Our Aims and Purposes

The mission of all Catholic Worker Houses is rooted in the Corporeal Works of Mercy, as laid out by Christ in Matthew 25. Each Catholic Worker house decides how best to accomplish this in their own communities. For some, this means working with inmates in jails and prisons, as they navigate the carceral system and reenter into society. For others, it means helping immigrants coming to America seeking safety and a better life for themselves and their families. At Isaiah House, we interpret this mission by focusing much of the work we do on the poor and homeless community in Orange County.

Poverty is not a new challenge for Orange County, but it is a rapidly growing one. The skyrocketing costs of housing, coupled with the dismantling of social programs across the board has resulted in a crisis for our state and our county. Unfortunately, little to nothing is being done by people in power to address the issues faced by the poor, and this inaction has resulted in some very visible consequences.

While more resources and programs will certainly be necessary, it is unlikely that a bureaucratic solution alone will be sufficient to address this growing crisis. At Isaiah House, we certainly advocate for more to be done by state and county officials to address and repair the systems that force people into poverty and homelessness (and make it difficult to escape). However, our primary goal as advocates is to show people that the true solution starts with us as individuals. Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker movement, referred to this as, “a revolution of the heart.”

What do we mean by this revolution of the heart? In essence, it means that we all have to turn inward and reflect on how we treat each other, especially the most vulnerable among us.

Our mission is:

• To embrace the Gospel values of simple living and trust in God's providence;

• To resist the dominant culture of violence and addiction through adherence to Christ's law of non-violence, service and serenity;

• To share dignity through meals, friendship, and the offering of care;

• To be a community seeking God by sharing our lives with the poor;

• To encounter God through prayer, liturgy, service, and contemplation.