Community organizing

Along time ago, I took a course with Peter Henriot, S.J., during his seventeen-year tenure at the Center of Concern in Washington, D.C. Toward the end of the class, he said something along these lines: “I know that Red Dye #40 is bad for us, so on Mondays I refrain from consuming anything with Red Dye #40. We are boycotting this particular company’s products, so on Tuesday I eat nothing made by that company. On Wednesday, I fast for the sake of being in solidarity with those in the world who have no food to eat. On Thursday … ” And so on. But, “On Sunday, I do whatever I want.”

The Thensted Center was established in 1982 to respond to the needs of the rural poor in St. Landry parish Louisiana.  founded in the tiny town of Grand Coteau under the guidance of Sr Margaret Hoffman, RSCJ and named in memory of Fr. Cornelius Thensted, ST, for his outreach to the region's poor that began in 1947, the Thensted Center aims to build up people of all ages and social backgrounds without regard to race or religioun, as they strive for healthier, more fulfilling and self-sufficient lives.