Posts by Joe Colletti
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King (1927 – 2006) was a pioneer of the civil rights movement in the United States who worked side-by-side with her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, until his death. She continued their work after his assassination on April 4, 1968 and became one of the most influential civil rights leaders of the…
Read MoreHoward Thurman
Howard Thurman (1899-1981), mystic, author, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader was rated as one of the 12 most important religious leaders in the United States in 1953 by Life magazine. After reading books by him or about him, you would likely agree, if you have not already. If you needed more convincing, just listen…
Read MoreDorothea Dix
Dorothea Dix (April 4, 1802 – July 17, 1887) was a Christian social reformer who largely operated in the public sphere. During her life time, she became one of the most influential social reformers of the nineteenth century. Before becoming the “voice of the mentally ill,” she began a career as a teacher and soon…
Read MoreThomas Merton: Monk, Mystic, and Mentor
Thomas Merton (1915 – 1968) was a prolific writer, mystic, and social activist who would be 100 years old if he were alive today. He wrote over sixty books and hundreds of poems and articles on topics ranging from monastic spirituality to civil rights. In his book entitled The Monastic Journey, he describes the Basic…
Read MoreJacob A. Riis: Reporter and Reformer
An eighteen-page article with engravings of 19 photographs by Jacob Riis appeared in the 1889 Christmas edition of Scribner’s Magazine. The photographs and the article exposed the shocking squalor and crime of tenement housing of the late 19th-century Lower East Side of Manhattan. A year later he expanded the article into his renowned book How…
Read MoreMary Harris Jones (a.k.a. “Mother Jones”)
As a social reformer, Mary “Mother” Jones exposed disturbing truths about child and adult factory workers and miners and perpetual poverty in the United States through numerous marches, demonstrations, strikes, and speeches. The influence of Christianity was evident throughout her life. She received a Catholic education as a girl and became a teacher in a…
Read MoreDivine Offices of Prayer
Seven prayer offices have developed over the centuries to help ensure a day-long dialogue with God. “Seven times a day I praise you” (Psalm 119.164) is stated in the Psalms with the first office of prayer traditionally beginning in the middle of the night, the second one at 6 am, and the rest follow every…
Read MoreThe Divine Hours of Prayer and the Blues
Over the years, the Divine Hours of Prayers have often evolved into hours for the Blues for me as a result of choosing to spend significant time during these periods of time reflecting on my own personal plights and those within the communities in which I live, work, worship, socialize, and serve. I first learned…
Read MoreThe Wounded Healer: in the Spirit of Henri Nouwen
Henri J. M. Nouwen has made synonymous the “wounded healer” and the minister. In his book, The Wounded Healer[1]Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Wounded Healer, Image Book: New York, 1979., Nouwen describes wounded healers as individuals who “must look after (their) own wounds but at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of…
Read MoreThe Spiritual Practice of an Inner Monastic Cell
The word “cell” has a long monastic tradition referring originally to the monk’s cave or room. Monastic writings are filled with sayings that note that the monk who lives in a cell lives in a sacred place. The English word for cell comes from the Latin word “cella” which means “small chamber” and from the…
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