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Gordon Richard has perfected the art of the waffle.
From 1996 to 2003, Richard prepared and served the breakfast pastry on the first Wednesday of each month alongside strawberries, whipped cream and sausage at the Bethany House, a men’s shelter located in Winona.
At that time, he began working with refugees for Catholic Charities, and his son, David, stepped in to take over the waffle iron.
Meanwhile, his daughters, Holly and Hillary, took the initiative to volunteer at the Dan Corcoran House, a shelter serving single women, women with children, and families.
Both the Bethany House and the Dan Corcoran House are Catholic Worker Houses, a movement started in 1933 by journalist Dorothy Day.
Those involved in the Catholic Worker movement strongly support human rights, labor unions and nonviolent culture.
“It’s a radical movement devoted to social justice,” said Hillary, who moved back to Winona in January after receiving a degree in drama from Emerson College in Boston. She almost immediately picked up Wednesdays at the Dan Corcoran House, where she mostly provides hospitality, cleaning and childcare.
She said becoming a live-in volunteer there in the future is a strong possibility.
Live-in volunteers at both homes devote six months to a year, or more, to living their beliefs through service while being provided hospitality.
According to David, a musician, the ideal volunteer would be someone with a first-shift job.
“The house does not become your job,” he said. “It’s a unique, challenging lifestyle of living out the Gospel.”
Both houses are designed to get people back on their feet.
Some of those served are recent divorcees, people new to the area and people recently released from jail or prison.
Holly, who is the director of Saint Teresa Leadership In-service Institute for Women at Saint Mary’s University, prepares and serves food at the Dan Corcoran House every Tuesday. She brings many of her students along.
“I always tell my students that the guest could be them tomorrow,” she said. “The people there aren’t ‘milking the system.’ There is no stereotype.”
All three of the Richard children said they have been homeless at some point and have had to be taken in by friends or family when the time called for it. They were first exposed to the Catholic Worker movement by their father, who worked for the Catholic Church in different capacities for 22 years, and also worked at Cotter High School. He has picked up Thursdays at the Bethany House since retiring.
“It’s strange why people wouldn’t want to be involved,” said David. “It’s a natural thing for me to want to help.”
Holly said she believes that her presence, along with the presence of other volunteers, is good for people in transition.
“Having someone present who is sober, healthy and well-balanced is good,” said Holly. “I lead by example and try to help them focus on the now.”
David said that even a telephone at the Bethany House is an incredible resource for guests there.
Anyone who is looking for a job but may not have a phone number where potential employers can contact them can use the phone number of the Bethany House and they will receive their messages, he said.
Their willingness to work
doesn’t come without discomfort.
Recently, while David was preparing waffles at the Bethany House, someone was getting a haircut in the kitchen.
“You have to place your own boundaries to be pushed,” laughed David. “That’s a good thing.”
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