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This May, the Br. David Darst Center invites you to DIG DEEP!, our new overnight immersion program aimed at empowering adults to take positive action against food insecurity in their community.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as “lack of access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life.” For nearly 17.9 million households in the United States, food insecurity is a harsh reality- with its long-term effects extending beyond hunger to everything from emotional distress to chronic illness.

During the retreat, you will examine the intersection of

On May 17th, 1968, a group of anti-war activists entered the Selective Service Offices in Catonsville, Maryland, where they removed several hundred draft records before burning the documents in a fire fueled by homemade napalm. The nine men and women, eventually known as the ‘Catonsville Nine’, were arrested and sentenced to jail after a highly publicized trial.

To mark the Catonsville Nine’s 50th anniversary, the Br. David Darst Center will host a Day of Action via our social media networks. We invite you to be a part of the conversation as

As today marks the end of the “unofficial month of love” the Br. David Darst Center posed the question what does it mean to do service with love? Is it possible to truly love the service one does and how can love inform the service we do? One of our year-long high school volunteers Eddie gave us his thoughts.

For the past semester, I have been given the opportunity to volunteer at the Br. David Darst Center. I have truly experienced the power of love inside the walls of this

Be sure to catch the Darst Center’s own Keith Donovan and Jennifer Jackson-Outlaw on WVON 1690-AM’s Real Talk, Real People with Chat Daddy this Tuesday, January 23 from 6 to 9 pm. Join us for what will be a lively discussion with host Art “Chat Daddy” Sims as we share our mission, our dedication to the city of Chicago, and why we are passionate about helping others to #seeitdifferently.

I recall first meeting Brother Denis when he would come to the Sunday Mass at Loyola University in Chicago when I was a graduate student during the summers of 1987-1990. He struck me as a reflective person with a keen insight into social concerns.

Later, when he began the Su Casa Community in Chicago, I would bring groups of students from Roncalli High School in Manitowoc, WI for “Chicago Plunge” experiences. We stayed in the simple dwelling at 51st and Laflin where the Catholic Worker house was emerging. I was always

“Frank Thomas…as in The Big Hurt, right”

That was the incredulous response I got recently from one of the Darst Center’s board members when I had shared my recent good fortune of getting to interview Chicago White Sox legend Frank Thomas. “How exactly did that happen?”

The short answer was that I wasn’t quite sure. But for whatever reason, my past life as a freelance writer afforded me the ability to spend 10 minutes with one of baseball’s greatest players this past November.

Happy Accidents

You see, prior to coming to work at the

“It’s a Darst Day!”

exclaims Group 8 as they enter the Darst Center for another day of service. Eddie, one of the high school volunteers, whose group initially coined the phrase “It’s a Darst Day”, explained the term as a matter of attitude and energy. But it’s what’s behind the phrase that really speaks to these volunteers’ experience. A Darst Day of service is more than just cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming staircases, churning compost- it’s about finding the joy in being with others, in accomplishing things with our hands, channeling productivity into

Emily Buss is a Professor of civil procedure, evidence, and family law at the University of Chicago Law School. Her research has focused on the legal system's allocation of responsibility [...]

Position Title: Program Director

Position Profile:

The Program Director, as a member of the administrative team, is responsible for the development and implementation of the Darst Center educational programs. The retreat program, the primary method of education, focuses on instruction for high school and college students, utilizing a service-learning approach to discuss issues of social justice (homelessness, food insecurity, education, criminal justice, immigration) and analyze their root causes (racism, living wage, gentrification, inequitable distribution of resources, etc.).  The Program Director initiates/manages the Center’s relationships with partner agencies who serve as co-educators while

Welcome back to RE-THINK, a blog where our staff members will be sharing their thoughts and experiences working at the Br. David Darst Center. Today's post is from our new [...]