Cathleen Kaveny has an interesting reflection up on the dotCommonweal blog today about how Anglican priests who convert (married ones in particular) will need to change their views on contraception.

As Kaveny points out, Catholics will be have to be willing to support priests with large families - perhaps seven or eight children or more. And, converting Anglican priests (and their wives) will have to be prepared to live in what might be a rather uncomfortable fishbowl regarding their more private moments.

It seems there's going to need to be lots of flexibility from everybody involved on this one.
Read the post here.

The Washington Post has posted an article online today exploring the recent news that the Vatican will be creating special structures for Anglicans wishing to convert to Roman Catholicism.

The article, written by David Gibson, author of "The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World", claims that the news shows that Benedict is, like any good 'liberal', a fan of change. Gibson also claims that the Pope's type of change completely alters the meaning of being Catholic.

Here's one of the take-away quotes:

The Kansas City Star reported Tuesday that a key effort by local community members to stop the construction of the new Kansas City Plant has been stalled.

On Monday a lawsuit filed by the National Resources Defense Council, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and others to stop the construction of the new plant was dismissed in Washington, D.C. The lawsuit had claimed that there was little public notice of the new plans and that the environmental assessment used to determine the impact of the new plant was overly broad.

Members of the local community are “upset that they didn’t give public notice, didn’t have a public hearing, and are not addressing existing contamination,” said Henry Stoever, a signer of the lawsuit who is a local attorney and board member of PeaceWorks Kansas City.

CNN has posted on its homepage today an article highlighting that the future of the U.S. Catholic Church may be thoroughly Latino.

The article cites a new study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life that claims that one-third of all Catholics in the U.S. are now Latino.

Some of the consequences of this shift in demographics are explored. Things like the replacing of the traditional fish meal during Lent with chile rellenos and the need for parishes to expand the availability of Spanish language masses. Take a look.