How Dorothy Day's Granddaughter Martha Hennessy Continues the Mission
This past spring, host Mike Jordan Laskey traveled to New York for a Jesuit Media Lab theatre event. He was coordinating the outing with our JML contributor Renee Roden, who lives at a Catholic Worker house in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Catholic Worker, of course, is the movement founded in 1933 by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, which grew from a newspaper dedicated to Catholic social teaching and pacifism to a network of houses of hospitality in urban areas and farm communes in rural areas.
Renee and Mike had some time before the event that evening, so they visited Maryhouse, a house of hospitality the movement opened in 1975 and where Dorothy Day spent the last five years of her life. It’s a pilgrimage site of American Catholicism. And unlike many other pilgrimage sites, Maryhouse isn’t a museum – it’s still a vibrant and active Catholic Worker house of hospitality to this day.
By a great stroke of luck, Dorothy Day’s granddaughter Martha Hennessy was in town and could give Renee and Mike a tour of the house. Martha was the seventh child born to David Hennessy and Tamar Day Hennessy, who was Dorothy’s only daughter. Martha spends most of the year on a farm in Vermont, but she frequently travels to New York to live and work at Maryhouse. Martha has carried on the Catholic Worker tradition in her own life, including participation in anti-nuclear protests with the Plowshares movement. As Martha showed Renee and Mike around Maryhouse, she spoke of her grandmother with such admiration and love, almost as if Dorothy herself were in the room. Mike invited Martha on the podcast to share stories from her life and reflections on how the Catholic Worker continues its work of mercy and justice today. We know you’ll love getting to know this incredibly special person who has carried on her family legacy with so much devotion and passion.
More about Martha: https://catholicworker.org/martha-hennessys-revolution-of-the-heart/
Martha’s connection with the Plowshares movement: https://kingsbayplowshares7.org/
The Catholic Worker Movement: https://catholicworker.org/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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A Conversation with Four Presidents on Jesuit Higher Education
From June 23 through June 27, 2025, on the campus of Loyola University New Orleans, student affairs professionals from across our network of Jesuit colleges and universities gathered to be formed and fueled by our shared Jesuit mission.
One of the keynotes from the conference featured four university presidents: Tania Tetlow of Fordham University, Vincent Rougeau of the College of the Holy Cross, Salvador Aceves of Regis University, and Xavier Cole of Loyola University New Orleans. The conversation was wide-ranging, hitting on a number of hot button issues facing the higher ed landscape today. Each of these presidents demonstrated through their thoughtful, passionate responses that they are committed not just to higher education but to leading Catholic, Jesuit institutions to meet the many needs of this moment. I left feeling inspired.
About an hour after that conversation ended, a second one began — with today's host, Eric Clayton. The four presidents kindly sat down in one of the beautiful studios on Loyola’s campus to continue the conversation they began on stage.
That’s what you’ll hear on today's episode.
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A Conversation with the Jesuit Chaplain to the US Military
Nestled in the Horn of Africa on the easternmost part of the African continent is a small country called Djibouti. It’s bordered by three other countries: Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia to the west, and Somalia to the south. Djibouti’s eastern border abuts the busy shipping lanes of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These bodies of water are connected by the Bab al-Mandab Strait which serves as an essential gateway between the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean. Directly across that narrow body of water from Djibouti is Yemen.
You can imagine the geopolitical significance of this particular part of the world. You might be thinking of issues pertaining to global trade, to international peace, to development and humanitarian assistance. And you might not be surprised to know that there is a United States military presence in Djibouti.
But you might be surprised to learn that the only Catholic priest currently serving in the US military for the entire continent of Africa is living there in Djibouti. You might also be surprised to learn that this priest is a Jesuit, one who just a few months ago was teaching theology and neuroscience to undergraduates at Creighton University.
Now, Fr. Chris Krall is serving as a chaplain, having been called up from his reserve status at the end of the 2024 fall semester. Instead of grading papers, he’s traveling by helicopter to remote bases across Africa to bring the sacraments and a listening ear.
Fr. Chris is our guest today calling in all the way from east Africa. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a priest ministering to folks in the military, this conversation is for you. We talk about how Chris’ current mission fits into his Jesuit vocation of being available to go where God’s people need him. We wrestle with some of the possible tensions inherent in being a priest in the military. And we reflect on the surprising similarities between ministering to colleges students and ministering to women and men in uniform.
A note: This conversation was recorded in late May.
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Six Picks for Summer Reading, Watching and Listening with Michael O'Connell
Host Mike Jordan Laskey is joined by Jesuit Media Lab fellow, Michael O'Connell, on this special episode of "AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast" to kickstart the summer.
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Embracing Undaunted Joy with Author Shemaiah Gonzalez
Today we’re talking about joy. It can be a hard thing to hold onto in this moment: The headlines are scary; our lives are full of stress and worry; and, everywhere we turn there seems to be some new reason to be afraid.
But none of that is of God. And indeed, even in such moments, joy is waiting to be found.
It’s worth remembering that Jesus tells us he has come so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. That’s a joy-filled life he’s describing, not one that cowers in the shadows in fear and worry. Jesus wants us to step out and into the fullness of God’s creation.
Today’s guest is author Shemaiah Gonzalez. Shemaiah has degrees in English, intercultural ministry and creative nonfiction writing. And her new book, “Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight” gives us a roadmap back to a life full of joy.
Host Eric Clayton and Shemaiah discuss joy and delight and abundance and what it means to tell stories at the intersection of all three. We hope when the conversation concludes, you feel a bit more joyful—and perhaps inclined to pick up a copy of Shemaiah’s book.
Get her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Undaunted-Joy-Revolutionary-Cultivating-Delight/dp/031016317X
Visit her website here: https://www.shemaiahgonzalez.com/
Jesuits and friends come together to look at the world through Ignatian eyes, always striving to live Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam -- For the Greater Glory of God. Hosted by Mike Jordan Laskey and Eric Clayton. Learn more at jesuits.org. A production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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