Catholic Worker New York City
The Catholic Worker New York is a anarchist-catholic homeless shelter that was founded in 1933 by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin combining anarchist values of self-organisation and resistance towards the state violence with Catholic values of love and service for the ones in need. “if i am a catholic I feed the poor, if i am a Marxist i ask the question why there are poor” Dorothy Day. At this moment the community has many self-organised houses in the USA and other countries. I have spend 3 months in the shelter in New York City as a volunteer. The main function of the community is a daily soup kitchen for the homeless and at the same the volunteers live together with people in the house who were taken in from the street. My stay there was combined a participatory research on how the care system functions and what the Catholic values can add to the anarchist care work. The experience of my stay is summarised in a publication “Sparkle, maybe its not America, maybe its me”, a 600 pages diary that I was writing during my time there. Another part of my stay was a practice that I have introduced in collaboration with other young volunteers who lived there: “The Open Day”, one day in the week, where the doors of the Catholic Workers are open and people can come in, rest, charge their phones, serve coffee and sandwiches themselves, instead of the usual asking and being served throught he window. The practice was aiming at exploring how guests can gain more empowerment and agency within the space, and how the relation between the volunteers and the homeless people can become more equal. The Open day would end with a collective dinner, where everyone eats together. “Ben: did you hear what this guy said - this is how we always should be eating - peacefully all together at one table” (Sparkle)
PROJECT BY:
Catholic Worker Community, Dimitri van den Wittenboer
PRESENTED AT:
The Catholic Worker New York, USA
Performing Art Forum (PAF), FR
Art Rotterdam, NL
SUPPORTED BY:
Mondriaan Fonds
Invitation for the Open Day
The community of catholic workers in lower manhattan new york.
The project that combines anarchist community values with the faith of catholicism was started long time ago by Dorothy Day to support homeless people in New York City - of which there are many.
A soupline in the morning that feeds over a 100 visitors 6 days a week - people start lining up at 8:00, at 9:30 we let the first in- sit down, here is a free spot, would you like soup? And some coffee? 11:30 J. who have been here for 30 years and does the door announces with his comedian but definite voice - Alright everyone, it's time for my eat up and get out of here speech. It's with love. People finish and leave. The rest of the day we serve trough an open window. "What you got for me buddy?" Baloni and cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly, sometimes tuna, coffee, tea and soup in paper cups. 15 people live in the house ( or more) - volunteers, long time residents some with a back ground of street life. The space is highly inspiring and i have to say that I never felt live being so immediate and meaningful.
While staying here and getting to know the people involved, I meet B. "If you would change one thing here what would it be Dimitri?"
"I would open the door and let people come in and use the space collectively"
"Being filled with all kindness and love of the world, one can still not escape the reproduction of separation between "us" and "them" while serving someone through a window"
B. agrees
"I was visiting this lecture about the commons recently"
David Gräber writes that there are three freedoms that are necessary to feel free as a human: The freedom to disobey, the freedom to choose one's social organisation, and the freedom to move. I would add the freedom to use space according to one's needs and desires.
We decided to try something that people say used to be there in the beginning and what Dorothy Day strongly believed in, something which went lost over the years due to missing resources in time and people. A time in the day when the door of the catholic workers house is open and people can come in and be in the space as everyone else, serve oneself food and use the bathroom without asking, just hang out at a table, feeling safe and without the fear of being harassed by the police. An Open Day when we mingle without separation, when the guest and the host sit together at one table and share a meal.
Everyone is welcome to join us at St Jones House of Catholic Workers, 36 East 1st Street, New York. Every Thursday 2-7pm, To hang out, have snacks and coffee, or suggest an activity of your own, at 5 we share a meal together!
In the Memory and the Spirit of Dorothy Day.
Big thanks to the Mondriaan Funds for supporting this unusual and highly inspiring residency which give me the chance to test my ideas of art as social organisation within a real life environment.
