Pandemic-proof

Ave Maria! My granddaughters and I finished the Works of Mercy Summer Challenge. The girls all made models of their .03-acre plot with 12'x12' one-person shelter. They made models of animal areas and specific gardens and each was characteristically individual.

I made some parts of a model as well. I tried to simulate drystone as well as mud and stone construction, but at a small scale, it didn't work. I did successfully make a model dome tent skin of denim, however. Add bent saplings underneath and it is a viable first shelter, while a more weather-resistant dwelling can be built. I made a cardboard template for the denim pieces of a life-size dome tent skin. I figure that 30 pair of used all-cotton adult-sized denim jeans will make the 30 triangles of the half decahedron. I am still searching for the right salvageable, all-natural material for the 10 translucent window triangles. I helped build a geodesic dome when I was a teen and unlike most people looking to build shelter, I am most comfortable with a dome. The joints are always the tricky part, but I have been studying the concept of stretched-skin, in which the outer skin determines the shape. A half-sphere amount of dome, far less complex than most domes, would make a good tent, as long as bent ribs hold it up. The woods at Mary's Wood in Springfield is very dense with cedar saplings, just perfect for holding up a dome tent skin.

I have also been thinking and praying about how to perform the works of mercy during a pandemic. The Catholic Worker tradition of hospitality necessitates that the works of mercy be performed. But how? I think the outdoor model is the safest. Sheltering the homeless in individual plots with shelters (and families in combined plots and shelters) solves the social distance issue for shelter. So I started rethinking how to set up Mary's House and grounds to accommodate outdoor works of mercy.

Here's what I came up with: 14 windows on the first floor of Mary's House and attached buildings to provide the 14 works of mercy (corporal and spiritual) to those approaching from outside. Tables set up outside under tents or tarps, with stoves for outdoor warmth. I know this is Maine, and I have lived through winters in Central Maine. It will be chilly, but safe. I have interpreted the works of mercy literally in some instances and more creatively in others, but I believe that all the services which I propose to offer are essential. Mary's House needs a lot of work to be prepared for this scenario. There are no lines of homeless and hungry people at the door of Mary's House. But there will be.

At present I am without means to get to Springfield from Portland to work on this project. Because of my own vulnerability as a senior citizen and the vulnerabilities of those in this Portland household, I cannot accept a ride from a non-household member, nor take public transportation, when it is eventually available again. So I am praying for help: some would-be Catholic Workers who want to drive with me on short trips to Springfield to get the house ready; who are willing to quarantine in such a way that I can ride with them. It's complex, I know. But it seems like a must-do.

I am still wanting to do likewise in Portland, where there are already many homeless and hungry people. I live in voluntary poverty and real estate in Portland is way overpriced. But, sad to say, desperate economic times are on the way. I keep my eyes and ears open to God's Providence in this area. If He wants this kind of pandemic-proof venue for the works of mercy in Portland, He will provide the place. Please pray with me.

For those who are curious and who know my autism spectrum-like propensity for systematizing, here are my interpretations of the 14 works of mercy, along with a name for each window from Our Lady's titles in the Litany of Loreto.

1. Feed the hungry. Meals and food will be available at the Mirror of Justice window.

2. Give drink to the thirsty. Water and beverages will be offered at the Ark of the Covenant window.

3. Clothe the naked. Clothing will be distributed at the Gate of Heaven window.

4. Shelter the homeless. Arrangements for a homestead hermitage plot will be made and other shelter needs addressed at the Solace of Migrants window. I also hope to build a model plot and shelter on the grounds of Mary's House so folks can investigate.

5. Visit the sick. Bath items will be provided at the Health of the Sick window. There is an outdoor shower at Mary's House, but the plumbing won't work in the winter. A sun-warmed camp shower and composting toilet will be added outside as well.

6. Visit the imprisoned. Dirty laundry will be accepted, washed and returned for hanging on outdoor clotheslines through the Morning Star window. If we find that the virus is a concern in the laundry, we will utilize the dryer instead of a clothesline.

7. Bury the Dead. Donations and deliveries will be received, and burial arrangements will be made, through the House of Gold window. There is a small, private cemetery at Mary's Wood where Mary's Ward co-founder Peter Beebe-Lawson and others are buried. Obviously deaths arising from the pandemic will have to be handled per health regulations.

8. Admonish sinners. Religious and devotional items will be available at the Help of Christians window.

9. Instruct the ignorant. Mary's School materials will be distributed and returned through the Tower of Ivory window. Some of the grounds of Mary's House will be set up with outdoor desks, tables and chairs under tent roofs or tarps.

10. Counsel the doubtful. Tutoring in Mary's School subjects or others will take place at the Seat of Wisdom window.

11. Comfort the sorrowful. Counseling and heart-to-heart talks will take place at the Comforter of the Afflicted window.

12. Forgive injury. Farm and garden assistance and products made of natural materials provided in exchange for petroleum-based products will occur at the Mystical Rose window.

13. Bear wrongs patiently. Library materials (books and toys) will be available at the Cause of Our Joy window.

14. Pray for the living and the dead. Intercessory prayer in person and the logging of intercessions will take place at the Spiritual Vessel window. The chapel at Mary's House will be partially open-air with room for seating outside in socially-distant arrangement.

Who wants to help?

God bless you and Mary keep you!