Other Group

LA Catholic Worker

Website:

www.lacatholicworker.org

Location:

Los Angeles, CA

Type:

Religious Homeless Non Profit

Founded:

1970

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Los Angeles Catholic Worker (LACW) is a nominally Christian, far-left activist organization and charity operating in the greater Los Angeles, California area. The organization was founded in 1970 as part of the Catholic Worker movement, a self-described international anarchist project launched by socialist activists Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin during the Great Depression. 1

Mission and Work

Los Angeles Catholic Worker (LACW) contrasts itself with other Christian organizations which it considers right-of-center, as well as with Christian nonprofit charities operating in Los Angeles. LACW is not a tax-exempt organization, and it does not solicit or accept funding from other organizations, government agencies, or the Roman Catholic Church. LACW relies exclusively on individual contributions. The organization deliberately avoids adopting organizational structures such as a board of directors. LACW has no chief executive officer and does not have paid employees. Volunteers, which the organization refers to as “community members,” live communally and receive no compensation aside from room and board, transportation, and a $25 weekly stipend. 1

LACW’s charity initiatives include a soup kitchen in the Skid Row neighborhood of Los Angeles and a service center for homeless people, which provides dental and medical care as well as free personal hygiene items. The organization claims that it serves more than 3,000 hot meals a week. In addition, LACW organizes left-wing protests and acts of civil disobedience against city authorities, law enforcement, and businesses for allegedly implementing “punitive” policies against low-income people and ethnic minority groups. The organization promotes left-wing economic, social, and environmental policies. LACW also opposes American military intervention into foreign countries, while at the same time supporting increased immigration into the United States. 1 2

Ideology

LACW calls itself a Catholic organization and claims to follow Christian teachings. At the same time, it frequently criticizes the Roman Catholic Church. In the August 2021 issue of its publication, the Catholic Agitator, LACW criticized Archbishop Jose Gomez, who sits as president of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, for instructing churches to reopen and reinstating the requirement for Catholics to attend Mass. The organization claimed that Archbishop Gomez had not devoted sufficient time to implementing COVID-19 pandemic safety measures. LACW also criticized the church for raising funds to repair a church in San Gabriel City, California which had suffered from fire damage. 2 An investigation by city authorities found that the church had been the target of an arson attack. 3

LACW opposes the United States government. In August 2021, the organization published an article by far-left independent journalist Caitlin Johnstone which called America “the most despotic and corrupt regime on the entire planet by a very wide margin.” Johnstone claimed that while there are “some governments who are more brutal and oppressive toward their own citizenry,” the United States is the most “brutal and oppressive overall.” The article took issue with America’s track record of expanding its military presence around the world and launching military interventions in developing countries. It also accused the United States of overthrowing foreign governments and interfering in elections. 4

Funding

LACW only accepts donations from individuals and rejects all support from corporations, foundations, government agencies, or other institutions. The organization also rejects the standard model of operating as a nonprofit charity and does not accept online donations. In addition to financial support, LACW solicits food donations for its soup kitchen, as well as books, calendars, and other miscellaneous items for distribution to the poor and the homeless. 5

References

  1. About the LACW. Los Angeles Catholic Worker. Accessed August 29, 2021. https://www.lacatholicworker.org/wp/about-the-lacw/
  2. “The Church and Colonization.” Los Angeles Catholic Worker. Accessed August 29, 2021. https://www.lacatholicworker.org/wp/2021/08/14/the-church-and-colonization/
  3. Mission San Gabriel Fire. City of San Gabriel. Accessed August 29, 2021. https://www.sangabrielcity.com/1483/Mission-San-Gabriel-Fire
  4. Caitlin Johnstone. “The U.S. is The Most Tyrannical Regime On Earth.” Los Angeles Catholic Worker. August 15, 2021. Accessed August 29, 2021. https://www.lacatholicworker.org/wp/2021/08/15/the-u-s-is-the-most-tyrannical-regime-on-earth/
  5. Donations. Los Angeles Catholic Worker. Accessed August 29, 2021. https://www.lacatholicworker.org/wp/donations/
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LA Catholic Worker

632 N. Brittania Street
Los Angeles, CA