Students from Loyola University Chicago
Visit Jonah House
Sunday March 6, 2005
The thirteen hour van ride to Jonah House was extremely long but a great way to begin the week. We had to get creative to keep ourselves entertained for that long of a time. So, we answered random questions that ranged from our experience with nonviolence to the best halloween costume we had. To make it even better, we had to use walkie-talkies to for the people in the back of the van to hear those in the front. Jonah House was very welcoming when we arrived and was ready to tell us all about the history of the House and what they are currently involved in.
The next morning started off with a house liturgy with friends of the House. This experience was very powerful and different for me. I have never had the opportunity to participate in a service where the equality among everyone was so evident and it offered a chance to reflect and challenge each other. It really reinforced the idea of the community here and how important this idea is for growth.
Later on in the afternoon, we spent more time with the community members learning about their journeys that have led each of them to Jonah House. I was surprised by some and impressed that they all have different paths that led them here. I can tell that these individual differences strengthen the community in many ways. It was a great way to learn about their convictions and what keeps them going in their work.
-Gina
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| This peace pole is a symbol of hope for people who enter Jonah House. | Jonah House! With the help of friends and family, this house was built specifically for the Jonah House community. The house sits on a cemetery, which the community members help to care for...all 22 acres! |
Monday March 7, 2005
This morning we started off our first full work day at Jonah House with prayer at 7am. Although I think it took some of us a bit to wake up, this intentional prayer was a great way to head into the day! I am excited to listen to the sharing among us as we continue to become more and more comfortable sharing our thoughts and feeling with the community.
We had a morning session on the aspects of community-what it is, how it works, why we do it. Listening to the various perspectives from the community members on this foundation of Jonah House was both enlightening and envigorating. Something that stuck out for me was something that Susan mentioned. She spoke about how we do not define ourselves in community by what our jobs are-but rather what our life's work is. I felt this was a truly profound statement and something we can all relate to-especially in a society that so often determines a person's self-worth through their occupation.
We then dove right into our work groups, splitting off into small groups to help out with some tasks around the house and property. An added job for some of us, came unexpectedly as Naomi, one of the llamas who lives on the grounds of Jonah House, escaped from her "living quarters"! Luckily, she made it back in after many hours of coaxing her back into her home. Thanks to all who helped out! It was quite entertaining to watch!
After we cleaned up and rested a bit, we were off to our first protest as a community. We stood in front of one of the Baltimore Correctional Facilities and held signs to express our strong disagreement with the death penalty. It was quite a powerful experience as passerbys waved, honked, or gave a "thumbs up" in agreement with what we were doing. A friend and supporter of Jonah House, Terry Fitzgerald, gave us a tour of 5 of the facilities in that area. His knowledgable and passionate explanations of what was going on in the prisons and the treatment of the people who are imprisoned, really helped to solidify why were there today.
This evening we heard a talk on resistance and globalization from another friend of the community, Mike McGuire. He spoke of his experiences with both and gave first-hand accounts of what this can look like. We appreciated his honesty and vigor in all that he shared.
Our day concluded with a debriefing session with the Loyola community, processing all that we had seen and heard today. I can tell with each day, that community is truly being strengthened and the trust and friendships that go along with that are being nurtured. We are so grateful for this community we have been welcomed into and are feeling more and more a part of a strong movement toward working for change.
Peace,
Abby & Ann Marie
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| The sign behind Katie, Ann Marie, and Lydia reads, "All are joined in the web of life". The house is filled with beautiful artwork and memorable quotes. Very inspiring! | People from around the community gather each Monday for a peace vigil in front of The Maryland Correctional Facility. We were speaking out against the death penalty in front of the main building. |
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| This portion of the "blog" comes to you from Abby and Ann Marie...looking a wee bit sleepy! | Katie and Betsy picking up garbage along the south side fence of the cemetery. Katie even got herself in between two fences to clean out the garbage. Great work ladies! |
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| Mary and Sarah are having a great time picking up brush near the fence. The pile Sarah is holding seems to be bigger than her! | Our first work group of cooks. Way to set the bar high Mike, Nicole, and Gina. It was delicious and creative at the same time. |
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| Susan, Abby, Runcie, Mike, and Katie V. put together food bags for folks who come to Jonah House on Tuesdays to get some food for the week. Lots of goodies to share! | Micah "the good llama" who stayed behind the fence
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| Taking a tour of the correctional facility, while holding up our signs to those who passed us by. We were pleasantly surprised by the overall support from those who saw us. An astounding fact we learned from our tour guide, Terry Fitzgerald was that all of the people on death row right now killed white people. However, 70% of the people who are murdered in Maryland are African American. An African American male is 11 times more likely to be sentenced to death for killing a white male, than a white male would be for killing a black man. Absolutely astounding. | Ann Marie picking up her own share of garbage, finding many odd treasures along the way. |
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| A closer look at what some of the signs said that we carried. | Rake away, Liz! Everyone worked very hard in their work groups today. |
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| A final gathering after the vigil against the death penalty. What a moving experience. |
Tuesday March 8, 2005
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The day started off rainy, cold, and windy. It was a gloomy day, but our spirits were high. We joined together for a reflective prayer in the morning. We were becoming more of a community and continuing to be amazed with one another. Next we had an educational Introduction to the Empire that depicted the negative characteristics of powerful nations like our very own United States (who knew?). Because snow began to fall we were able to watch a movie instead (woo hoo). We watched Hidden in Plain Sight , which was an astonishing eye opening video about the cruelties of the SOA. In the afternoon we had a glorious feast which included leftovers (but what was so special is that we were served our meal like royalty). Then we separated into our workgroups and endured the snow, mud, and wind (just can't get away from that Chicago weather). After this most of us had some free time and we bonded a little more over delicious hot chocolate. Then we began to get famished and we were presented with a wonderful “Mexican fiesta” prepared by Susan, Ann Marie, Lydia, and Ellesse and met our good friend CW Harris. He chatted with us about some of the economic plights of urban Baltimore. He passionately taught us that in order to change our attitudes of fear we need to start to understand and open up to learning. Finally, he boogied on down in a Chicago Steppin' Dance with Nicole. It was one of the best moments of the day for some of us. We can't wait to join him tomorrow at New Born Faith Community. -Nicole and Katie D.
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| Betsy and Katie getting down and dirty clearing the brush in the cemetery. | Gary and Gina looking at the gigantic hole in the tree. |
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| Sarah in awe of the tulip tree. | Ellesse, Lydia and Sr.Mary prepare food bags in the food pantry. |
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| Margaret and Arthur come in the snow for food bags. | The cooks prepared a glorious mexican fiesta with stawberry shortcake. Mmm Mmm good. |
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| Nicole learns the Chicago steppin dance from Elder Harris. |
Wednesday, 9 March 2005
Our fifth day at Jonah House was a busy one! We started off as usual with morning prayer followed by a delicious breakfast. After breakfast, we listened to a presentation on the School of the Americas, by Betsy and Gary. We received some interesting insights on their time spent in jail as a result of their protesting. After the talk, we moved outdoors for some good old fashioned manual labor. We spent time clearing the southern fence of the cemetery, which was both fun and exhausting. Then it was time for lunch, prepared by our wonderful cooks of the day, Liz, Sarah, and Abby.
After eating, seven of us went with CW Harris to volunteer with the New Song Church. Ellesse, Ann Marie, Mary, and Katie volunteered with the school children and helped give the teachers a bit of a break. Gary and Runcie worked on rebuilding an extension of a home for rehabilitation graduates. Runcie enjoyed his demolition of a run-down fireplace, especially because it required use of a sledgehammer. Nicole worked at Martha's House, the rehabilitation center itself; she answered phones and then later helped Runcie and Gary. The others who stayed behind continued to clear brush and made amazing progress.
We reconvened for a scrumptous dinner together. Then we heard a captivating speech on Biblical resistance and plowshares, presented by Susan. We all enjoyed her power point presentation premier, although some of the visuals were quite haunting. The presentation helped us to better understand the plowshare actions and the reasoning behind them. After her presentation, we were left with many interesting concepts to discuss during our Loyola group meeting. Overall, the day has been enlightening and we look forward to still learning more as the week progresses.
-Ellesse & Mary
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***duooo duooo duuoooo!*** We interupt this regularly scheduled webpage for a prewritten version of Late Night Thursday Update. LIVE from Baltimore, MD, it's Thursday March 10, 2005.
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| Oh dear! A live update? So much to write about.. | Huh? Keyboard? Letters? Ummmm....how does this work this late??? |
We started out the day with some good ol' fashion Bible Study, which is the current literary trend among Loyola students visiting Jonah House. Sharing our personal reactions and hearing what fellow students and community members think about Exodus 32:7-14 and John 5:31-47 was an uplifting way to begin what has turned out to be a wonderful Thursday. After breakfast, we discussed post-graduation volunteer opportunities, which is extremely relevant to all of our lives. Susan, Gary, and Ann Marie shared their post grad expertise with us. Options seem to be unlimited!
The morning continued when the work groups headed outside for a bit more brush clearing...
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| Wheelbarrows are popular transportation around here. |
George, George, George of thejungle...or Abby and Mary hanging from a vine |
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| Katie D's not sawing and zzzs here, tree she discovered with Gina | Did you hear it through the grapevine? Not through this one. Mary, Abby, and Mike used some serious muscle action! |
After all the brush clearing we did this week, it was time for some serious burning!
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| Susan loves burning so much she passed up a wonderful lunch prepared by........ | Betsy and Runcie (and Katie V., not shown) Speaking of food... |
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| Anne Marie and Mary joined Liz on a trip to the food bank where Chick hooked them up with some grub. | Lydia smiles pretty for the camera. |
The afternoon was chocked full of different activities for everyone. While some stayed inside to cook and clean (Runcie, Betsy, and Katie V.), others kept the fire alive and contained outside (Ellesse, Susan, and Gary). Meanwhile, a group went to the food bank to pick up food for the weekly food distribution program here at Jonah House (Ann Marie, Mary, and Liz). The remainder of the group travelled a few blocks to work with the Newborn Faith Community. Some students were able to spend some quality play time with the students of New Song school (Sarah, Abby, and Katie D.), while others demolished bricks in a renovation project (Gina, Lydia, and Mike). Fantastic! Exciting! Terrific! ... are just a few of the words that describe the good times had by all.
The evening consisted of another home-cooked meal that raised the kitchen bar. We joked about the "Jonah 15" being the added weight we will all likely return to school with from spring break (also known as "dessert break"). Following dinner, we further explored the idea of nonviolence in our lives. We reflected on our personal calls to act and react in peace, in our actions, words, and thoughts, locally, nationally, and globally. We also prepared for the peace vigil we will be attending tomorrow and made a banner that reads "LOYOLA U. CHICAGO - JOURNEYED FOR PEACE."
The final festivity of the evening made good use of the fire, as smores were created and enjoyed.
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| Do we have sticks? It looks like Ellesse, Abby and Nicole found some. Nicole and Runcie smoring it up! | Gotta love s'mores. |
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| The menfolk (Gary and Runcie) compare roasting techniques. | Even the felines get in on the treat action. |
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"This is what is asked of you: to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with God." - Micah 6:8
***duooo duooo duuoooo!*** This has concluded your Late Night Thursday Update. We now return your to your regularly scheduled website.
Signing off with Peace and Love,
Katie V. and Sarah
Friday, March 11, 2005
Today we concluded our experience at Jonah House . It is hard to express in words just what this week meant for each of us. It affected each of us in very different and powerful ways. Our week was filled excitement, laughter, prayer, hard work, grief, questions, and great love.
But to summarize our final day here… Our day was planned around a vigil in Washington D.C. to protest against torture and war. So, we took a trip to our capital. We rose earlier and spent some final prayer time and bible study with the Jonah House community. We arrived in D.C. around 10am , after impressive driving skills from Gina ! Well done! We spent the next couple of hours wandering around looking at monuments and building further community and relationships. At noon we met up in front of the White House for an hour long vigil. We joined the up with the Loyola students who have been spending the week at the D.C. Catholic Worker House. It was wonderful to see them and witness the change that had transformed them during this intense, powerful week. The vigil was planned by TAASC who works for the abolition of torture and works to be support for the victims. They planned a beautiful service with song, bible passages, inspirational words, stories of torture victims, and a list of names. Diana Ortiz stood with us at the vigil, although she did not speak or tell her story, her beautiful presence stood as a witness to all of us. The Loyola students found the vigil very moving and a powerful act of nonviolence. The stories and feeling of standing in solidarity brought some to tears. Others reflected on what an impact watching the tourists react to our demonstration. We realized how this one vigil would reach so many people from all over; our families and friends at home, the tourists walking by and taking pictures, and all those who took part in the vigil. We were very grateful to end our week with this action.
We spent the afternoon at the Holocaust museum. We used this time to reflect upon the injustice that occurred during World War II. We felt that it was appropriate to visit the Holocaust museum because of all the nonviolent work we have been internalizing. There were many somber moments. As we walked through these exhibits we shared the pain of all those who entered this museum and mourned for all those whose lives were affected by this massive violence.
We re-joined the Jonah House community back at the house for a final meal together. Meal times have been very important to us as a time for discussion and great feasting! After dinner, we had evaluations and life sharing from the Loyola students. Each of us had an opportunity to share what moments changed our lives. It was wonderful to be together on this evening and get to know each other on an even deeper level now that we had developed a sense of trust. Being together felt so good and was a witness to the true community that was built in this short week.
Words do not seem adequate to express what this week has meant to us. It seems we are still processing and may be difficult to put into words for quite some time. But we end in deep gratitude and with great love with a final sentence or so from each of us.
“This week and this community has changed me, and with this I will go out and change the world one by one”
- Ellesse
“This week has been all about listening, and by listening, learning- learning from the community members and from ourselves” –Katie V.
“Being able to question my views has been the greatest gift from this trip-with this I will learn where I stand on issues that affect my life”-Runcie
“It was very refreshing to be surrounded by people who truly illustrate what a loving community is. I love the fire that each of you possess for helping others. Caring for others so much to actually dedicate one's life to social justice is a rarity among people and is more than admirable. I am grateful for having met you and grateful for the experience. Thank you. Peace.” - Nicole
“The community here has nurtured feelings inside me that I sometimes forget about in my chaotic life. I will be forever grateful and I am learning with such a pure sense of peace inside me. It is with deep gratitude that I thank Mike , Betsy , Susan , Gary , and Liz for their insight and ever present commitment to peace” – Ann Marie
“I mean WOW! I had no idea the sense of community could be so strong. My week spent at Jonah House with this community will truly be close to my heart forever. The passion they show for their actions has opened my eyes and heart to a complete different way of looking at the injustices of the world. Something needs to be done and I hope my life will have some sort of impact on making this world a more peaceful place” –Abby
“This week was an amazing learning experience and I have many things to take home with me and learn about.”
- Mary
“This week has been everything that I needed. I come away feeling whole, centered, and filled with peace. I love this community with all my heart. Their lives are some of the strongest witnesses and examples in my life. Their welcoming arms and loving hearts have been such a gift. They teach me nonviolence through the way they live their daily lives. Their beautiful words and faith in nonviolence helps nurture and enrich my own trust that nonviolence is the only way and what I want to commit my life to working for and living every day. Thank you dear, dear friends.” - Lydia
“Thank you Jonah House for this amazing experience. You have given me the opportunity to learn and push myself so much more. Your community radiates love and openness and makes everyone that walks into your life feel a sense of connectedness and a true part of your community” – Gina
“Peace, whether it be in radical actions or simple mannerisms, is powerful. I am forever inspired, thankful, and hopeful” – Sarah
“I am so happy I was able to come here and hear the voices and share the smiles with the people I have and will forever look up to. I thank God for every person involved in this “J Dub” experience- whatever that means”
– Katie D
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