Peter Stiehler

Dear Friends,

Hi, I’m Peter and I’m a practicing Catholic.

Sometimes it’s hard to admit this in public as most of the news about the Catholic Church over the past 30 years has not been good. I’m sure that I don’t need to detail the actions that I’m alluding to here. However, this summer I read Humanitas Magnifica, Pope Leo’s recent encyclical letter. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, except that it was touted as some sort of critique of artificial intelligence and the digital age in which we find ourselves. In reading the letter I was impressed and inspired by what I read. It reminded me of why I have chosen to continue my chosen work as a practicing Catholic even with all the negativity surrounding the church.

But first, what is the letter about? In brief, the letter focuses on advances in technology that are changing our world, with an emphasis on Artificial Intelligence. Particularly the issues surrounding its growing use and what it means to be human in the technocratic age. The letter does not outright condemn Artificial Intelligence and the digital revolution. It does acknowledge technology’s potential to provide for a better life for people, but it also points out its dangers. Especially its potential for the concentration of power through the amassing of data and extreme wealth in a few hands. An example of this, not mentioned in the letter, was Elon Musk giving $250 million to sway the 2024 election and then being given an appointed position in the new administration where he slashed funding to federal programs created and funded by congress that he didn’t like. Again, the letter does not call for a rejection of this technology, but for regulation of its use and a reflection on the threats it poses to people and human dignity. This critique of technology is well and good, but it was his emphasis on the need and importance of encouraging and supporting human dignity which grabbed my attention.

Before Pope Leo gets into talking about the issues around artificial intelligence, he spends two chapters talking about the history and development of Catholic Social Teaching over the past century and a half. Hearing over and over the Church’s stance that we as people of faith must always safeguard the dignity of the human person is what really inspired me. It reminded me of why in my early twenties I chose to devote my life to serving those in need from a faith-based perspective. I learned from the Church that people are more than just another factor in economic production to be used or discarded depending on what value they bring to a business. People are made in the image and likeness of God, are loved by God, and thus need to be encouraged and supported to grow into all they can be. The church has continued to adhere to the belief that people are more important than profits and that people are more important than possessions. The same is true if you switch out “people” for “the common good” or “relationships.”

I think back to when I joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) after graduating from college. During one of the orientation sessions the presenter posed the question: “Why do we in JVC choose simple living? We don’t do it out of self-flagellation, but to show that people and relationships are more important than possessions.” When we have limited financial means, it forces us to focus on relationships instead of doing “retail therapy,” for entertainment or personal fulfillment.

A year later, on my way to Philadelphia for my second year in JVC, I stopped off to visit relatives in South Texas. When asked what my plans were, I told them I was moving to Philadelphia to live in a poor neighborhood and work for next to no money serving people for which our society has a very low regard. I was asked, “Why in the hell would you want to do something like that?” (The question was posed with much more “colorful” language.) I was not very articulate in my response, but I said something along the lines of “I want to try to live out my faith by serving others.” Well, they still thought I was “not quite right,” but it was enough of an answer to move the conversation on to more palatable topics.

It’s almost 40 years later and I’m still not quite right. I, and my co-workers at Catholic Worker Hospitality House, are still trying to live out our faith by serving those on the margins of society. Every day we feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and visit the sick. We strive to create a world that protects each person’s dignity and where it is easier for people to be good and to honor and protect God’s creation. Regardless of their past deeds, their economic or educational status, or their country of origin, we do our best to treat all we serve with dignity and respect. We try to keep our overhead expenses low and operations simple so that more of our resources go directly to serving those in need. These are the beliefs and values we try to live by daily at Catholic Worker Hospitality House. We fall short at times, but we keep on trying to live out the ideals put forth by Jesus Christ and by Catholic Social Teaching. With your help we’ve been doing this for the past thirty years. We ask for your ongoing support to continue our work for as long as we are able.

In Christ’s Peace,

Peter Stiehler
For all of us at
Catholic Worker Hospitality House

 

THANK YOU!
In July we sent out a card asking for help with needed supplies. The response was overwhelming! Thank you! While most of our food and supply needs are covered for now, we can always use more canned soup, as well as your ongoing financial support to help us cover our various expenses.
Again, thank you so much for helping us to continue our work of serving those in need in our community.

“All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property 
and possessions to give to anyone who had need.  Every day they continued to meet
together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in the homes and ate together with
glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” -Acts 2:45-47a

Dear Friends,

Since my early teens, I’ve had a fascination with communal living and the countercultural lifestyle. I was definitely too young to be a hippie, but was attracted to its idealism. It would be an understatement to say that Dallas in the 1970s was not a hot bed of the counterculture movement. Maybe this desire came from watching movies such as Easy Rider and the documentary for Woodstock while in high school, and of course, the era’s music.  Whatever the cause, at a young age I started to develop a desire to live an alternative lifestyle which included communal living. “One day I’ll be a hippie living in a commune.”

During college when I delved deeper into my Catholic faith, I came across more examples of countercultural communal living. The Catholic Church has over a 1500-year history of communal living.  In the 520’s BCE St. Benedict established a rule for monasteries which still survives today: a life devoted to God based on a balance of prayer, work, and study (ora et labora), all done in a communal setting.  Monasteries are still active today; a highlight of my year is the silent retreat I do at Redwoods Monastery, a Trappist monastery, in Northern California.  Until recently, parishes had communal living with nuns in convents and priests in rectories. With the decline of traditional vocations beginning in the late 1960s, most parish convents have now been converted to other parish uses and most rectories have only one or two priests in residence.

Motivated by a desire to live a life based on service and community, I served for two years in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. As Jesuit Volunteers we lived together, espoused voluntary poverty (simple living), shared resources, and had service jobs in the community.  That experience led me, and prepared me, to join the Los Angeles Catholic Worker.  When I joined the Catholic Worker, I felt I had accomplished my goal: “I finally made it! I’m living in my dream commune.” I was totally content living that dream for several years until another dream came true — getting married to a wonderful woman and starting a Catholic Worker house of our own.

After starting Catholic Worker Hospitality House in San Bruno, we initially continued living in community until we had a couple of children and felt the need to have a separate family space away from our work. While I was obviously very content with my family life, a part of me missed and longed for my idealistic commune days. I missed living with a group of people sharing a common work. For close to two decades our Catholic Worker “commune” consisted of me, a couple of co-workers at the Shelter, and some wonderful volunteers, but the grand sense of community was lacking.

Then something started to happen at our Second Ave house. First one staff member started to live there, then another and another and another. Before I knew it more than half the people living there were in some form or another part of the mission of Catholic Worker Hospitality House — either working at the Shelter or the Dining Room, or doing laundry or bi-weekly deep cleaning of the dining room and shelter. One day I realized we had a bit of a Catholic Worker community going on. I started to jokingly refer to the Second Ave. house as “the commune.” My fellow “communards” patronizingly smiled, and said, “Sure, that’s right Peter.”

While I make light of it, something serious was developing — a sense of community and shared work. My co-workers, while not motivated by the commune ideal, do care about those with whom they live.  They are developing friendships and socializing together, and caring for each other in times of need.  Most of them have the means to live elsewhere, but choose to live in that communal setting.  They also care about the work that is happening at the Dining Room and Shelter.  All of them started as guests of the dining room, shelter, or both before living at the Second Ave house.  They know firsthand the needs and feelings of those we serve.  Because of this they have started taking the initiative to improve policies and operations of the dining room and shelter, to spruce it up, and ultimately to make it a nicer place for those we serve.

I have come to realize that my fascination with communes was not some pseudo- hippie pipedream, but a deep desire for  community, for a sense of belonging and a means of living out my faith.  I longed to be part of something that combined a shared work that both makes our community a better place and helps to enflesh the Kingdom of God.  In a world that can be incredibly individualistic and isolating, I think this is what has attracted people to the Catholic Worker Movement for the past ninety-plus years, it is certainly what attracted me and has kept me around for the past thirty-five years.

Ultimately, what we’re trying to do at Catholic Worker Hospitality House is to live out the Kingdom of God here and now through sharing our resources and serving those in need in our community.  Even with the frustrations that come with the work we do, and especially with sharing living space, we are all so thankful for the relationships and meaningful work that come with being part of Catholic Worker Hospitality House.  As always, we thank you for your ongoing generosity, which makes our work and life possible. We hope that you will help us to continue this experiment of living communally and serving those indeed in our community.

In Christ’s Peace,

Peter Stiehler
For all of us at
Catholic Worker Hospitality House

 

PHONE NUMBER CHANGE! We have a new phone number at CWHH: 650-291-2400

Dear Friends,

Last month I threw away two old picture frames while I was cleaning the basement at our 2nd Avenue boarding house. One of the residents, while taking out household trash, saw the picture frames in the trash can and noticed there were still pictures in them. He asked me, “Are you sure you want to throw these away? There are some great old pictures.” When I saw what I had done, I quickly saved the frames and the pictures, several of which I have included in this letter. It was such a trip down memory lane seeing pictures of folks who had been regulars at the dining room and shelter twenty to twenty-five years ago, many of whom have long since moved on or passed away. But a couple of us are still around. There is me with dark brown hair and a ponytail, Pat looks so young it’s hard to recognize him, and the picture of Mike doesn’t look much different from what he looks like now (Thanks for making the rest of us look bad.).

Day in and day out, things don’t seem to change much with our work, but when I see the old pictures, it really makes me realize how much time has passed. April 1st marks thirty years that we have been operating our little dining room. In many ways little has changed. Sure, our hair is thinner and grayer, we’re sporting more pounds than we would like, and many of the faces have changed. But those things are minor, because what is most important has stayed the same these past thirty years. As an organization, we are still here serving those most I need in our community. We have started and ended several service projects as the needs of the community have changed over the years, but our core projects and goals remain the same. Every night we host six people in our homeless shelter who are in desperate need of emergency shelter; our two boarding homes are still providing dignified affordable permanent housing for a total of eighteen people; our house in Oakland is providing transitional housing for people coming out of prison; our Dining Room still serves fifty to sixty people a hot meal five mornings a week, and up to fifteen people use our shower services each morning; and we are regularly in nursing homes and occasionally at jails visiting those we serve.

And even though I, and all who work at Catholic Worker Hospitality House, could qualify for Social Security benefits, we are still going strong. We still enjoy our daily work at the Dining Room and the overnight shifts at the shelter. We are still strengthened by
the community we have with our coworkers, volunteers, and those we serve. Most days, we are thankful for all that we have: stable housing, meaningful work, and people with which to share our lives. And every day we are thankful for all of you, whose generous support have made this work possible for the past thirty years. We wouldn’t still be here without you. We hope that you will help keep us going for another thirty years, or more realistically considering our age, another fifteen to twenty years. As always, thank you so much for your continued generous support of our work with those in need.

In Christ’s Peace,

Peter Stiehler
For all of us at
Catholic Worker Hospitality House

 

“It’s gotta be the Joy”

by Brendan Walsh

Some say working the soup kitchen

best defines the Catholic Worker.

Some say opening your home to the lonely and destitute

best defines the Catholic Worker.

Some say resisting the war makers, doing the time,

refusing to go along with the greed and violence

best defines a Catholic Worker.

Some say it’s all of these, knowing full well that the best we can do

is plant a few seeds, knowing full well

the harvest is a long time coming.

But, deep down, really, in our heart of hearts, we know

It’s gotta be the joy!

You lose the joy, you lose it all.

No joy, no hope.

No joy, no endurance.

No joy, no understanding of the suffering.

No joy, no meaning to life.

No joy, and it’s just another year in Guantanamo.

No joy, and we’re all just doing time on the planet.

Oh, yeah –

It’s gotta be the joy!

Dear Friends,

On a recent Monday afternoon, I received a phone message from the local county core service agency in South San Francisco saying they had just sent to our shelter an elderly woman via taxi who needed shelter that night. My initial thought was, “Oh! No, no, no, no! You can’t do that. That’s not how things work. What if we don’t have an opening in our shelter for her?” Luckily, I calmed down before contacting the case manager and getting more information about the situation: Jennifer was an elderly woman with limited mobility who was new to the area and desperate for shelter that night. Jennifer was not only new to San Mateo County, but to homelessness as well; she knew nobody and was understandably frightened. Luckily, we did have an opening that night, so we brought her in, but with the understanding that I would bring her back to the agency the next morning so they could hopefully find a more appropriate placement for her.

In the morning, I talked with Jennifer about the plan to take her back to the service agency, but also informed her that she could come back to our shelter that night if they could not find a place for her. She told me that she did not feel comfortable staying in our shelter even though Janice, the prior night’s staff person, was kind to her and made her feel welcome. She just wasn’t comfortable staying in a shelter with so many men.

That morning, after I dropped her off at the service agency, I felt heavy at heart, thinking what a tough world it is out there for some people and wishing there was more that we could do for her. But I couldn’t get bogged down in such musings as I had to run a couple of errands before visiting George at a nursing home in Daly City.

We’ve known George for over 15 years as a regular guest at our dining room and shelter. Five years ago, he finally received permanent housing, but a week after moving in he was discovered on the floor of his bedroom, struck down with a disease that paralyzed his arms and legs. Since that time, he has been in a variety of care facilities. When I got to the nursing home, I noticed that George had his own room, which I initially thought was nice, but then I noticed his isolation. Without use of his arms, he couldn’t operate the television or read, much less go to the common room to socialize with the other residents; it appears he spends his days staring at blank walls. The isolation felt oppressive. As I visited with George, I couldn’t help but notice that the years in nursing homes hadn’t been kind to him. Being bedridden for five years led to a certain amount of atrophying of his body and the same could be said of his mind as well. It was difficult to carry on a conversation as he was often agitated and his speech was hard to understand. The room, while clean, had a faint aroma of feces. Had he just soiled himself?

After visiting for a while, I left George with the promise of visiting again. As I walked to my car, the heaviness of heart from earlier in the morning returned as I thought once again about what a tough life some people have. From there, I went to a meeting where I had time to muse over the events of the morning. I was thankful for the opportunity to assist the folks and spend time with them, but still my heart was heavy.

After my meeting, I went to visit Shaun who has been in a very nice nursing home in the Crestmoor neighborhood of San Bruno for the past year. I have known Shaun for over twenty-five years as she and another woman were for many years the lay leaders of the mission church I attend in Brisbane. Shaun is confined to her bed, but her mind is as sharp as ever. Far from just lying in bed wasting away, she was still doing what she could to build the faith life of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission community. It soon became evident that Shaun would be serving me more than I would be serving her. My weekly visits soon turned into classes for my ongoing spiritual development so I could better be of service to our mission community. Shaun always has a passage from scripture or religious book that she wants to share with me; we share our insights, seeing how they can be applied to our daily life. I love my visits with Shaun; I always leave feeling full of the love and presence of God. This day was especially uplifting and consoling after my difficult morning.

Why do I share these stories? When we offer ourselves in service to others, there will be times that are very difficult as we often encounter people in their most difficult and lonely moments. But this is what we signed up for, it is at the heart of our work, so we are used to these moments even when they are difficult. But then we can be surprised by such interactions like the ones I have with Shaun, which are so nurturing and joyful. Or like when I learned later in the afternoon that Jennifer had received a bed in a county shelter with a women’s section and social workers to assist her with her long-term needs. We can rarely meet all the needs of those we meet and serve, but we assist them as we can, and always keep them in our prayers.

Our daily work at Catholic Worker Hospitality House is faith filled and life affirming. Not just in some aspects, but all aspects of our work: in the direct service we provide to those in need, in the teamwork with co-workers in our daily work, and in our relation-ships with volunteers, donors, and guests. It’s really a wonderful life. It is why I chose this work forty years ago when I was searching for a way to live out my faith in my daily work.

2026 will mark thirty years of our work at Catholic Worker Hospitality House (which I will be reflecting on in a future newsletter). We are so thankful for all the people who have made our work possible through the sharing of time, talents, and treasures. Together, we enflesh the Kingdom of God, assist those in need, and make our community a better place. Thank you!

In Christ’s Peace,

Peter Stiehler
For all of us at
Catholic Worker
Hospitality House

 

HOLIDAYS THANKS! As we emerge from the holiday season and settle back into our regular work routine, we would be remiss if we did not thank the many individuals, businesses, and congregations who graced us with their generosity to enable us to provide special festive meals and gifts to all our guests from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. We are so thankful for all who enable us to continue serving those in need in our community. Thank you.

Dear Friends,

For almost thirty years I’ve been writing these Christmas letters.  The usual letter talks about Advent as a time of hope as we await a new creation.  While we enter “a time of darkness,” we hope and prepare for a better world with the coming of Jesus, the
Messiah, at Christmas.

This year, with the current political and economic situation, people are especially feeling and fearing the darkness.  ICE raids, military deployments to cities viewed as hostile to the president, tax cuts for the very wealthy while health and food resources for the poor are cut, and the general dismantling of structures that care for people and protect the environment.

How long O Lord?  How long must we wait for the promised new creation?  With all that’s happening, just waiting and hoping for a better world in some vague future doesn’t seem enough.  So what if instead of just waiting and hoping for a better future, we start living a bit of that hoped for future now? I think this was at the heart of the life and ministry of Jesus.

“The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” – Luke 17:20b-21

What if we lived our lives as if this was true? What if we lived our lives in the belief that God is already within us and within all those with whom we interact? What if we knew that we  have nothing to fear because God loves us, and has already redeemed us.  How would our lives be transformed?

I think back to my college days when I had returned to the church and started trying to take my faith seriously.  My thought was: “Someday I’ll truly devote myself to living the Way of God, but what’s the rush?  Why do it now?”  Then I realized “the end” could come for me at any time.  I was a young male who engaged in the risky behavior a lot of young people do; then I realized I could die any day.  “Maybe I should start living the kingdom now,” I thought.  So, I started on the path of trying to live a more devout life.  Now I haven’t always been successful in this pursuit, but it did get me to make some life changes that led me in the right direction.

This desire to live the kingdom of God now, not later, is what ultimately brought me to the Catholic Worker Movement and what led Kate and I to start Catholic Worker Hospitality House in San Bruno almost 30 years ago. It is why I’m still here after all
these years.  And I believe it is why so many of you devote your time and resources to making our work possible.

In simple ordinary ways, we all try to manifest the love of God through acts of kindness and the daily practice of the Works of Mercy.  I am writing this letter during our morning dining room service.  I am seeing, and participating with, people – guests, volunteers, and donors – living the kingdom here and now through the sharing of a meal and fellowship.  And while all this is going on others are delivering food and supplies for our Thanksgiving Feast which will happen the next day.  It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of.  We all fall short at times doing this work, but we keep on trying.

As always, we thank you for joining us in this work. It is through your ongoing generous support of our work that we are able to continue serving those in need in our community.

In Christ’s Peace,

Peter Stiehler
For all of us at
Catholic Worker Hospitality House

 

THANKSGIVING MEAL

Every year, two weeks before Thanksgiving I get into a tizzy, fearful that we won’t have enough food for our annual Thanksgiving Dinner, but every year there is plenty. Every year I am fear that something will go dreadfully wrong and the meal will be a disaster and every year it’s a beautiful event. Well, once again my fears proved unfounded, as our Thanksgiving Dinner was a lovely event. We had plenty of food and volunteers, and over 200 guests enjoying the day. It was a reminder of why our Thanksgiving Dinner is my favorite event of the year. I definitely need to be more mindful of the angel’s admonition of “Do not be afraid, everything will be alright.” We thank all of you who provided food and supplies to make Thanksgiving a special day for all our guests. We couldn’t have done it without you. Now it’s time to prepare for Christmas…..