The History Of Casa Maria
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By Adriana Cohen
Translator: Roberto A. Garcia.
Casa Maria was founded by Father
David Innocenti (O. Carm) with the help
of the Dioces of Tucson, especially,
Bishop Francis J. Green and Rodolfo
Cruz.
While Father David Innocenti (O.
Carm) worked in a catholic worker house
in Montreal Canada, he met Rodolfo
Cruz, who found out that the poverty in
Tucson was a bigger problem than in
Montreal. So he told Father Innocenti
who immediately contacted Tucson’s
Dioces after investigating himself that
poverty was a bigger problem than he
had imagined.
With all his experience, Father
Innocenti managed to get the help of the
Dioces of Tucson, who provided the
money to buy the house on 401 East 26th
street and a property at 352 East 25th
where the free soup kitchen is placed.
After repairing the property with the
help of the late Dash Morelos, he turned
it into a shelter for single homeless men.
His intentions were to help these people
so they could find a job and make
enough money to rent and take control
of their lives. They achieved this with a
rule that most of the money would be
saved by father David.
Little by little, they helped more
families and by the end of 1982, they had
already started helping anyone who went
and asked for food.
By March of 1983, due to the constant
increase of people asking for food,
father David and other Casa Maria
workers decided to open a free kitchen
in 352 East of 25th street.
At the time, remembers Brian Flagg who
arrived there that same year, food was
served to more than 90 persons, most of
them and single men.
Every year, numbers have increased
and at present lunch is served daily to
600 single people and 200 family lunch
bags.
Like every other catholic worker
community, Casa Maria has sustained
itself only on private donations without
help from the government. Donations
always consist of money, clothes, and
other goods that people need to survive.
The basis of Casa Maria is the
philosophy of the catholic worker
movement founded in 1933 in New York
City by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin.
Actions Of Justice.
In 1983, members of Casa Maria and
other persons established a peace camp
named “Peace Camp At Davis-Monthan”,
in front of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
to protest against the Cruise Missles that
were strategically placed in Europe to
threaten the Soviet Union at the time of
Ronald Reagan. Cruise Missle crews were
being trained at D-M. This camp had
backup in important European cities.
Lots of protesters were arrested several
times between the months of June and
November of the same year; nevertheless,
they were successful because lots of
people joined the fight against Nuclear
Bombs.
Another action by Casa Maria was their
struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
They made intense anti-apartheid vigils.
They also participated in the movement
against the U.S. involvement in Central
America.
All this non-violent protests resulted in
the arrest of Casa Maria members.
.
In 1985, they decided to organize the
homeless to fight for their rights. They
fought for fair wages and money for homes
for poor.
Since then, every 24th of December, for
15 years, a camp was made in front of
some government facilities. They were
known as “Catholics for peace and
Justice”. Some workers and homeless
were arrested.
During these years, not much was
achieved. They had to look for new ways
to fight for the rights of the poor.
In 1993, Casa Maria made an alliance
with PCIC (Pima County Interfaith
Council), an organization whose members
are persons of several religions that are
fighting for peace, power and justice for
the poor of Pima County.
For approximately 12 years, Casa Maria
and Santa Cruz Catholic Church were the
soul of PCIC because many of its members
participated in their fights which many of
them were won.
Starting 2007, the catholic worker
community will put to practice new and
creative ways to get organized and achieve
real changes in which the talent and social
capital of Casa Maria plays an important
role in the spiritual and economic
transformation of the poor families and
people of the city of Tucson, Arizona.
SOURCE: Memories of Brian Flagg, active catholic
worker member of Casa Maria since 1983.
philosophy of the catholic worker
movement founded in 1933 in New York
City by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin.
Actions Of Justice.
In 1983, members of Casa Maria and
other persons established a peace camp
named “Peace Camp At Davis-Monthan”,
in front of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
to protest against the Cruise Missles that
were strategically placed in Europe to
threaten the Soviet Union at the time of
Ronald Reagan. Cruise Missle crews were
being trained at D-M. This camp had
backup in important European cities.
Lots of protesters were arrested several
times between the months of June and
November of the same year; nevertheless,
they were successful because lots of
people joined the fight against Nuclear
Bombs.
Another action by Casa Maria was their
struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
They made intense anti-apartheid vigils.
They also participated in the movement
against the U.S. involvement in Central
America.
All this non-violent protests resulted in
the arrest of Casa Maria members.
.
In 1985, they decided to organize the
homeless to fight for their rights. They
fought for fair wages and money for homes
for poor.
Since then, every 24th of December, for
15 years, a camp was made in front of
some government facilities. They were
known as “Catholics for peace and
Justice”. Some workers and homeless
were arrested.
During these years, not much was
achieved. They had to look for new ways
to fight for the rights of the poor.
In 1993, Casa Maria made an alliance
with PCIC (Pima County Interfaith
Council), an organization whose members
are persons of several religions that are
fighting for peace, power and justice for
the poor of Pima County.
For approximately 12 years, Casa Maria
and Santa Cruz Catholic Church were the
soul of PCIC because many of its members
participated in their fights which many of
them were won.
Starting 2007, the catholic worker
community will put to practice new and
creative ways to get organized and achieve
real changes in which the talent and social
capital of Casa Maria plays an important
role in the spiritual and economic
transformation of the poor families and
people of the city of Tucson, Arizona.
SOURCE: Memories of Brian Flagg, active catholic
worker member of Casa Maria since 1983.
Catholic Life, 1981
| January, 2007 |
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