Inspired by the life of Jesus and the communion
of Saints, the Catholic Worker (CW) movement was brought to
life in 1933 by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. Dorothy, a journalist,
social activist and convert to Catholicism had a providential
meeting with Peter, a French peasant, Christian philosopher.
Together they weaved a tapestry of ideals and practices that
breathed new life into the potent message found in the social
teachings of the church. Their radical interpretation of the
Christian message took hold of the hearts and minds of people
in search of a way to in flesh the deepest promptings of the
human soul- to live compassion and mercy. Since its beginnings
the CW movement has grown steadily finding expression in hundreds
of communities in the USA and abroad.
Julia Occhiogrosso and Rick Chun founded the
Las Vegas Catholic Worker in 1986. Commissioned by the
Los
Angeles Catholic Worker (LACW), the LVCW was to be the
first of many sister houses born out of the tutelage and support
of the LA house. Julia Occhiogrosso first came out to the
Nevada Desert during the
Nevada
Desert Experiences' Lenten Desert Witness at the
Nevada Nuclear Test Site. Ten days of prayer and vigiling
at the test site inspired Julia to encourage the LACW community
to participate with Nevada Desert Experience's ongoing nonviolent
peace actions at the Test Site. The LACW began to organize
groups to come out from LA to join in peace actions at the
test site.
During this period the LACW was also in a
process of clarifying their mission and was influenced by
the test site experience to identify their mission as one
of helping to start other CW houses, the first being St. John
the Baptist House in Las Vegas. This house would devote itself
to serving the hidden poor of glamour city Las Vegas as well
as to support a faith-based nonviolent campaign to bring an
end to the testing and development of nuclear weapons at the
Nevada Nuclear Test Site.
In August of 1986, Julia, Rick Chun and other
volunteers from the LACW community trekked out to Las Vegas
to renovate a small house at 1309 Gold Street. Within in a
few months the house was up and running with a Newsletter,
Manna in the Wilderness, coffee line for day laborers, liturgies,
hospitality and “stop nuclear testing” vigils
at the federal building.
In 1991 Gary Cavalier, a Catholic Worker from San Louis Obispo,
came to Las Vegas to support the Las Vegas house. He and Julia
were married in 1995. Together with their two sons and the
family of CW volunteers they continue to experiment with the
grand adventure of living the hope of the Catholic Worker
vision.
