WINTER 2015 EDITION

O Here We Come a Caroling.

By Lequita Sparks
Twas a week before Christmas in 2014 and all through the through house, everyone was happy and cheerful and
stressed. There were talks of trees and decorations galore. But the most important part, were the bills to be paid. As it was
made known to the community during a meeting of staff, we were in fact low on funds that were needed to make the heat and
lights last. So ideas were raised on how to help, to make it through the cold winter months. Ideas of bake sales and
fundraisers were brought, but on such short notice, they couldn't be wrought. And then at long last, the idea brought to light, of
singing and walking in the cold winter nights.
As the community members and guests
alike, all bundled up and piled in cars, we
started our trek out under the stars. As we
went here and there with our voices and
lyrics, we spread our good cheer to those all
with good care. Over the next few nights, we
did this routine, in hopes of the donations
our singing would bring. With a little bit here
and a little bit there, we were able to cover
the cost for the end of the year. It was a
wonderful time that we all had, bringing
smiles and cheer and making hearts glad.
So with that being said, we've decided
that this year again: a caroling we must go,
to bring smiles and laughter and good cheer
to all those we meet this month of December.
So if you hear a rapping at your door and see
a group with smiles and papers with words,
just know that it's us bringing some cheer to
you and yours.

In Our Own Backyard

sourcing of materials, seating areas, paths, community

engagement, honoring some of the more quirky aspects of
the yard as it had been, and more. So far, other players
have included folks from the MU Center for Agroforestry
and the Native
Plants Society as
well as folks from St.
Francis House,
friends of the
Prengers, and
neighbors in the
area, surely among
others to come.
Maranatha and a
group of her family
and friends have put
in hours of work to
remove overgrowth
and garbage, take
soil samples,
excavate paths and
materials, and continue to observe and conceive plans for
the area. Not an easy feat.

By Elly Lang
Scattered clumps of grass. A wobbly wooden
archway. Mosquitoes. Old hutches, formerly with rabbit
tenants. Wood. A buried toilet. Sneaky Catalpa saplings. A
pet cemetery. Some bush honeysuckle invaders. A
clothesline. Moss. Patterns of bricks and rocks, covered
over time by soil. Vines. Rocks and gravel from an old
driveway. Ferns. Much shade. Overgrowth.
Such has been the state of the backyard at Lois
Bryant House, at least since Ive been around the
community. Id never seen the desolate space be used for
much at all, save for running out to hang clothes on the line
and for the dogs to romp. Though it did have a great deal
of potential, I thought. So toward the end of my time taking
classes, I began to observe the backyard more
intentionally, ask some questions, and formulate some
thoughts on what the space might be.
Enter Maranatha Prenger. The St. Francis House
Community knows the family well; we spend time with them
at the house, at Thursday church sometimes, and
Maranathas brothers have completed Eagle Scout projects
at our houses building porches and fixing stairs. Thank
little baby Jesus Maranatha chose us for her Gold Award
project. When we met initially to talk about the project, she
described a vision focused on sustainability and a healing
space. I was sold, extremely grateful for her interest and
the help, and could not wait to begin working with her.

As of now, the backyard looks worlds different and

will continue to transform into a space that will serve as an
ecological haven for native plants and animals, a garden
producing food and medicines, and a healing sanctuary for
guests and community members. Our community so
appreciates the efforts of Maranatha and company. As for
me, I could not be more excited about the project nor more
grateful for the opportunity to partner and spend time with
such a motivated, bright and compassionate young woman.
So heres to Lois Bryant Houses new backyard!
Stay tuned, more to come on the project.

Maranatha gathered information about the space

and the community at Lois Bryant House, working closely
with us and being very intentional about creating something
to uniquely serve guests and the community. She
subsequently drew up the plans, which have been very
dynamic as we continue to discover more about the space
and as ideas shift. Incorporated is much repurposing of
materials, a compost area, native/medicinal/edible plants,
art, an area for what will be a flock of chickens, local
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Advent: Season of preparation and growth

preservation. Jesus calls us to replace fear with hope and

look outward, to see beyond ourselves to the needs of
others around us. How do we do that? We can discuss our
fears and seek support in the many communities in which
we live, such as our family, coworkers, friends, and faith
communities.
Prepare the way. John the Baptist cries out in the
desert, calling for valleys to be filled, mountains to be made
low, winding roads made straight. This leveling of terrain
and straightening of paths is symbolic of our relationships
with others. Many times, we put up barriers and create
distance between ourselves and others due to prejudice, or
seeking power, possessions, or pleasure at the expense of
others. We are called to confront the attitudes we hold that
cause isolation and separation between people, and to
prepare room in our hearts for God and for other people.
Share with the person who has none. The
people ask John the Baptist how they should live. His
answer is to treat others in a just manner in our daily lives.
As we are surrounded by the push to celebrate Christmas
by buying gifts for each other whose enjoyment is
temporary, John the Baptists message is to instead live so
that your life is a lasting gift to other people.
Blessed is the fruit of your womb. Mary carried
Jesus, the living presence of God, in her womb. For nine
months, she nurtured the growing presence of God within
her. Even before Jesus was born, others could see that
something was different about her. They could sense that
living presence. The birth of Jesus, a visible presence of
God in the world, was the fulfillment of those months of
nurturing. Marys example encourages us to visualize God
as a living presence within us and to nurture that presence
so that can be born into the world.
With thoughtful reflection leading to committed action,
Advent can be a time of preparation for both the big events
and the day-to-day circumstances in our lives, so that we
are prepared not just to celebrate Christmas Day 2015, but
to live more fully as God has called us to do, in unity,
justice, and peace with all people in our world.

By Jeff Krall
Big events call for advance planning. Preparation is
necessary from a logistical standpoint: we want to invite
specific people to join us for an activity at a specific place
and time, and we need particular items in place. A wedding,
for example, has many people (wedding party, guests,
celebrant, photographer, ) and items (rings, flowers,
clothing, food for reception, ) to coordinate, and many
decisions must be made about them (who to invite, choice
of wedding party members, choice of wedding clothing, ).
But our focus on this type of external preparation for
the event can mean that we miss the opportunity for inner,
personal, preparation for the event, the type of preparation
that can change us and that lasts beyond the event. As a
result we could miss the most important life-changing
aspects of the event. A wedding is one high point, one
moment of publicly-spoken commitment, in a relationship
journey between two people. The relationship lives and
breathes, not just on the day of the wedding, but in the
days leading up to and following the wedding.
Likewise, for many people, Christmas is a day that
requires lots of advance preparation: decorating the house,
baking seasonal treats, buying gifts, planning parties. But in
additional to this external preparation, what inner
preparation can we make now so that when Christmas
arrives we are ready to more fully celebrate it, and our
celebration and our inner transformation lasts beyond that
one day?
The Catholic Churchs answer to that question is to
observe a season of preparation in the four weeks leading
up to the day of Christmas, and to celebrate Christmas as
an entire season, with Christmas Day being the first day of
the season. The preparatory season, called Advent,
focuses on more than just December 25, 2015. It considers
the many times that God enters our lives: in the past (the
birth and life of Jesus), today (God present within us and
the ways in which we bring God into our world through our
lives), and the future (our future world, which is the result of
how we live today, and the end times). The
Gospel
readings on the Sundays of Advent have some distinct
themes that can help us with our inner preparation. Here
are some of the themes and thoughts on applying them to
our lives:
Be vigilant at all times. Jesus warns the disciples
and usnot to become drowsy fromthe anxieties of
daily life. The turmoil and tribulations that we see and
experience in our world can make us paralyzed with fear.
This fear can cause us to turn inward and to withdraw from
the world around us, seeking only self-comfort and self-

HOUSE NEEDS
Money for utility bills, coffee, tea, sugar, milk, cleaning
supplies, socks, gloves, hats, pillow cases, sturdy blankets
to give to urban campers, and as always, your Prayers.
IN MEMORIAM
Please remember our friends and former guests who
have passed away, especially Tommy Lee Talbert,

Humming in the Darkness: What do we do

when we cant Shout Anymore?

the bombs, whether launched by drones, dropped from

planes, or strapped to the torso of another poor person who
has just had enough?
Is it any wonder that so many people express their
desperation by following, willingly or despairingly,
demagogues who promise to restore order in their lives, by
fighting back against the bombers and the wealthy first
world countries that these leaders claim have brought their
lives to ruin?
Many years ago, Dorothy Day wrote, War, and
the poverty of peoples which leads to war, are the great
problems of the day and the fundamental solution is the

By Ruth ONeill

Hope means to keep living amid desperation and to

keep humming in the darkness.Henri Nouwen
Not long ago, as I was scrolling through that great
marketplace of opinions, memes and cute cat pictures
known as Facebook, a post from a distant friend caught my
eye. I do not see posts from him often. Actually, I dont
really think of him that often. I havent seen him in a couple
years. He is a seasoned veteran of direct actions for peace.
He has always seemed a tireless worker in the wilderness
crying out warnings against the military industrial complex,
especially Offutt Air Force base. He has worked for years
seeking to bring more justice, compassion and harmony to
a world which seems increasingly shrill in its promotion of
power and might. He has a Catholic Worker heart, and it
was breaking.
What he wrote pierced my heart, too. He wrote of
his struggle with despair and anger. He questioned whether
he could continue to maintain a hope in nonviolence in an
increasingly violent world. He referenced not only this new
world war, but the police shootings in our cities, the growing
divisions within our own culture. His message was not just
a lament for his own struggle with despair; he lamented the
untreated trauma inflicted by the pervasive violence that
steals hope from people in our country and in our world
A day or so later, a colleague who has worked in
the juvenile court system for many years observed that
some of the kids she worked with as clients are now the
parents of kids who are coming into care. For all her hard
work, the cycle of dysfunction continues in their lives.
Every day, I see people who struggle trying to meet
their basic needs; trying to make sense out of a life laid
waste by poverty, mental illness, substance abuse,
violence, and the hopelessness that grows from soil bereft
of compassion.
Is it any wonder that people in the US turn to
demagogues who propose outlandish and horrifying
solutions in the name of making good people (usually
meaning middle class/wealthy, straight, U.S. born white
people) feel safe?
Even that icon of hope, Pope Francis, is calling
our dominant cultural Christmas season a sham. And he is
right. Our consumerism enriches those who already live at
the top of the planetary heap. When we clamor for sales,
for steals and deals do we condone exploiting workers in
other lands who have no rights and work in dangerous
conditions for meager wages? . And yet, globally, do those
workers have better lives than our brothers and sisters
whose primary job is just to surviveto stay out from under

personal response each one of us makes to the message

of Jesus. It is the solution which works from the bottom up
rather than from the top down, and makes for the readiness
to join larger solutionsThe wonderful thing is that each
one of us can do something about the problem, and each
one of us can give their response and can go as far as the
grace of God leads them.
St. John of the Cross wrote about the Dark Night
of the Soulthat space of time of spiritual crisis where,
discouraged, encounter the frustration that Gods kingdom
come seems always out of reach. This is our own dark
night of the soul, especially for those who have been
shouting outside the gates warning against the actions that
have led us here.
To you, my friends, I say, do not give in to the
feelings of hopelessness. You have done your part to hold
back this tide. Your work for peace, justice and
disarmament has meaning. We are in the season when
voices that cry out in the wilderness make way for the
coming of a little immigrant baby Jesus in an occupied
Middle East, who will open the path to justice, mercy and
peace. O Come now, Wisdom, Come now Peace, Come
now Love. The world needs you more than ever. Out of our
darkness, please bring back your Light.
4

CHECK OUT OUR

NEW COMMUNITY MEMBERS!

In an effort to take a hiatus from field biology work, I

moved to Guatemala to learn Spanish for three months,
and then to Maine for a boat-building apprenticeship. The
Carpenter's Boat Shop is a community-living venture
focused around the spirituality inherent in working with
hand tools and wood. The apprenticeship is free, since the
boats we built paid for our room and board. In addition, we
learned to sail, as well as cook for large numbers of people
(which currently comes in handy!).
When I finished at the boat shop, I came to Mizzou
for graduate school. My research focused on 500+ acre
prescribed fires and what happens to the ground flora
community when you burn at such large scales. I really
enjoy botany and am also convinced that some fire is
necessary to perpetuate the vegetation in Missouri, so my
masters work was quite stimulating. Since my graduation
in July, I've been focused on publishing my research,
attending conferences, and enjoying life at the Saint
Francis House!
Being closely acquainted with the Columbia area
homeless population is highly rewarding, as well as
extremely interesting. Instead of largely ignoring homeless
people downtown, as so many folks do, I find myself
describing our community and what we have to offer. In
addition, simply expressing to my friends and colleagues
what it is like living here seems to have a positive effect on
their view of our guests. In addition, I am close with many
of the psychology doctoral candidates and I have enjoyed
enlightening conversations with them regarding the
philosophical and treatment-related side of mental illnesses
within the homeless population.
As we get closer to the holidays, I look forward to
meeting you, our supporters and friends, whether through
caroling, volunteering, or even just this newsletter!
Best wishes and happy holidays!

Encountering Community
By Calvin Maginel
Hello to the greater Saint Francis House community! I
am Calvin Maginel, a recent graduate of the Mizzou
forestry program and one of the new community members
at SFH.
I was born in Centerville MO, the county seat of
Reynolds County. My parents were fresh out of the back-tothe-land movement and chose to homestead there.
Evidently one of my folks' especially motherly goats used to
carry me around the yard by my cloth diaper, although it
may have just been trying to eat it. That goat would have
been in for quite the surprise!
My folks moved to Cape Girardeau to be closer to family
when I was six. After high school, I went to College of the
Ozarks down near Branson MO for a couple of years. While
free for all students, I never really connected with the
strong religious side of that institution, so I transferred to
Berea College in KY. Berea is also a full work-study
college, and diversity and academics are its strong points
(two things I felt were lacking at College of the Ozarks).

Picking up Strays
By Dahne Yeager
I graduated in 2005 with a degree in Field Biology, and
promptly moved to Washington state to snorkel and count
salmon. I next worked with an endangered bird in the
Texas hill country for two field seasons, after which I moved
to Vermont to work for the Nature Conservancy as a
volunteer coordinator.

We get a lot of people who wander in. Heck! Why

not! It's what we're here for. Occasionally someone will
present a natural "feel" for the 'work' that we do; that after
discussion and pro and con measuring, we will ask them to
join the community. That's the way LeQuita Sparks
became a permanent part of the Lois Bryant House.
5

She came to us a little over three years ago. She had

the same circumstances and a situation similar to a lot of
the people who come to us.
From the jump it was evident that she would be a
good fit. She immediately began helping with things like
chores that any large household would have. But in
addition, she would find the time to just visit with the people
who came through our door.
That's something that people don't understand.
Homeless people have one thing in common with every
single other person on the planet. They are individual
human beings. People just like everyone else, except that
they carry this label around with them. Maybe it was
because Q had been in a similar straits but she shared he
time and voice with those who appreciated it. Taking that
extra step forward to share with them

homeless person faces every day and deal with the

individual as a single unique person.
People say that they have trouble relating to
homeless people and have nothing to talk about.
What do you talk to the person next to you in line at
the post office about?
This ability to take each person as the individual
person that they are, allows LeQuita to be the welcome and
appreciated newest member to the St. Francis House
Community and the Lois Bryant House that we truly love
having there

Solidarity in the Heartland: St. Francis

Catholic Worker supports #Concerned
Student 1950
By Lincoln Sheets
If you live in mid-Missouri, or have any connection
with Mizzou, Ill bet youve heard Jonathan Butlers name in
the last three weeks. Jonathan is the Mizzou student who
went on a hunger strike to protest MU System President
Tim Wolfes insensitivity to problems of racism at MU. That
dramatic action and the supporting walkout by Mizzous
football players are probably responsible for Wolfes
resignation eight days later. The news and social media are
now full of opinions supporting or criticizing the hunger
strike. Jonathan almost single-handedly made Mizzou the
topic of worldwide news, although he insists that the
protests are not about him but about the underlying
problems of hate in our community.
During the strike, St. Francis house supported
Jonathan and the allied Concerned Student 1950 group
(named for the year African Americans were first allowed to
enter Mizzou) with gloves in the cold weather, and an offer
of safe space during the scary few days when a racist
lunatic was threatening to shoot every black person he saw
on campus. My own acquaintance with Jonathan is through
the MU Office of Service-Learning: Jonathan is very
involved in local work to stop human trafficking, and in
January, he and I will be leading a group of Mizzou
students to rural Thailand to work with migrant kids at risk
of being trafficked there. Im looking forward to being his
roommate for a couple of weeks, and hearing about his
experiences during and after the hunger strike.
Of course, the political involvement and
commitment to do something like a hunger strike dont
come out of nowhere, and Jonathans dedication to justice
and activism are evident in all the organizations and causes
to which he contributes: Tiger Pantry, Trumans Closet, the
Purpose Driven Advocacy Center, and many others. Earlier

a lot that had been denied.

She will (would) take the time to find an answer for
someone about an agency question or a medical assist. I
don't know for sure but I imagine that she had a lot of the
same questions when she came to us. LeQuita is now a
fixture at LBH and we're thrilled to have her there.
Here at the men's house we have a few hands to
help out around here down the street, even though they
don't have the number of guests that we do, doesn't mean
that there isn't the same amount of care of consideration
needed.
The impression that struck me hardest, was the fact
of her taking each and every person who came in, as the
separate individual that they are. The ability to throw off
and and all preconceived ideas and attitudes that any
6

this year, Jonathan founded a not-for-profit photography

philanthropy, called Moyo Wazi, that combats human
trafficking.
In all the passionate debate thats raged around
Mizzou in the last few weeks, one odd personal criticism
leveled at Jonathan is that hes rich. Because his parents
are wealthy, the argument goes, he cant claim to have
suffered from racism and discrimination. I think the
supporters of this argument dont understand the realities of
racism, and miss the point that the victims of racism are
judged by the color of their skin or the emblems of their
culture, regardless of their personality, their works, or their
real roles in society. We all know that being rich doesnt
make you bad, just like being poor doesnt make you good.
In Jesuss Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:1430 or Luke 19:12-27), the servants are judged not by their
wealth, but by the use they make of it. To those that used
their gifts and opportunities to create more abundance, the
lord in the story says, Well done, thou good and faithful
servant. Jonathan Butler, by the energy and passion he
pours into making our community better, is indeed that
good and faithful servant.

When I need personal time, let me take into account the

needs of others that are more important and immediate
than my own.

St Francis Catholic Worker Memes

Sing your song

Dance your dance
Tell your story
I will Listen and remember.
--Utah Phillips

A Catholic Worker Prayer

Submitted by Rachael Krall
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace in this
community.
When I have power over others, let me temper it with
compassion.

Want to Keep Christ in Christmas?

When I work to create a safe environment for all, help me

consider the specific needs of each person.
When I journey with others, transform my sympathy into
empathy. Allow me to walk side by side with others where
they are in their journey.

Feed the Hungry;

Give drink to the thirsty,
Shelter the Homeless,
Welcome the stranger
and the unwanted child;
Forgive the guilty,
Love your enemies.

When I set limits for others, help me find natural

consequences that are most appropriate for the situation.
When I enforce the rules to keep a positive and healthy
community, let me recognize when someone needs
another chance.
As I live in a society that promotes superficial relationships,
help me develop interpersonal relationships with others.

Soup Kitchen Needs Dough

It has been a while since we out and out begged you, our friends and supporters, for cash, but that time is upon us
again. All of the work done by our St. Francis Catholic Worker community is funded through private donations. We have
intentionally chosen not to become a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation. We operate on a small budget because we are 100%
volunteer operated. However small doesnt mean nonexistent.
Over the past year, Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen, especially, has seen an increase in expenses without a
corresponding increase in revenue. We are feeding more people than ever, because the need continues to grow. Most of our
volunteers who serve at the soup kitchen donate the food they serve.
However, we are responsible for a monthly payment to our partner church,
Wilkes Blvd UMC, to help defray the expenses of operating there. We also pay
for a number of supplies and staples, such as napkins, food service gloves,
coffee, trash bags etc. We try to keep some basic food staples on hand for
groups to use when needed. We contribute toward the cost of upkeep in a lot
of little ways, that add up over the course of the year.
As you are thinking about the best way to put your extra dollars to
work in this holiday season, please consider how much work we can do with
funds donated to Loaves and Fishes or to our hospitality houses. We put all
the money we receive into providing for our neighbors in need. 100% of your
donation will go toward hospitality for homeless and other food insecure
persons here in the Columbia community. If you can give, please send your
donation to 1001 Rangeline St., Columbia MO 65201. You can write your check to Loaves and Fishes for the soup kitchen or to
the St. Francis Catholic Worker to support St. Francis and Lois Bryant Houses. Thank you so much and we hope that you will
have a wonderful and blessed New Year.

ST FRANCIS CATHOLIC WORKER

1001 Rangeline St
Columbia, MO 65201