Cherith Brook CW Lent 2014

8/12/2019 Cherith Brook CW Lent 2014

1/12

Lent

. We commit to a life of discipleship, fol-

lowing Jesus, cross bearing, acting on our

reflections and reflecting on our actions. If

any want to become my followers, let them deny

themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Mark :

. We commit our daily lives to practicing

hospitality: Listening for the knock and look-

ing for the face of Jesus in stranger and friend,

while receiving from them Gods welcome of

us. I was hungrythirstya strangernaked

sickand in prisonand you helped me. Mat-

thew :-

. We commit our daily lives to pursing the

nonviolence of Gods Shalom embodied in

Jesus life, teachings, death and resurrection.We will pursue the peace struggle in all rela-

tionships (with ourselves, each other, and our

enemies) and all places (on the streets, in our

city, our country and our world). Love your

enemies, and Overcome evil with good. Luke

:- and Romans :

. We commit to the journey of forgiveness in

all relationships, striving toward reconciliation

in ways that recognize the differences in each

person. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted,forgiving one another, as God in Christ has for-

given you.Ephesians :

Covenant for

Cherith BrookP

G M G O

C A H O L I C W O R K E R

S o E l i j a h d i d a c c o r d i ng t o t h e w o r d o f t h e L o r d ; h e w e n t a n d l i v e d b y t h e C h e r i t h B r o o k a n d t h e r a v e n s b r o u g h t h i m b r e a d I K

. We commit to common living.

i. We will play and celebrate together;

ii. We will share in the work of the house

and garden;

iii. We will eat together;

iv. We will worship together;

v. We will practice a weekly prayer rhythmand encourage personal prayer, reflection

and solitude;

vi. We will live locally, present to our neigh-

borhood and community;

vii. We will share in the process of decision

making striving for full agreement;

viii. We will practice Sabbath rhythmscre

ating space for rest;

ix. We will hold our finances & resources in

common;

x. We will work less than hours a weekoutside the community;

xi. We will nurture intimacy and friendship

among us;

Tere are many other ways of resisting the

idolatries of Empire. We celebrate those as

well. All who believed were together and had all

things in common,Acts :, :

. We commit to prayerful discernment:

listening to God and to each other, listeningto scripture and trusting in the presence of

the Spirit in our lives, be transformed by the

renewing of your minds, so that you may discern

what is the will of Godwhat is good and accept-

able and perfect. Romans :

. We commit to being servants of creation,

caring for the earth and her resources, striving

for simplicity over busyness, participating in

that New World God is creating in the shell of

the Old. So if anyone is in C hrist, there is a newcreation: everything old has passed away; see,

everything has become new! Corinthians :

. We commit to living at a personal economic

sacrifice: trusting daily for Gods provision,

sharing freely and living off the excess of our

culture. Give us this day our daily bread. Mat-

thew :

. We commit to shaping our lifestyles around

Jesus and his manifesto in the Sermon on the

Mount living in expectation of his return.

let your light shine before others, so that they

may see your good works and give glory to

your Parent in heaven.

Matthew :

Each year our community members go

on retreat to revisit our covenant commit-

ments to this work and to one another. As we

look back we ask how were we faithful to the

Gospels message of nonviolence, community,

hospitality and simplicity? How did we fall

short?Each year we look forward, what is God

calling us to be in this next season of life?

Perhaps it is something to let go? Perhaps it

is something to deepen? As we discern these

questions, we ask for God to nurture a desire

to follow the radical Christ and to live into

that brave new world God is birthing among

us.

We publish this covenant every year as a

public witness to our commitments. It is

not a declaration of having arrived. We arewell aware of how much we fall short of this

calling. And yet, we do not allow our flaws to

be an excuse. Publishing the covenant invites

accountability and inspires hope for what we

are called to be. By sharing with you what we

have learned, we also wish to encourage others

to devote in new and deeper ways to being a

living People of God.

Tis year we hope it will invite some of you

to consider if you are called to join us in this

work. It is a beautiful life filled with grace andjoy. Will you join us?


2/12

we are truly people of prayer, our lives will be

disturbed. We will never be the same. Deep

prayer, like prophecy, is about, in Mertons

words, unmasking the illusions. In prayer my

illusions about myself appear for what they are.

Where am I going to look for the world first of all,

if not in myself? Te world is not just a physical

space . . .Te world is a complex of responsibilitiesand options made out of the loves, the hates, the

fears, the joys, the hopes, the g reed, the cruelty, the

kindness, the faith, the trust, the suspicion of all.

In the last analysis, if there is war . . . this is in part

because I myself am defensive, suspicious, untrust-

ing . . . (CWA)

Merton was a companion and mentor for

prominent anti-war and civil rights activists of

his time. His message was clear: the prophet

must be a contemplative. We cannot be a criticof the world out there unless we are also in-

volved in an inner critique. rue prophets take

a critical stance toward their own ego-centrism

before taking it up in the world.

rue prayer brings us face to face with our

own personal idols. Tis awareness prepares

us to confront the idols of the nation. Te

supposed prophet who is not truly praying

engages in shallow activism. Armed with our

own limited egos resources we do not have

the strength to deal with the evils of the largergroup. We become easily discouraged and soon

experience burnout. Every activist would do

well to encounter burnout sooner or later.

Te disappointment and fatigue that emerge

2 Cherith Brook Catholic Worker Lent

Contemplation...Tomas Merton left New York City in Decem-

ber, , to become a rappist monk at the

Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemane in the hills

of Kentucky. In the view of society, he was

leaving the world for a life wholly separate

from ordinary existence. Merton admits that

this was not far from his own belief at the time

though, over the years, his vision was to shift

significantly. Trough his prayer, Merton came

to realize a profound sense of communion with

the rest of humanity. He came to see that his

life as a monk was integrally linked to the world

he thought he was leaving behind. My solitude

is not my own, he wrote. (CGB)

Merton was clear in his emphasis that, if our

prayer is true, it can never separate us from the

life of others. Te whole illusion of a separate

holy existence is a dream. Worse, he continues,

it is a form of self-isolation in a special world,

the world of renunciation and supposed holiness.

(CGB)

Merton had left the world for a hidden life

of prayer and, in time, was transformed into a

prophet. Henri Nouwen defines a prophet as

one struck by the word of God; one whose life has

been disrupted, and through whom God disrupts

the lives of others. A life lived contemplatively

disrupts ones ordinary consciousness.

Let no one hope to find in contemplation an

escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt.

. . Contemplation is no pain-killer. It is a terrible

breaking and burning of idols, a purification of thesanctuary, so that no graven thing may occupy the

place that God has commanded to be left empty:

the center, the existential altar that simply is.

(NS)

o engage in a life of contemplative prayer

commits one to a searing inner assessment,

to a willingness to have ones life disrupted. If

by Sr. Terese Elias

from seemingly ineffectual action can often

be an awakening, an opportunity to face our

motivation for the work we do. Do we want

to win? Is our involvement pragmatic rather

than prophetic? Merton speaks to the activists

bane the will to power:

Nonviolence is not for power but for truth. It is

not aimed at immediate political results, but at the

manifestation of fundamental and crucially impor-

tant truth. It does not say We shall overcome so

much as Tis is the day of the Lord, and whatever

may happen to us , He shall overcome.(CGB)

Te activist rooted in contemplative prayer is

deeply empowered by the Spirit of God.

Worse than the prophet facing burnout, and

much more dangerous, is the self-righteous

prophet who sees the splinter in the others

eye but cannot see the plank in their own. If

I do not recognize and integrate my personal

shadow, I will project it onto the other. I see

the other as wrong or evil, and myself as

right and good. Te greatest tragedies of his-

tory have come from supposed holy, righteous

people projecting their unintegrated shadow

onto others. We know this from the crusades,

witch hunts, the inquisition, racism, and from

every war in which the enemy is demonized so

that I/we can appear righteous and pure. Con-

templatives can better deal with the misguided

illusions of the world because they are facing it

in themselves: We have met the enemy and theyis us! (Pogo)

Merton like all the great mystics saw a

bigger picture of who we are as human beings.

He saw to the heart of everything that is.

Te world is created and redeemed by Christ, and

thus can be encountered in the ground of my own

person freedom and love. If the deepest ground of

my being is love, then in that very love itself and

nowhere else, will I find mysel f, and the world,

and my brothers and sisters and Christ. Te sameground of love is in everything. (CWA)

Contemplative prayer is itself a prophetic

act. Trough deep prayer we enter into union

with all humanity, with all reality. In prayer we

not only release our own personal idols to be

consumed by love but, through our connection

with the Spirit we share, release the sinfulness

of all humanity to the love of God. Contempla-

tive prayer helps heal the world.

We are not at peacewith others because we

are not at peace with

ourselves, and we are

not at peace with our-

selves because we arenot at peace with God

-Thomas MertonCGB Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander

Henri Nouwen, Contemplative Critic

CWA Contem lation in a World o Action

3


3/12

3Lent Cherith Brook Catholic Worker

At a Friday night Clarification of Tought Ses-

sion at Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House,

Benedictine Sister Terese Elias gave us won-

derful quotes and reflections about Tomas

Mertons writings and his spiritual interior life.

Merton was a contemplative living as a rap-

pist monk at Gethsemani Abbey, in Kentucky.

Although Merton was allowed to write his best-

selling autobiography,Te Seven Storey Moun-

tain (), about his conversion to Catholicism

and becoming a monk, and he wrote many

spiritual books, in the Abbot General inEurope required Merton to cease publishing

his writings on war and peace. Soon, however,

Mertons own abbot in Kentucky allowed him to

send those writings piecemeal to friends.

I was disturbed to learn from Sister Terese

of the ban of Mertons works. Merton died

December , . I had turned years of

age the day before Mertons death, and I was

becoming increasingly concerned about what

our country was doing as a military power, and

in particular the ravages committed in Vietnam.In December , I applied for conscientious

objector status, was in a state of limbo for a

period of time, then I went face to face with my

draft board. I told them in good conscience, I

could not serve in the military, and requested

conscientious objector status, which later I

received.

Catholicism was not considered a tradi-

tional peace church. I ask myself why in goodconscience this Catholic faith did not use its

full force to raise moral, spiritual and legal

questions on war. If Merton could produce a

best-seller book, then Merton, if given free

rein could have had an even more immense

by Henry Stoever

...In a World of Actioninfluence in raising moral, spiritual and ethical

questions. Later we learned that . million

Vietnamese lost their lives in that war, many

more were wounded and disabled, and others

suffered birth defects due to the toxic chemicals

we poured on their country.

I feel that the Catholic Church and Mertons

Abbot General acted cowardly in not rais-

ing serious moral, spiritual, ethical and legal

arguments to what our country was doing in

Vietnam and in other countries. Tose acts of

power politics, environmental destruction, pos-session of nuclear weapons, acts of greed, etc.

continue to this day. Jesus not only went to the

desert to contemplate, Jesus also went to the

emples and the marketplaces, challenge the

religious and political leaders of his time. Jesus

turned the tables upside down, and demanded

that the poor be given justice and life-sustain-

ing resources, and Jesus suffered death.

It is not enough to be a contemplative, for it

is late in the day that we act to save our planet,

act with justice and become a true followerof Christ. James :- states that faith and

good deeds must go together, for we cannot be

true believers without both, How does it help,

my brothers, when someone who has never done a

single good act claims to have faith? Will that faith

bring salvation? If one of the brothers or one of the

sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food

to live on, and one of you says to them, I wish you

well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty, withoutgiving them these bare necessities of life, then what

good is that? In the same way faith: if good deeds

donot go with it, it is quite dead. But someone may

say: So you have faith and I have good deeds?

Show me thisfaith of yours without deeds,

then! It is by my deeds that I will show youmy faith. You believe in the one God that is

creditable enough, but even the demons have

the same belief, and they tremble with fear.

Fool! Would you not like to know that faith

without deeds is useless?

Terefore, contemplation and action

are essential, and one cannot exist with-

out the other.

Editors Note: How many of us practice

a form of faith that keeps us cloisteredbehind walls of church and home? After

studying, discussing and praying about

peace, we think our work is finished.

Others have felt apologetic for spending

time in contemplation, adoration, liturgy,

silence when there is much justice work

to be done. Please do not read these

two thoughtful reflections as opposing

viewpoints. Our desire is to promote a

way of discipleship that is both/and not

one versus the other. Following Christcalls us to deeper integration in our life of

discipleshipprayer and work, contem-

plation and action are essemtial to this

journey.

Peace demandsthe most heroiclabor and the mostdifficult sacrifice.It demands greaterheroism than war.It demands greaterfidelity to the truthand a much moreperfect purity of

conscience.

- Tomas Merton

4


4/12


When asked to write this article, I was at

first hesitant to accept the invitation for

lack of a subject. But, as chance would have

it, I happened to be reading abook titled

Handbook for Higher Consciousness. he

topic had always been of interest for me

because I p erceived higher consciousness

coming with Supermans ability to leap over

high buildings, Keanu Reeves bending over

backwards to avoid oncoming bullets in the

Matrix and holy gurus inclinationto levitate

as a tool for getting a better look at theneighborhood.

he truth is that I did not have a clue

about what the experience of true conscious-

ness really is. Interesting ly enough it is not

about super heroes or dodging bullets. I

have even decided to start using a second

floor window when needing to get a better

look at the neighborhood.

Consciousness is a hard thing to under-stand. You might think of it like the wind;

you can not see it until you until you see

it pushing something else around. It is an

unrealized something that can sneak up on

us while were not looking. hat idea brings

to mind the story of what happens when a

frog is put in pot of hot water. It jumps out

immediately. However, when put in a pot

with cold water where the heat is gradu-

ally turned up, the frog remains perfectly

content to stay put until becoming part ofthe dinner menu.With a respectable stretch

of the imagination, you might think of the

Cherith Brook catholic Worker* shower

house as the pot in which this particular

frog has been warming up.

But, Wait, please. Lets go back a bit. If I

were to tell the frog story to any one of my

grandchildren, the response would certainly

be: Grandpa that is a horrible thing to do

to a frog. So, keeping that in mind, fromhere at least, you will need to read this as an

article about consciousness, not stew. he

ingredients are totally different.he theme

is not about moving from he Good, the

Bad and the Ugly; its about being moved

from the Ugly and the Bad toward the Good.

he Ugly and Bad that Im thinking of is

that our lives are caught up in a storm full

of conflicting, distorted and manipulated

information. It is so turbulentthat very fewhave neither the ability nor the interest

nor the time necessary to sor t through the

hurricane level of information that form the

basis ofconsciousness. Many of us are facing

the demands of carin for our children our

By Dominic

Warming Up to Consciousnessaging parents, our suffering friends and

even our neighbors living in need around

the world,all at the same time. Debts,

threats of terrorism, natural disasters,

global warming and political corruption are

all part of an overwhelming, oppressive en-

vironment that goes on and on. Add to all of

this the persuasive advertising media that is

so charmingly and perniciously telling us we

must have so much more of what we already

have too much. How can our lives not be

full of anxiety and its proportional amountof numbness?

his world that we live in is akin to that

of the orphaned Oliver wist asking for gru-

el: Please Sir; more, can I please have some

more? who then turns and runs in fear of

punishment from the contemptuous, self-

indulgent overseer of the orphan. Olivers

escape moves him from the Ugly to the Bad.

He is drawn into a life of abusive manipula-

tion and crime. As he struggles with hisconscience over right and wrong he meets

some but few others on the same journey.

here is the inevitable struggle between evil

and good where the innocent suffer most. If

you look closely, it is the same journey that

we are on, calling us to consciousness. he

underlying questions become: How do we go

about making good choices? How do we dis-

cern the Bad from the Good?Where do we go

for help? I would purpose it is accomplished

through the people we meet and the placeswe go.

Having said all that, Id like go back to the

Good which is where Ive wanted to be from

the beginning. A minimally known place

called Cherith Brook is the pot where this

particular frog has been warming up. It is lo-

cated at East th Street, Kansas City,

MO. I can not say there is anything mystical

there. It is more about good, holy people

working hard, while tirelessly caring aboutthe well being of others. It is just a WOW

kind of place!

One of the first things you will hear when

coming to Cherith Brook is that it is a place

of peace where everyone is welcome without

prejudice. It is a place in which all of us are

called but not so many choose to go. It is a

place where people living on the street can

come for a breakfast meal, a hot shower

and clean clothes, all part of an affirmingcommunity experience without questions or

prerequisites. It is the warming pot Im

referring that can be found, acclimating its

guests, volunteers andfrogs to a new level of

consciousness.

here are a great many more things that

you can say about Cherith Brook. It is a

battered island in the middle of a hostile

sea. It is an oasis in the desert. R ain water

is conserved for its home grown vegetables

and newly planted fruit trees. he staff

raises chickens and tends its own bee colony.

here is a vibrant garden in the midst of hot

concrete streets. It is a refuge for the weary

and a consolation for the troubled. It can be

a sanctuary for those seeking discernment.

here are no luxuries but there is a cornu-copia of riches. It is the paradox that comes

with an alternate view of wealth.

Such consciousness is about seeing things

in new ways. Its putting aside the prejudices

acquainted with broken neighborhoods,

inexperienced environments, and those

stories about unknown demons that lie

on the other side of town. Marginalized

people of color, of other races, and o thers

living inthe paralyzing poverty of distressedneighborhoods are everyday facing the same

problems that we, our best friends and our

neighbors face, only more so. Unfortunately,

the safety nets that we rely on as readily

available are not necessarily a part their

environments.

Realizing consciousness is about making

choices to step into a warming pot. It cant

be done by writing a check or getting all

dressed up for the Catholic Charities Snow-ball Fundraiser, which is a good thing but

will never warm your Heart. You need to get

into the pot.here is no other way.

It is a process that has unbelievable re-

sults. Its difficult to understand; even more

difficult to explain.You will learn something

about humility. Your values will change.

You wi ll s leep better. Your re latio nshi ps

will grow and your love life will improve.

Remember always: It is just a matter of justWarming up to Consciousness!

*P.S. catholic is not a grammatical error.

5L t Ch ith B k C th li W k


5/12


What would you say to those who say, Ifwe (the USA) do not have the big stick,that is, if we get rid of our nuclear weap-ons, and other countries develop nuclearweapons, then we do not have the opportu-nity to fight back?

Te superpower status of the U.S. rests on itsnuclear weapons superiority in the world. It

has the most advanced and enhanced nuclear

weapons and delivery systems on planet

earth. If the U.S. would take the first honest

step towards total nuclear weapons abolition,

other nations would follow. Te majority of

the people in the world do not want to kill each

other, nor do they want the nuclear weapons

threat to continue! In the spirit of the Non-

Proliferation reaty, the abolition would be a

process in which possibly the U.S. could call aworldwide convention of all nations to set a

firm date when abolition will be completed. Te

nuclear nations would have to submit plans and

timetables of their abolition process, inspec-

tions protocols, ending enrichment of uranium

and taking existing weapons off ready-to-fire

modes as preliminary actions.

Any nation that would refuse to join in the

abolition would be subject to world-wide trade

sanctions. If the U.S. would take these steps, it

would not lose the opportunity to fight globalannihilation, but would win back its humanity.

Millions around the world are dying from lack

of resources that could go for human needs

rather than these death-dealing instruments.

In this question from the judge, he asked

what we would say to those who believe wed

lose the opportunity to fight back against a

nuclear attack if we had no nuclear weapons.

But we would not lose the opportunity to fight

against nuclear bondage. I believe if the U.S.

took the first step toward a nuclear-weapons-free world, other nations would follow. Teres

a deep cry among the people of the world

that they need the resources for their families

instead of for weapons. Tey need funding for

health care nutrition em lo ment housin .

What Would You Do?

Tey want these desperately and are not getting

them. I believe so strongly that if we took the

first step, there is the will to stop killing each

other. It doesnt mean we wont have differ-

ences, but we could work them out around the

table and not in trenches. Martin Luther King

said it is no longer a question of violence or

nonviolence but a question of nonviolence or

nonexistence. Tats whats staring us in the

face if we continue on the path were on.

Gandhi said, Nonviolence, when it becomes ac-

tive, travels w extraordinary velocity, and thenit becomes a miracle!

When we consider the civil rights movement,

look at what that achieved thru nonviolence.

And look at the farmworkers movement with

Cesar Chavez; its brought about such change,

with farmworkers being able to form unions.

We cannot be hopeless. We cannot think dispar-

agingly of nonviolence. It puts us on the level of

being brothers and sisters. Jesus was inspired

by Isaiah with a vision of people climbing a

mountain, beating swords into plowshares. InChapter of Isaiah: a people who walked in

darkness have seen a great light! Te prince of

peace has broken the rod that kept the people

oppressed and has thrown all the battle gear

into the fire, and it has burned. Jesus kept alive

the vision of Isaiah that the people so longingly

cherished.

Its a process. Te first thing we have to do,

and hopefully the U.S. would take the lead, is to

set a worldwide convention to call for elimina-

tion of all nuclear weapons by a given date. Allweapons dont disappear immediately. Each na-

tion with nuclear weapons or fissile material for

such weapons would have to submit a plan for

how to get rid of its weapons, set up inspection

teams, pledge that it will make no first strike

with its weapons, and take its nuclear weapons

off ready-to-fire, alert status. Sadly, one-fourth

of the US strategic nuclear weaponsthose

that are available to be explodedare on alert

status. Clearly, we have to have international

control of the mining of uranium and mustoutlaw enrichment of uranium for nuclear

weapons. Further, the U.S. Senate needs to

ratify the Comprehensive est Ban reaty.

aking these steps, we have a chance to win

back our humanity.

Essay by Bix Bichsel, SJ

If North Korea, China, or one of the Mid-east countries dropped a nuclear bomb ona U.S. city tomorrow, would that change

your opinion?

Tis question seems to suggest that my opposi-

tion to nuclear weapons might be altered if an-

Growing Upin a Catholic

Worker House

Many people, when they first meet me, ask

me what its like to grow up in a Catholic

Worker.

My answer is always, fun! heres always

something do. here is hardly, any time

where its dead around here. People are

usually coming and going, or just spendingthe night. I also meet a variety of people,

if they are homeless or just volunteering.

One of the greatest person that Ive met

through a catholic worker, is my best friend,

Izabelle Cool. Every year there is a Faith and

Resistance retreat, which is where Catholic

Workers gather in a city and speak out about

something. In past events, the Catholics

Workers of Kansas City (Cherith Brook and

Holy Family House) hosted the Faith and Re-sistance, to protest the nuclear bomb plants

here in Kansas City. Actions are an interest-

ing experience. One of the actions that I can

remember clearly, is the one that took place

at Blackwater. At that time, I was learning

more about the Catholic Worker. I was still

learning the purpose of Gospel Obedience. I

remember it being kind o f scary. Wondering

why people were getting arrested for believ-

ing in whats right, or for just simply cross-ing a line, especially my friends and family.

Now I understand clearer, when we pro-

tested the building of the new bomb plant in

Kansas City on highway and Botts Road

in May of , I was not afraid. his time,

both of my parents were arrested, partly

because I wasnt afraid anymore. I wish that

my friends, could understand the Catholic

Worker way of life like I do. In comparison,

their lives are so much different. hey and

their parents dont understand what their

taxes pay for, they dont know the names of

people flying signs off exit ramps, but I do. I

might not know any current anything on V,

but I know the names of people of the cast-

a-sides of Kansas C ity.

by Diana Garbison

Defendants Respond to Judge Bland

On December , Judge Ardie Bland of the

KC Municipal Court found nine nuclear resist-

ers guilty of trespassing on the new Kansas City

Nuclear Parts Plant at Hwy and Botts Rd.

His sentence is worth noting: each defendant

was required to write responses to six essay

questions. Lawyer Bill Quigley of Loyola Uni-

versity in New Orleans commented, Wonder-

ful news. A just sentence, who would have

thought? We offer you a selection of the

essays. See the Kansas City Peaceworks website

http://www.peaceworkskc.org/judgeasks.htmlfor the complete essays of each defendant.

Each a beautiful witness to the Gospel of Peace.

Continued on Page



6/12




7/12




8/12

8

Woe to you who dont have backyard chick-ens! Happy are you who keep a flock; You

will inherit fertilized earth. As Jesus taught,

if God loves the chicks of this world,

how much more will God care for you and

me. What about his parable of the urban

homesteader who realized she was missing a

hen and left the rest of her flock to go find

it. Jesus scandalized the religious leaders

when he said, it wont be the ysons of this

world but the little flocks that belong to the

Kingdom of God! So raise some chickens,your salvation may depend on it.

City Chickens are not a new idea, of

course. None of our ideas are; theyre just so

old they look new. We are not urban farm-

ers so you do not have to be either. We only

want to testifyraising chickens in your

backyard is a chance to practice ordinary

gospel simplicity, to create a new world

in the eggshell of the old.

Carpe Diem! (means literally

pluck the day) his is our fifth year of

raising chickens and preach

poultry we must! So those

who have ears, let them

hear. We pass along our ker-

nels of insight in hopes to

share with other practioners

and to convert those of you

who arent.

Firstframe your deci-

sions around the followingquestions: How can we do

it without costing money

(capitalism loves to commod-

ify grass roots movements)?

How do we keep it to match

the scale of our life and

needs (more is not always bet-

ter)? How can we eliminate

the use of non-renewable

resources (heating a coop robs

Peter to pay Paul)? How canthe part be incorporated

into the whole (How will

chickens benefit our fruit trees

or improve our composting)?

Think LittleIf youchose a strong laying breed

you will get - eggs a

year. You could start with

- chickens and during

most of the year get a dozen

a week. his size will be

easy to manageable and

bring joy to your family.

Partnering ravel isone of the excuses folks

ive. Partner with our

ask for them. So now we set aside a gift-dozen to be given away every week.

Butcher or BustBefore you take theleap, decide how you will deal with your

hens when they age. Productivity drops off

sharply after - years. his makes butch-

ering a necessity. he danger is turning

chickens into pets. In Americans spent

million on their pets; apparently this

was down from million in . We must

consider husbandry from a justice p oint

of view; we pamper our pets while folks gohungry and homeless. his will only undo

all of the ecological, economic and edible

benefits of our initial efforts.

So resolve how you will handle this be-

fore you get sentimental. When others are

involved, even your own determination can

be vetoed. If youre a vegetarian or dont

have the heart to butcher, find someone who

will. Many immigrant groups

in our neighborhood are use to

butchering their own meat andwould be glad to take them off

your hands.

Mildred was our solution.

Early on she was the com-

munity favorite. here was an

outcry to butchering her so, of

the first dozen, she was spared.

his turned out to be wise;

Older hens tutor the young

in proper foraging. And she

still lays a few eggs. Now thatweve had multiple flocks the

romance has worn off. Annual

butchering has become less of

an issue.

If these solutions dont

satisfy, you can always preach

poultry; gifting someone with

a gentler, older hen can be a

great way to break them in.

Freegan FoulFeed

prices rise and fall with an-nual grain market. It can get

expensive especially as winter

comes on. If your flock is

smaller, they do well on yard

and kitchen waste and will

work over your compost pile.

We probably have - gallons

of food scraps a d ay and it goes

straight to the coop. hey

devour meat products before it

becomes an issue. he variety

of waste is a natural balanced

diet and they turn it into fertil-

izer. If you flock is smaller

neighbor to share the responsibilities and

benefits. You could even get a slightly larger

flock (-). Partnership provides you with

mutual support for daily feeding and gather-

ing. It also doubles the table scraps and

yard waste recycled, divides feed costs, and

connects you to your neighbors.

hose who could benefit the most dont

have the disposable income to cover start-

up costs, dont have yard space, or their

landlords dont allow pets. You may need

to host the yard, but the responsibility canbe shared. Partnership can help us span the

economics that divide uis.

Gift Eggs Another reason to choose alarger flocks is gifting. Here we get almost

three dozen a day and most of our eggs are

for breakfast for our homeless friends. But

there is something tantalizing about home

grown eggs. Many volunteers and neighbors

by Eric Garbison

Preaching Poultry

Mark Bartholomew Continued on Page



9/12

Tankful!by Jodi Garbison

We saw sun yesterday! It was the firsttime in several months. We had a couple

days of -degree weather last week.

Even though were back to and a long

way off from putting our long johns away,

we are emerging from these cold months

with hope. As we thaw, our eyes are open

to see bees busy outside their hives. We

have moved a new batch of chickens from

the basement to live outside and estab-

lish their new order. Seeds are planted,

waiting under the light to get theirchance in the sun.

We have so much to be hopeful about!

I guess spring is hopeful for everyone,

everywhere but it feels especially hopeful

to us. It has been a full year of significant

transitions but also a time for growth.

We are especially thankful and hopeful

this spring! hankful to no longer ask

how are we going to make it with fewer

people? to saying, we are actually

making it with fewer people and feelingenergized to vision and dream again. God

has been good and faithful to us! At

first I didnt want to write house notesbut once I started listing the wonderful

happenings around us I couldnt resist.

(couldnt resist is a stretch but)

. We continue to host monthly Round-

table discussions, learning and gleaning

from people who challenge us to live

more thoughtfully and intentionally.

(Sr. herese Elias, Brian errell and Rob

Hoch)

. Katherine is our winter/spring intern.

She has g iven significant nurture to our

young chickens. hankfull y, Katherine is

from the Kansas City area which means

we will get to see her and our friendship

will continue long beyond her internship.

. As many of you know, our shower

friend ommy, has struggled through

many months sleeping outside. He is un-

able to care for himself and/or his money.he good news is that ommy got hous-

ing in November. We are uncertain how

long this will last but know that he is now

in someones care who will watch over

him and he is no longer vulnerable on the

streets.

. Henri and Diana are both finishing

their th grade year. (What!? High School

next year!)

. We were able to raise all the money we

needed in order to fix the caving roof.

hanks to many of you, we got what we

needed to fix the roof not only on the

house but the patch on the building that

wasnt done correctly years ago. hanks

so much to all of you!

. With fewer people living here at Cher-

ith Brook, we have been encouraged by

deeper relationships with our extendedcommunity in the neighborho od. Living

here has a unique covenant and set of

demands so we recognize the strength of

continued rootedness that these relation-

ships offer us. It has been a gift! We are

thankful for Gods provision of relation-

ships in extended community and hopeful

that God will bring people to live residen-

tially with us soon.

. We continue to meet with Sr. herese

Elias. She offers the three covenanting

members a listening ear, gentle guidance

and seasoned wisdom. We realize how

fortunate we are to have her with us each

month.

. For the second time since Cherith

Brook opened in , we offered a -day

training for Non-Violent Communica-

tion. people attended, including

volunteers, community members, neigh-

bors and friends from the streets. W hat

powerful tools and practices in order to

further the hope of a non-violent world.

So as you can see, theres a lot to be

aware of in terms of Gods presence and

faithfulness to us. We sometimes miss

it because of difficulty, what seems like

scarcity, pain and suffering around us.

But living in community offers us differ-

ent perspectives and reminders of Godsgoodness to us and the world. It begs

us not to be defeated by situations, by

despair, or feelings of being overwhelmed

but to hope in the resurrected Christ and

live that way. We have leaned heavily

on each other this year and we are not

weaker for it but stronger! We have

much to celebrate!


10/12



11/12

let them wander the yard or rotate your

chicken tractor.

You ca n als o pl ant f or c hicke n foo d: Kale

& chard, sunflowers, tomatoes, zucchini,

lettucesheck almost anything we eat. If

you have your animals fenced in you can

plant on the perimeter and share the pro-

duce. Just throw left over seeds along the

fence line and let it go. hey can be destruc-

tive in gardens if left too long so wait until

plants are mature.

We have just added apple trees whichhighlights the beautiful symbiosis: Chick-

ens eat bugs and fallen fruit that may invite

disease, then they fertilize the surrounding

soil. he trees will offer them shade and

roost.

Ecological benefits If we consumemore electricit y, fossil fuels or water in

order to produce our own, we will undo

what our work has conserved. So dont

heat your coop or watering containers and

design water barrels specifically for water-ing the animals. Choose breeds that fit

your regional climate. We use several that

overwinter well.

Coops and tractorsWe learned fromour friends at Jerusalem Farm that a

substantial coop can be built entirely out

of recycled materials (they used pallets). It

may be better to collect used materials first

and make your design based on what you

have available. Challenge yourself to build

your coop with only scrap. (Ours cost ,beat that!)

Soil ImprovementChickens are built-in compos t makers. Patricia Foremans

book City Chickens: Keeping Micro-flocks

of Laying Hens as Garden Helpers, Compost

Mak ers, Bio-recy cler s an d L ocal Food Sup pli-

ers is an insightful and fun read, filled with

practical knowledge.

Dont ask permission Give creedenceto your neighbors over government. Dont

assume they will be for or against a flock.Openness and generosity is often the way

to acceptance. Arm yourself with knowl-

edge and dispel myths they may have.

Patricia Forman notes several myths folks

use to resist urban chickens. For example,

some are concerned with waste and odor.

ruth is, a forty p ound dog generates more

solid waste then ten chickens. Unlike dog

or cat poop, chicken waste can be combined

with yard and leaf waste to create compost.

About of chi cken manure is orga nicmatter which is necessary for building fer-

tile, healthy top soil. Since most commer-

cial fertilizers are a petroleum product this

will decrease our dependency on oil.

Poultry... If you already struggle to get along with

your neighbors it may not be the best choice,

but that doesnt mean dont try. Consider

your strategy carefully.

As to t he polit icos , why assume they know

best? Municipalities are not always motivat-

ed by what is best for the community, espe-

cially when it comes to the poor and working

class. hey often bend their ear to the voices

of real estate agents and corporate interest.

How ironic it is when they restrict urban

homesteading on the grounds of noise andwaste, then destroy soybean fields to build

a parts plant for nuclear weapons. ake the

plunge and apologize later. If you are con-

fronted, it may grant you the opportunity to

argue for your personal freedoms.

Decades ago Wendell Berry wrote, For

most of the history of this country our motto,

implied or spoken, has been hink Big But

the citizen who is willing to hink Little, and,

accepting the discipline of that, to go ahead on

his own, is already solving the problem.A manwho is willing to undertake the discipline and

the difficulty of mending his own ways is worth

more to the conservation movement than a

hundred who are insisting merely that the gov-

ernment and the industries mend their ways.

We agree with Berry that in order to build

the movement, in order to change the world,

we must think one egg at a time. And when

we contribute a dozen to our own table we

will be adding another crack in the shell of

Empire, another subversive act that beginsto erode the power of agribusiness over our

lives. More importantly, we will be living

out the gospel call to simplicity and care of

creation.

So we must keep preaching until this

poultry revolution will not be seen as radi-

cal but common place, everyday sort of

stuff. We long for the day when, instead of

neighbors crowding around our pen like its

a petting zoo, clamoring You have chick-

ens!? they will approach us and say, howproductive is that breed? or How have you

kept out predators? or What do you do to

keep your feed costs down? he focus must

turn from looking exotic to discussing best

practices. It is imperative to move beyond

trendy urban gardening to the hard work

of raising our own food so that, over time,

we gain practical wisdom and, as an act of

neighborliness, are willingly share it.

Contact us if youd like support in starting

your flock. We arent experts but will be gladto put our experience to work.

ShowerNeeds

Coffee

Sugar

Creamer

Baking Soda

Dish Soap

Salt & Pepper

Salad Dressing

Hot Sauce

Toilet Paper

Milk

Butter

Black Beans

Rice

Energy Saving Light Bulbs

Stamps

Old candlesCanning lids

Bus Passes(one-rides)

Tennis Shoes (esp. mens 10-13)Shorts(men & womens)

Jeans & Belts (30-34, 4-6)

Boxers & Panties (S & M, 4-7)

Shampoo & Conditioner

Spray Deodorant

Razors

White Socks (esp. mens)

Foot Powder

Toothbrushes

Tampons & Pads

Ibuprofen, Tylenol, & Allergy

Laundry Soap(He-High efficiency)

Shaving cream & Razors

Lotion

HouseNeeds

Continued from Page


12/12

UpcomingEvents

OurScheduleho Are We?Showers M, , T 8 :30--11:00 am

Prayers M, W, F 66:30 am

Community Meal T 57 pm

(Singing every other week)

Garden Work W 2-4 pm

(please call ahead)

Work Day Monthly, 2nd Sat 9 am1 pm

Roundtable Discussions Monthly, 3rd Fri 7 pm9 pm

CCherith Brook is a residentialChristian community committed to sharing

table fellowship with strangers, and all our

resources with one another. We have found

our inspiration from the early church and the

Catholic Worker.

MOur daily lives are structured around

practicing the works of mercy as found in Jesus

teachings. We are committed to regularly feed-

ing the hungry, clothing the naked, giving dr ink

to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, visitingthe prisoner and the sick in the name of Jesus.

PAs followers of Jesus, we

understand our lives to be centered in Gods

Shalom. Cherith Brook strives to be a school

for peacemaking in all its dimensions: political,

communal, and personal; working constantly to

undo poverty, racism and militarism.

Tese three orbs can be summed up as the struggle

to connect with the God of life. We pray that Cher-ith Brook is a space where all of usthe broken

can come to learn and relearn the ways of Jesus;

a place to struggle together for Gods call of love,

mercy, peace and justice.

April 12 Work day 9am-1pm

April 14 Seder Meal

April 17 Footwashing after CommunityMeal

April 18 Stations of the Cross on thestreets, 2pm at 11th & Oak st, downtown KC.

April 22 Roundtable: Notes on White-Working Class America, ex Sample (not

this is on a uesday)

May 10 Work day 9am-1pm

May 16 Roundtable: Nonviolent Eucha-rist, Rev. Ericka Marksbury, St. Andrews

May 30-June 1 rifecta Resista

June 14 Work day 9am-1pm

No Roundtable June or July

July 7-18CLOSED

Cherith BrookCatholic Worker

East th Street

Kansas City, MO

() -

[email protected]

http://cherithbrookcw.blogspot.com

Documents

Cherith Brook CW Lent 2014