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SPRING 2015

WELCOME TO ST. FRANCIS HOUSE! Thank you, Adrienne Stolwyk, for creating this wonderful new sign for the house. We love that you were able to

incorporate the Wolf of Gubbio to represent our community menagerie of pups, including Bowser, Shell, Starr, Rusty and Rosie.

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St. Francis House: I still dont know what it is, but I think I may like this place By Peter Jensen For those of you who do not know me, my name is Peter Jensen and I am currently a third year PhD candidate in the Department of Communication at Mizzou. I am writing this exactly one year and two months since the first visit I paid to St. Francis House. In that time I have done 162 hours of observation, 15 interviews, and written two entirely separate papers on my experiences at St. Francis House and my interactions with its guests, volunteers, and workers. The great irony in all of this is that in spite of all my reflection, analysis, discussions, reviewing of academic articles on homelessness and nonprofits, is that I still have so little clue about what makes St. Francis house possible. I shouldnt find this irony surprising. Ill often talk to my students about different ways of knowing, and Ill talk to them about how a meteorologist knows about tornadoes in a very different way than someone who lives in Joplin. While I may never understand how an organization like St. Francis is possible, it has had an immeasurable impact on my life, both personally and professionally. Before I started observing and volunteering, my world in Columbia was very small. I rarely deviated much on my path from my old downtown apartment to the Mizzou quad, and other than my students I spoke to almost no one outside my department. I was living alone for the first time, and I found myself becoming more withdrawn and introverted, struggling to make conversations even with people I knew. When I first walked through the cloud of cigarette smoke that covered the front porch of the house and through the front door I had no idea what I was doing, and even less idea about what I was going to do. I had some poorly formed notions in my head about Catholic Worker ideals of dignity and caring for the homeless, but I had (and still have) little to no clue what dignity really meant. However, after entering that door I was awed by the warmth and care that characterizes so many of the relationships that are integral to the community, and the unlikely friendships that define St. Francis in my mind. While Im still not certain what dignity means, I find it in the shared moments of humor and care. The most recent paper Ive written about St. Francis deals with the humor at St. Francis. I argue that we use a type of rough humor that promotes undignified dignity. I think its through our humor that we break down the artificial barriers we erect against those who are different from us. Humor tears down the walls and makes

us all equal because there are few things as intimate as moments of shared laughter.

Farewell to all my friends in Columbia Friends, This summer I will be leaving St. Francis House and moving to Baltimorewhere Ill begin my medical residency at Johns Hopkins. Im filled with mixed emotions leading up to this huge life transition. Its hard to believe St. Francis House has been my home for the last 5 years.

To say that my time here has profoundly changed my life and the way I see the world would almost be an understatement. This community, and the work that we do here, has shaped me, stretched me, and taught me otherwise unteachable lessons.

Im so thankful for the fellow community members and the guests, and for this unique space that weve created together, where all people are valued and welcomed. Even as I move on to this next step in my career, Im overwhelmingly proud to have called St. Francis House my home. Much love, Robby

Heres a final photo of Robby, in front of his new professional home: Johns Hopkins Hospital. Robby starts his residency in pathology here this summer.

In Memoriam Please join us as we remember our friends, benefactors and guests who have passed away, including Albert Mermelstein and Jim Jamey Davis. Please also hold in your hearts all who have died by violence in our community, nation and world, especially those who were targeted because of their race, ethnicity, gender, faith or other identity.

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REFLECTIONS ON MEMORIAL DAY By Steve Jacobs

As I entered the tarmac of Columbia's annual airshow this year, I began my own annual event which starts with a slow meditative walk through the throngs of people carrying a sign that has an icon of Jesus over the question "Who Would Jesus Bomb?" Silently past spectators, veterans and their families, past pilots, soldiers and beneath the wings of gigantic war machines I wend my way. Some mutter insults sometimes barely audible but often not. Some blurt out "He'd bomb you" or "Al Qaida" or the "Taliban". Sodom & Gomorrah are offered as an example of Jesus's willingness to annihilate despite reports of their destruction hundreds of years prior to Jesus's time. These folks seem to have created a Jesus in their own image who hates all of the same things they do despite His admonitions to "Love your enemies" and "Turn the other cheek" but these are the very folks I offer the question. But most stare at my question and turn away as if entertaining the question somehow gives it legitimacy that it is not deserved. Mixing religion with politics is a dangerous combination. Cultural patriotism works to get young people to disregard their religious teachings in childhood. A boy scout offered to sell me a program to the airshow as I entered. Boy Scouts manned booths selling war toys, pins, patches, t-shirts and war souvenirs. You can buy a shirt with military insignia over the words: "Kill them all and let God sort them out." "Good slogan for sociopaths", I think to myself. But the ultimate recruiting tools are the combat simulators where you can blow stuff up and kill people digitally. All these steps lead to the dehumanization of real people who are targets for our military and who are conveniently forgotten on Memorial Day. As airshow officials ask for a moment of silence and a round of taps for those who have served in the military, nothing is mentioned about the civilians who have died in every modern war in numbers greater than combatants. At this moment I remember these words from an anonymous source:

"When we remember soldiers but not their victims, When we glorify the pointless deaths of millions,

When we portray the slaughter as noble, When we aggrandize patriotism, When we celebrate militarism,

We are not honoring the dead of war. We are enticing the living to join them."

Despite the overwhelming sense of tragic irony evokes in me there are always moments of grace. While standing at the tail end of a huge C-5 transport plane with my

question facing the spectators exiting the plane. A young girl maybe 9 or 10 came down the ramp and asked me, "Are you here just to ask the question on that sign?" "Yes", I said. "I'm trying to see if anyone knows the answer to this question". "I think he wouldn't bomb anyone" she said with a smile. "At first I thought, the devil but no, I don't think he'd bomb anyone." "You're the only person here who's given the right answer to this question so far." Moments earlier I passed an A-10 pilot who uses depleted uranium shells to destroy enemy armored vehicles. He looked at the question, pursed his lips and said disgustedly. "I guess now I've seen everything". Is it any surprise that an innocent 10 year old girl would know the answer that an experienced fighter pilot probably conveniently forgot when he left all the heavy mental lifting about morality to some general or politician so that he could be used to unleash his weapons upon people they wanted dead? On Memorial Day I also think of my friend Shakir Hamoodi who as a Muslim and an Iraqi/American was imprisoned for doing what other immigrants have done for generations; to send money back to family in the old country (Iraq) who were impoverished by economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. after the first Gulf War. Iraq's economy was destroyed by sanctions so severe that humanitarian officials of the U.N. who administered the "oil for food program" felt morally obligated to resign because vital necessities for civilians were being denied and 500,000 children died unnecessarily from waterborne diseases and malnutrition. Shakir's family begged him for assistance because they were sick and suffering so he sent them money which turned out to be illegal. But there's a difference between what is legal and what is right. If I were him I would have done the same thing.

St Francis/Lois Bryant House Needs Would you like to contribute to our hospitality work at St. Francis and Lois Bryant Houses? Here is a list of our ongoing needs:

Coffee Sugar Fresh Produce Cleaning supplies

Underwear in all adult sizes, mens and women Socks Sunscreen

Deoderant Toilet Paper Cash donations Your prayers

Towels pillowcases Sheets (twin size) gas cards

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New Loaves & Fishes work space? Check; New Attitudes about Hunger? In Progress

By Ruth ONeill First off, many thanks again all to the wonderful people, faith communities and other groups who came together to help our partner, Wilkes Blvd United Methodist Church, to realize the dream of updating and professionalizing the kitchen we use to prepare and serve the meals at Loaves and Fishes. In the 3 years since we moved into their space, the church has been a wonderful partner. They provide a large dining room, friendly faces to greet our diners at the door and now a spacious commercial kitchen in which to prepare good food, serve our friends who come to eat, and perhaps, most exciting, to me, at least, a fabulous clean up area, with new dishwasher and the means to more efficiently clean and store what we need.

Pastor Meg Hegemann spoke at the dedication celebration for the renovated kitchen.

Most of the thanks goes to Brad Hegemann, Pastor Megs husband, pictured here, who served as the overseer for this project. Brad promoted fundraising efforts. (We will always remember the gravy challenge.) Brad, along with Annette Molitor and many others wrote grant applications, (including Thrivent, and Boone County

Community Trust) that brought in much needed funds. He scoured auctions and sought out recyclable kitchen equipment, and did most of the purchasing of new equipment for the kitchen. He worked with Randy Adams Construction, Asbestos Removal Services, Inc. and Ford

Restaurant/Hotel Supply to make sure that we got the most for our money when it came to transforming a 1970s era church kitchen into a 21st century space any commercial eatery would be proud to work from.

Ruth ONeill, Kent Murdoch, Walker Thomas, Cindy Brown, Bill Moyes & Alice Wondra, at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Bequests, fundraising events, grants and the generosity of our long term partners made it possible to complete this project without incurring debt. Hooray and thanks to all our partners in this effort. This outpouring of money by the greater Columbia community is heartening and we believe that it signals a recognition by the city of the value our nightly meals provide for those who may otherwise not have a hot evening meal. We continue to serve 70-150 people a night, and we are seeing more families with kids than ever before. I would like to take a minute to reflect on the whys of Loaves and Fishes: why do we bother at all? And as importantly, why do we, as a Catholic Worker community, continue to oversee and coordinate the operations of Loaves and Fishes? Recently, a volunteer asked me why we didnt expect our guests to do something in exchange for the meal, like help clean up. I responded that we were there to offer a meal with no strings attached and that it didnt seem appropriate to require a payment. At the same time, I noted that we have many guests who have offered to help out with serving and cleaning up when they are needed. (In fact, some former regular guests of the kitchen helped out that very night.) But I sensed that she was not satisfied with my response, and truly, I didnt feel like I had given it my best shot. I think my answer was incomplete, and maybe even a bit of a cop out. I think maybe the real answer comes from asking these two more questions: why is Loaves and Fishes here and who is it designed to benefit? Because the answers are not as obvious as they may seem. True, our main purpose is serving food 7 nights a week, to feed those who are hungry. But our purpose in inviting community groups from many traditions and walks of life to

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make and serve those meals is to provide a transformative space for everyone who comes to the soup kitchen, not just the dinner guests. The dinner hosts (volunteer groups) are there to be evangelized by the hungry as much as the guests are there to be fed by their more comfortable neighbors.

Bobette Rose training a volunteer to use the new dishwasher.

We give our volunteer hosts a lens through which to see the common humanity they share with our hungry guests. We give our hosts the opportunity to make personal connections with the people they feed. We give our hosts the opportunity to gain insight into the multiple reasons why people in the middle of America, in a food producing state, need Loaves and Fishes in their lives. We give our hosts an opportunity to serve persons who usually are doing the serving, because many of our guests work, usually cleaning up after those who are better off, or serving them meals in restaurants or fast food joints, or mowing yards, or nailing on roofs or sweeping sidewalks. Granted, many of our guests dont have jobs because

they spend all their time battling mental demons or losing their daily struggle with addiction. And too many of our guests are children. In any event, while I believe we should gratefully welcome offers by our guests to help out, we need to remember that this can diminish the host volunteers opportunities to serve, and in serving, to grow in compassion. I think that our model of soup kitchen is one way to put into practice the observations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he talked about the need for a revolution of compassion as a means of building a society that makes room for its least powerful members. He said,

On the one hand we are called to play the Good Samaritan on lifes roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on lifes highway. True

compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. When we serve a plate of food to a person who is hungry, we are Good Samaritans. But Loaves and Fishes is designed not only for those individual moments, but to be a place where we can begin to transform that Jericho Roadwhere the edifice of power and privilege is recognized as a road block to opportunity, a wall whose time is past. Like the work that transformed our kitchen from a relic of the past to a forum of opportunity, the day to day work of feeding our guests can transform the hearts of those who serve.

Trivia Night Benefits St. Francis House! By Britt Hultgren [On April 25, St. Francis House (with a ton of help from the extended Lang family) sponsored and presented a Trivia Night to benefit out hospitality houses and Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen. The Emcee for the evening was our own Britt Hultgren. Heres his take on the event.]

Nearly a hundred faces sat before me awaiting instruction. Eight-member teams gathered in half-moon arrangement around circular tables: some had silly and ornate table decorations, while others wore wild hatsstill others wore expressions of boredom at the emcee. An eclectic mix of people joined together for an evening of trivia to raise money for the Columbia Catholic Worker. It seemed to me the only thing many of them had in common was that they were hungry hungry to win, that is. I cleared my throat and read the category and instructions: Columbia Catholic Worker. This round will have to do with justice issues, the Catholic Worker Movement, and our very own St. Francis House community. We turned the slides and I read questions such as Who inspired Dorothy Day and helped her found the Catholic Worker Movement? Iconic resident William Blackwell constantly wants to know if you have one of these ("Hey, you got a ______?) The evening was filled with the sound of pencil scratches and conspiratorial whispers. Everyone seemed to have a good time. I cant recall who was the victor of the competition, but overall everyone involved ended up winners. The Columbia Catholic Worker managed to raise several hundreds of dollars, the participants gracious enough to throw money our way had a great time and -- hell they might have even learned something, and somewhere far away, sitting on his porch smoking a cigarette, William Blackwell must have felt that press of dozens of minds trying to remember one of his many inimitable phrases.

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Micah Prenger saves the back porch at Lois Bryant House and earns Eagle Scout badge in the process Some kids spend their spring breaks going on trips, or playing with their friends, or zoning out by binge watching the latest greatest pre-teen TV or movie series. But Micah Prenger used the time to earn an Eagle Scout badge and give back to the community: he remodeled and replaced the rickety back porch and steps at Lois Bryant House.

As seen in these first 2 pictures, the porch and steps had deteriorated quite a bit over the years and were actually on the verge of becoming a health hazard for those who dared to use them. Micah, with the help of a mentor, friends and siblings decided that early spring would be the perfect time to resolve the matter. He rounded up his siblings and some fellow scouts, along with an adult mentor experienced in construction projects to help him with his endeavors. He was able to arrange for materials to be donated for the project as well.

First, they carefully dismantled and removed the steps and their erstwhile supports (yes, that was a concrete block holding up the bench seat). After they safely removed the deck platform, steps and other boards, it was time to start the reconstruction. Micah dove into this project with a great deal of enthusiasm, and managed to maintain his high spirits throughout the project.

After things get torn down, it is time to build them back up, and so the reconstruction began. Check out the photos on the next page for the results.

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In Celebration of Andrews Graduation By Jeff Krall On May 23, we had the pleasure of watching our son Andrew graduate from Hickman High School here in Columbia. It was a great time to celebrate his accomplishments with friends and family. During his high school career, Andrew helped members of our community by leading the Repair It Forward and Cause An Effect programs, whose focus is refurbishing recycled computers for people who need computers but dont have the means to buy them. Andrew also led the Gay-Straight Alliance to support friends who are coming to terms with their sexual orientation. Andrews compassion and protection of others, especially those who cant defend themselves, is a great attribute that will help him navigate this world. Congratulations Andrew! We wish you all the best as you enter college in the fall, and we are excited to see the wonders that your compassionate spirit will bring to your fellow students. (The members of the St. Francis Catholic Worker have watched Andrew grow up; the Kralls have been part of our community since Andrew started grade school.)

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Invasion of the (Honey) Bees!

St. Francis House and Lois Bryant House are the proud keepers of our first beehive, generously hosted by local farmer Richard

Knapp. Community member Lincoln Sheets purchased the queen and colony, and

salvaged hive boxes with the help of Adam Saunders of the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture. Within a year or so, we hope to be serving our own honey to guests at our

breakfast table. At left, see our new girls as they are transported to their new home. The

center photo shows our friend and bee host, local organic farmer

Richard Knapp, adding honeycomb frames, and finally, at the right, our

former house guest and current farm hand, Gerald Crow ,shows the results

of the "hiving" process.

St. Francis Catholic Worker Community St. Francis & Lois Bryant Houses Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen 1001 Rangeline Columbia, MO 65201