Catholic Workers move operations

Three-and-a-half years ago, members of the Catholic Worker Community in the Albany Diocese started to look for a new home. Two weeks ago, they finally moved into 45 Trinity Place in downtown Albany.

Fred Boehrer and his wife, Diana Conroy, and their children -- Freddie, Helen and Carol -- made the move at an auspicious time: the tenth anniversary of their former location: Emmaus House, across the street from the Diocesan Pastoral Center.

Emmaus House is one of 185 Catholic Worker houses throughout the world that are committed to nonviolence, hospitality for the homeless and living in voluntary poverty.

Open to all

Ms. Conroy said that guests at their home "might include individuals, couples or whole families. Some stay for a few days; others have stayed as long as a year."

She admitted that the mingling of family and guests has led to some awkward moments, such as when visiting parents discipline their children in a way she didn't agree with.

"We've always tried to be as open and accommodating as possible," she continued. "But sometimes there have been clashes. It's definitely taken some adjustment."

Added her husband: "For the most part, things have gone smoothly."

Renovations

The new house was renovated by scores of volunteers who updated the plumbing, reinforced three sets of staircases and installed new flooring throughout the house.

"They tore down walls and rebuilt them, painted, sanded, installed new windows," Ms. Conroy recounted. "We had one very generous donor who paid for new kitchen appliances.

"Another local contractor tore down and rebuilt an interior wall on the second floor. It's all made out of natural resources; he even painted it with nature-friendly paint."

Budgeting

Emmaus House survives solely on donations from the outside community.

"One of the difficult things in starting Emmaus House ten years ago was leaving my job and learning how to live simply, being supported by others," said Dr. Boehrer. "It was a real challenge for me. I had to learn how to become vulnerable and dependent upon others for survival."

He said that the couple compares their situation to the victim in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

"How did the person in the ditch feel about being helped by that Samaritan?" he said. "He had to allow himself to accept help, and become vulnerable, open to and dependent upon that stranger."

Guests

The Catholic Worker family has hosted guests from around the world.

"Much of the work we've done has been with immigrant families and people who find themselves without a place to stay," Dr. Boehrer explained. "They would be people that have been turned down by government agencies and local shelters. Most of them are new to the area and have no place to go."

"We've had people from Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe stay with us," his wife noted. "Most stay until they can either find jobs or qualify for assistance. These are the marginalized that have fallen through the cracks. [They run the gamut from] people who are highly educated with professional degrees who can't find employment to those that have a minimum level of education. Some can't speak English at all."

Dr. Boehrer said of their efforts, "We'd like to see an end to hunger, poverty and homelessness. We want everyone to have the opportunity to earn a decent, living wage. What we're trying to do here is to work ourselves out of a job, but I don't think that's going to happen soon. It looks like we're going to be at this for a long time."

(The accommodations at the original Emmaus House were much smaller than at Trinity Place, a three-story house built in the 1800s. It has large rooms that can easily accommodate group activities. Anyone interested in learning more about Emmaus House can call 482-4966.)

(11/23/06) [[In-content Ad]]