Emmaus Blog

Saturday, August 30, 2025: If only someone did something about the murder of children Editor's note: We first ran a version of this editorial in May 2022, following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. We are republishing it again in light of the Aug. 27 fatal shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis.  It all just feels so hopeless. Another mass shooting in America. At least three elementary school children and three of their teachers murdered in Nashville, Tennessee. A space designed for learning turned instead into a killing field. A community that will never, ever be the same. Survivors and family who will carry unimaginable grief, trauma, heartbreak for generations to come. And yet, and yet, and yet. We know all too well how this song goes. "Thoughts and prayers" will be on offer aplenty. But the NRA and other gun lobbies will exert pressure on Congress. Passage of sensible gun control measures will be deemed out of reach. It's just ...

Friday, August 29, 2025: Please add Labor Day Peaceful Protest to your calendar and join us at Courthouse Square Santa Rosa: Labor Day Protest - Workers  Over Billionaires! NO ICE! NO Fascism! and  NO Wars! Date:  Monday, September 01, 2025 Time:  11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Location:  Old Courthouse Square at  4th Street and Mendocino Ave Downtown Santa Rosa Event Type:  Peaceful, nonviolent action  protest Organizer/Author:  50501 Santa Rosa, DSA, and more

 Thursday, August 28, 2025:  Raising faithful children is about kindness, not devotion Raising kids in Catholic schools should be about fostering genuine kindness—not performative piety masked as faith formation. Since first grade, my daughter’s best friend has been a boy. They share what Dr. Seuss called “compatible weirdness”—cracking each other up with drawings or spinning stories for hours. At school, their moments to connect came in the gaps between lessons and, most importantly, at lunch. So she was shocked when a new principal separated boys and girls in the cafeteria, cutting off their daily time together. Already feeling out of sync with her female classmates, she was outraged. Having learned the term “gender segregated” firsthand, she launched a petition to restore the old seating. Every kid in her class signed, and their supportive teacher promised to bring it to the principal. The teacher returned a different woman. The discussion was closed, she informed the class...

Wednesday, August 27, 2025: Nuns on the Bus Present: "Welcome Back Congress" webinar for tomorrow afternoon 4:00PM Pacific Time -- RSVP with link below. We're excited to be with you for the Welcome Back, Congress webinar on August 28. Please help us spread the word by sharing about this event on social media or sending an email to a few friends to invite them to join you. Our Members of Congress have spent the month of August in their districts, and you've spent the month of August educating your community about the Big Bad Budget that Congress passed in July. As we prepare for Members of Congress to return to Washington, NETWORK's Government Relations team wants to make sure you're prepared to continue our work ensuring that Congress is working for the common good - that everyone, no matter what we look like or where we come from, has access to food, housing, and healthcare; that families can live in safety in their own neighborhoods; and that we the people,...

  Sunday, August 24, 2025: Join us This Afternoon for our Emmaus Liturgy when we celebrate Ordinary Time Join Us This Afternoon for our Emmaus Celebration either at Christ Church United Methodist in Santa Rosa or on ZOOM! We begin with welcoming at 3:45 In Person  in Classroom 8 at Christ Church United Methodist 1717 Yulupa Ave, Santa Rosa,  Or  Join our Emmaus Celebration on Zoom: Join Zoom Meeting by copying this link into your browser  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5193158573?omn=84064001410 Passcode: 1234 Or start Zoom and type in the Meeting ID and Passcode Meeting ID: 519 315 8573 Passcode: 1234 Introduction: (Enid) According to the Catholic Liturgical Calendar, today is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time. The season of Ordinary Time consists of the 33 or 34 weeks of the year apart from Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. I read an article in U.S. Catholic that said, “The richness of Ordinary Time is found in the opportunity to know Christ more intimately in t...

August 25, 2025: News about the Peace Wall Induction Ceremony which will honor Alice Waco. 2025 Peace Wall Induction Ceremony The Living Peace Wall exists to celebrate and thank those who dedicate their lives to peace and justice. Founded in 2015 by Michael Gillotti, the Peace Wall has become a beloved Sebastopol landmark. After 10 years of leadership, Michael will be passing the baton to Alecia Sanchez and Stephen Zollman — ensuring the mission of honoring peacemakers continues for generations. Join us for the 9th Annual Living Peace Wall Induction Ceremony  Saturday, September 6th 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Sebastopol Plaza: Sebastopol, CA 95472-3412 This year, we honor four incredible peacemakers: ✨ Alice Waco ✨ Bob Halpren ✨ David Hartsough ✨ Gerry Condon Come be part of this special community event as we recognize this year’s honorees, celebrate the legacy of peace, and step into a new chapter for the  Peace Wall. (Last Year's Event) "We honor the peacemakers, whose names a...

 Emmaus Liturgy for August 24, 2025: Ordinary Time Join our community of Emmaus Saturday, August 9, 2025: Join Us Tomorrow Afternoon for our Emmaus Celebration either at Christ Church United Methodist in Santa Rosa or on ZOOM! We begin with welcoming at 3:45 In Person  in Classroom 8 at Christ Church United Methodist 1717 Yulupa Ave, Santa Rosa,  Or  Join our Emmaus Celebration on Zoom: Join Zoom Meeting by copying this link into your browser  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5193158573?omn=84064001410 Passcode: 1234 Or start Zoom and type in the Meeting ID and Passcode Meeting ID: 519 315 8573 Passcode: 1234 Introduction: (Enid) According to the Catholic Liturgical Calendar, today is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time. The season of Ordinary Time consists of the 33 or 34 weeks of the year apart from Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. I read an article in U.S. Catholic that said, “The richness of Ordinary Time is found in the opportunity to know Christ more intimat...

 Friday, August 22, 2025:  We have more power than we think!”   Next Episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” Ken Butigan on a Lifetime of Activism: “We have more power than we think!” Mon. Aug. 25th Dear friends, Blessings of Christ’s peace! On the next episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” posting Monday Aug. 25th, I’ll speak with my friend Dr. Ken Butigan, author, organizer, activist, and nonviolence trainer. Ken is Professor of Practice in the Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Program at DePaul. He has worked in a series of movements for social change, including campaigns addressing homelessness, nuclear weapons, freedom for East Timor, and the US wars in Iraq.   In the 1980s he was a founder and national coordinator of the Pledge of Resistance, which for nearly a decade mobilized nonviolent action for peace in Central America. He has worked for over 30 years with Pace e Bene [www.paceebene.org], which has trained tens of thousands of people in the...

Wednesday, August 20, 2025: Emmaus Women Sign Up! The Dorothea Project is a growing movement of Catholic women called to live our faith out loud. Spread the Word! Katie Holler has watched with horror as migrants in the United States have been violently detained, some separated from their families and children. The case of a Cuban mother deported without her still-nursing baby especially anguished Holler, a Catholic and the mom of two young children herself.  " I have a 6-month-old baby. How distressing that would be to me as a mother to be separated from a baby I'm breastfeeding," said Holler, a social worker who lives in Steubenville, Ohio. "These are vulnerable people, people we as Catholics say we love and want to support, and yet this administration is doing the exact opposite of what our faith demands us to do." Even more frightening for Holler has been the rise of authoritarianism under Donald Trump, which she sees some of her fellow Catholics shrugging of...

 Monday, August 18, 2025:   The Dorothea Project is a growing movement of Catholic women called to live our faith out loud. Katie Holler has watched with horror as migrants in the United States have been violently detained, some separated from their families and children. The case of a Cuban mother deported without her still-nursing baby especially anguished Holler, a Catholic and the mom of two young children herself.  " I have a 6-month-old baby. How distressing that would be to me as a mother to be separated from a baby I'm breastfeeding," said Holler, a social worker who lives in Steubenville, Ohio. "These are vulnerable people, people we as Catholics say we love and want to support, and yet this administration is doing the exact opposite of what our faith demands us to do." Even more frightening for Holler has been the rise of authoritarianism under Donald Trump, which she sees some of her fellow Catholics shrugging off, or even supporting. A few months int...