‘Peace House Community Journal’ Archives
Peace House Community “Poetical Picture Story”
“A Little United Nations” By MIKE HAZARD “As the person who has been at Peace House Community the longest (34 years), my heart is breaking,” emails Catherine Mamer. “Never did I think it would come to this, but I realized it was the only choice we had.” Peace House Community has had to close the doors for now to keep everyone at a safe distance. “What do I love about the Peace House Community? Almost everything,” enthuses Catherine. “I love that it is a little United Nations. Where can you find so many people of so much difference all together and getting along? I love that people are mostly respected and learn to care about one another. I love that people who have moved away come back and are so happy to see us still here. “I love that people write to us from prison and tell us how much they miss us and can”™t wait to come for coffee and meditation when they get out. I love meditation and that [...]
Peace House Community”“A Place to Belong
Remembering We”™re (Sort Of) All in This Together That”™s Catherine Mamer, dressed as a witch, at a Peace House Halloween party; whose poetic words Mike Hazard highlights within “Poetical Picture Story” on page 5. “I love that it is a little United Nations ..so many people”¦so much difference”¦together”¦.if Peace House Community did not exist, I would have to invent it.” Photo: MIKE HAZARD By MARTI MALTBY In one sense I hate mentioning the Coronavirus pandemic, because no one needs to be reminded of it and I would love to provide an escape from it. On the other hand, it has illustrated one of society”™s strange paradoxes that has been on the edge of my thoughts since last year. When it comes to surviving the pandemic, many people say that “We”™re all in this together”, meaning we (as individuals) need to cooperate with the measures that we (as a society) must follow to stop [...]
Peace House Community”“A Place to Belong
We”™ll Get Through It Together By MARTI MALTBY PHOTO MIKE HAZARD I recently attended an all-day seminar put on by a couple of colleagues from North Dakota. Their organization, Ministry on the Margins, has a similar mission to Peace House Community, although their activities are more diverse than ours. Among other things, they provide toys to children. Sister Kathleen Atkinson, who runs the agency, shared many stories, but one struck me because of a personal experience I have had. Sister Kathleen, like many ministry directors, wants to provide her clients with good quality items. She said that one day she was horrified to see that a seven year old boy had received a stuffed dinosaur that was missing an eye. To her, the toy was defective and shouldn”™t have been offered to the child. She didn”™t want him to feel like he was unworthy of a good toy just because his family was poor. However, when she approached him, he showed that he had [...]
