Winter 2012 “We are to love, because God loved FREE / DONATION No. 35 THE LONDON us first” - St John CATHOLIC WORKER What Goes Around The Way of the Cross for Comes Around... First World Christians In his book “Who Will Roll Away the Stone?”, Solidarity and Resistance! Ched Myers conjures up the image of Peter Sometimes it feels as these wars keep on expanding the standing by the fire in Pilate‟s imperial palace, anti-war movement keeps shrinking - and it all seems to while offstage, Jesus is being whipped and tortured. become a little too personal. And Myers asks the question - “Where are we in In December, we had a party at Giuseppe Conlon House this story?” Myers answer is that we, as 1st World for Lillian and Michael Lyons. Michael, a (cont. p.2) Christians, are with Peter - „warming our hands with the minor privileges of Empire‟, while we can hear coming from offstage and far away, the screams of those - of „the least of our brothers and sisters ( Mt 25) - of Christ - being tortured and crucified to preserve the status quo that protects and preserves our privileges, comforts and lifestyle at the expense of the poor, oppressed and crucified of our world. And we are „1st World Christians‟, living here in the UK, and especially in London and the south east, at the heart of Empire. This speaks to us of our context, where we are in the passion story and in the world, and what it means when Jesus says to us, as we have just heard in Matthew‟s Gospel “take up your cross and follow me”. (Mt 16:21-27) (cont. p.4) God’s Silent Messengers Bad things draw more publicity than good things. Christmas in Palestine Mere mentioning of the name, „Roman Catholic Church,‟ I had a great opportunity this Christmas: to spend calls to mind immediately to some people „child abuse,‟ some time in Palestine, in the same place where Jesus due to its wide publicity. Even though its world-wide lived each one of his days! As a Christian, I suppose it publicity by the public media seems to be dying down. was the region I always wanted to visit, especially at The reports of such cases were „mainly,‟ „past‟ events. that time of the year. It is hard to describe those two Contrary to the wish of human beings, what God weeks in a few lines. I will try. really needs, is genuine repentance of the sinner, not his As a Brazilian, I found the sensation of being in the punishments or death: „For I take no pleasure in the Asian continent pretty intense, in the heart of the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent Middle East, the same scary and fascinating place that and live‟ (Ezekiel 18.32, (New International Version). most of us – at least in Brazil – just know by When one genuinely repents of one‟s sins and turns away photographs and by the (often bad) news. from them, God always „forgives‟ and „forgets,‟ no (cont. p.5) The landscape was amazing: deserts, mountains, lakes, old buildings… It is quite indescribable the INSIDE: p2 What Goes Around Comes Around sensation of being on the same mountain where Jesus p3 Christmas in Palestine used to teach, on the mount where he was transfigured p4 The Way of the Cross for First World Christians in front of his disciples or in the place where he with- p5 God’s Silent Messengers drew before his Passion. I left the country quite sure P6&7 Catholic Worker “Aims and Means” that Jesus was keen on a beautiful place and on good p8 NEWS, Dorothy Day Book Special Offer hiking! p9 Peter Maurin, CW T-shirts for Sale If Jesus enjoyed a good walk, what we really like is P9 Down Among the Undead building churches: I never saw so many in my entire p10 Dorothy Day Article from 1960 + DVD Sale life! Almost every event of some importance related in p11 DATES for your Diary & Standing Order Form the New Testament is the theme of a temple (cont. p.3) London Catholic What Goes Around At the party Michael, who had no contact with the peace movement when choosing Worker: Comes Around... (from p1) We are: Angela Broome, Simon to resist the war, told a story that made the Watson, Henrietta Cullinan, Chris world seem even more smaller. In Feb Goodchild, Scott and Maria Albrecht, British Navy Medic who refused orders to 2011, following Michael's filing for Martin Newell, Soo Tian Lee, Sean deploy to Afghanistan and weapons conscientious objector status he was on a O‟Malley, Ciaron O‟Reilly, Mirjam training, had recently been released from minibus in Davenport with other sailors on Johansson, Andrew Russell, Paulo serving a 7 month sentence in the military their way to their docked nuclear Oliveira, Jeff te Braake, Liz & John Hamblett prison in Colchester. During his time in submarine when it was blockaded by prison, the London Catholic Worker were peace activists. Dorothy Day House involved in solidarity vigils for Michael at 16 De Beauvoir Road, the Ministry of Defence, Downing St., and While stalled by the blockade, another De Beauvoir Town, London N1 5SU Tel: 020 7249 0041 Email: outside Colchester Prison. We also visited sailor said to him "Why don't you go and [email protected] Michael in prison. Fr. Martin Newell, join your mates?" He replied "I wish I had We are: Liz and John Hamblett who was on one of those visits, was absent mates like them!" Coincidently Martin Guiseppe Conlon House from our December party having been was one of those blockading the port. 49 Mattison Road, London N4 1BG lifted for an anti-war action at Northwood Well we're all mates now! Small world or Tel: 020 8348 8212 Email: Headquarters and was banged up in small movement or what? [email protected] Pentonville Prison. Dorothy Day House and Giuseppe As any anti-war resister in chains or Conlon House offer hospitality to Michael and Lillian joined us in a vigil before the courts can tell you, the best destitute refugees, mainly men. We outside of Pentonville in solidarity with solidarity one can offer is further run Peter‟s Community Café and the Urban Table Soup Kitchen. We or- Martin and against the wars we have all nonviolent anti-war resistance. So after a ganise regular non-violent resistance, been resisting. While in London, they couple of days of post-Christmas and produce this newsletter. accompanied other "Veterans for Peace" reflection and celebration at the Catholic We are: Martin Newell, Sean Ben Griffin and Matthew Horne, to the Worker farmhouse we returned to O Malley, Ciaron O‟Reilly, Soo U.S. embassy in solidarity with Bradley Northwood Headquarters to mark the Tian Lee, Andrew Russell, Paulo Manning whose military tribunal pre-trial "Feast of the Holy Innocents". Before Oliveira, Brendan O‟Reilly and Jeff was commencing at Ft. Meade USA. A heading off we were in Skype dialogue te Braake. larger group of us returned to the embassy with Maya Evans, Kathy Kelly and Catholic Worker Farmhouse: on Bradley's 24th. birthday as the pre-trial members of the Afghan Youth Peace Lynsters Farm, Old Uxbridge Road, farce ran its course in the U.S. Also in Volunteers in Kabul. West Hyde, Herts, WD3 9XJ December we had literally accompanied Tel: 01923 777 201 Email: Julian Assange back into the High Court, In response to Northwood HQ's ongoing [email protected] We are: Scott & Maria Albrecht where we explored possibly a new act of role in the war on Afghanistan, we and family, Mirjam Johannsen, Tatia- mercy for Catholic Workers of "getting explored 2011's revolutionary symbol of na & the dissident safely into court past an the Occupy Movement's tent and the The Farmhouse offers hospitality to aggressive British press pack". Julian is opening of John's gospel. destitute women. We vigil regularly being defended by Giuseppe Conlon's "The light shines in the darkness and at the nearby Northwood Joint Forces legal advocate Gareth Pierce. They won the darkness has not overcome it…. and Military HQ. We also grow organic an appeal point against extradition at the the word became flesh and he pitched his vegetables and have a poustinia. High Court, so are in the Supreme Court tent among us " (John 1:1,14) Maryhouse also offers a home to on Feb 1st. and 2nd. Meanwhile the star four destitute women with children. chamber of the WikiLeaks Grand Jury Henrietta Cullinan, John Lyons, Rachel Peter’s Community Café: continues to sit in Alexandria, Virginia, Wood, Maria and Scott Albrecht pitched Open Mon-Weds 12noon-5.30pm U.S..A. their pop up tents at the gates of The Crypt, St Peter‟s Church, Northwood closing the main entrance to Northchurch Terrace, De Beauvoir Town, N1 5AT Tel: 020 7249 0041 Michael Lyons decision to resist the war this command and control centre for all on Afghanistan and become a refusenik British forces deployed in Afghanistan. As Urban Table Soup Kitchen: came directly from his reading of the the five risked arrest, we read a litany of Open Sun. 2.30pm-4.30pm WikiLeaks Afghan war logs that Bradley names of British and Afghan dead. The Old School Rooms, The Round Chapel, Powerscroft Road, Hackney, Manning is accused of releasing to London E5 0PU WikiLeaks. So it all seemed too personal, In these dark days when many have grown a couple of degrees of separation.