The Catholic Worker movement was founded in 1933 by Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day in New York City to implement the teachings of the Gospels and Catholic social teaching, especially the works of mercy. The Harrisburg Catholic Worker House began in November of 1996, when two men of faith and compassion recognized the need for housing and hospitality for homeless men coming out of prison with drug and alcohol addictions. With the generous help of local volunteers, the Catholic Worker House became a reality. Ministering to both men and women on the street, but with only male residents, the Worker House helps these children of God recover from the devastation of drug and alcohol abuse or readjust after being released from prison, in order to regain self-respect. They are offered housing and food, daily prayer services, and a monthly Mass. Guests are encouraged to attend recovery programs, help with local civic beautification, and extend charity to each other and their neighbors. Under the patronage of St. Martin de Porres, Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, whose love of the poor and underprivileged was truly awe-inspiring, these souls strive to restore the dignity they may have lost.
Harrisburg Catholic Worker House Family, Fall 1999
Garth Mahar and Bruce Houston stand outside the new (in 1996) Catholic Worker House.
-from The Catholic Witness (12/13/1996) TEXT from article
