Boise Catholic Worker is a group of Lay Catholics who study and live the social teachings of the Catholic Church in their daily lives through the guidelines set down by Catholic Worker Movement founder Dorothy Day. Catholic Workers give comfort to the homeless and suffering as well as promote social justice through education efforts and action. We welcome all faith-based volunteers to Boise Catholic Worker.

There are four areas that one may volunteer within the Boise Catholic Worker Movement: Thomas Merton House, Catholic Worker Paraclete, Catholic Worker Roundtable Discussions and Lazarus House Social Outreach Center/ Catholic Worker Social Justice Library.

1. Dorothy Day Place, Inc. is a Catholic nonprofit with a mission to provide housing to chronically homeless individuals. At our house of hospitality, Thomas Merton House, residents live in a group home setting and are provided with an environment where they can learn basic living skills that they never had or have lost due to chronic homelessness. We are looking for volunteers to help with transportation to appointments and grocery runs.

2. Boise Catholic Worker publishes the Paraclete, a newspaper covering the aims and means of the Catholic Worker Movement. The paper also serves as a justice education tool. We need catholic worker journalists with a passion for catholic social teaching and the catholic worker ideals as they apply to local, national and international events.

3. Boise Catholic Worker sponsors roundtable discussions where local experts on various justice topics share their education, experiences and insights with the community, and then lead open discussions on these issues. We are looking for facilitators to lead roundtable discussions on topics such as nonviolent communication, sustainable living, the environment, etc. If you have a justice topic that might make a good roundtable and you are passionate about presenting it, contact Ellen Piper at 208.629.5306.

4. Social Services Outreach Center and Social Justice Library.  Boise Catholic Worker provides social services such as case management and life counseling services at Lazarus House; our social outreach center. We also need volunteers to provide receptionist duties during social worker appointments. Lazarus House also in the processing of building a Catholic Worker Social Justice Library.  We are in need of volunteers to work in the library.

Boise Catholic Worker partners with the local church and secular groups to face local problems and bring catholic attention to national justice issues. Boise Catholic Worker members perform “the corporal and spiritual works of mercy” through various groups throughout the community.

For more information about Boise Catholic Worker, contact Ellen Piper at ellen@boisecatholicworker.org or 208.629.5306.