Directory of Gardens

Casa Juan Diego Community Garden

Casa Juan Diego is located in the West End of north-central Houston. Their community gardens include a Women's Garden and a Men's Garden, where residents learn horticulture and grow food for themselves. The Women's Garden was initiated recently in 2003, while the Men's Garden was established prior to 1994 and has seen many changes since its beginning.

Casa Juan Diego is a "house of hospitality", which means it encompasses all acts of mercy: food, shelter, clothing and medical care. Its founders, Mark and Louise Zwick, follow the example set by Dorothy Day of "prayer, voluntary poverty, hospitality, and pacifism." This organization was originally created to serve refugees from Central America, but as the needs of the immigrant population in Houston became greater, Mark and Louise expanded their services to support them as well. Individuals served by Casa Juan Diego come from all over the world: Africa, Asia, South America, Central America and Mexico.

In the mid-nineties, Andy Wright, then a medical student, started the first garden at Casa Juan Diego, the men's garden. It was located at Casa Don Bosco, which for many years has been the men's house for the disabled. The four original beds were constructed of timber and plastic, and with the efforts of its founder were moderately successful. After Andy went back to complete his medical degree, the garden fell into disrepair. It sat fallow for a couple of years until Reverend Mahoney ("Father Bernie") decided to make the garden a personal project. In 2003, after a donation of concrete blocks from a family in Katy, Father Bernie began the reconstruction of the garden. New soil and concrete blocks were installed. Volunteers to help with the renovation and donations for the compost pile came from several sources.

Father Bernie has been involved with Casa Juan Diego for 15 years. He grew up with parents and relatives that were all involved in some form of agriculture. He says "gardening is in my blood," and it seemed logical to make that a major part of his life after retirement. He has taken the Urban harvest Organic Vegetable Specialist Course and received his Master Gardeners Certification.

The men who are housed next to the garden play a major role in its success. With Father Bernie's guidance and their own agricultural experience they maintain and plant the beds. Most residents of Casa Juan Diego often only stay from 1 day to 5 months depending on their individual needs. The residents at Casa Don Bosco are an exception. The men who reside there are disabled and their needs usually require longer stays. The garden not only provides them with food but also with meaningful work. It puts people who are often patients in the role of caregivers.

In March 11 of 2003, Catherine Gehred and Rebecca Weinstein had an idea that would lead to them standing today in the midst of an 850 square foot vegetable garden, a newly constructed spiral herb garden and the 2' tall beginnings of an orchard. Catherine and Rebecca had begun working for the Men's Garden soon after they arrived. Their work with Father Bernie at the Casa Don Bosco Garden fueled their desire to start a large garden that could provide dignified work for the women of Casa Juan Diego and at the same time generate an income through the sale of the resulting produce. In September 2003 they began construction of the first four beds of what will eventually be an eight bed garden.

Catherine and Rebecca enjoy working with the women at Casa Juan Diego. The women who help them are from places like Chiapas, Honduras and Guatemala. Each of them brings her own experiences to the garden, often in the role of an instructor. For the women, the garden has been about healing, and making a living with meaningful work that takes them back to the land. It creates a community for women that are far away from home and gives them a place where they can be caretakers and teachers instead of victims.

Another volunteer who has been a strong supporter of the garden is Kent Keith. He originally volunteered as a handyman at Casa Juan Diego, then became involved with the garden at Casa Don Bosco.

The garden has strong support from Mark and Louise, and they work together with Catherine and Rebecca to make it a success. The specific function of the garden is currently evolving since creating a sustainable system is never an exact science. With the help of Mark and Louise, the women, and the very dedicated Kent Keith, this garden may become an example that other Catholic Worker movements throughout the country can follow.

It is evident that both gardens provide much more to Casa Juan Diego than their creators may have initially imagined. They are more than donation gardens, market gardens, and horticulture therapy gardens. They are community gardens, where people work together to create community and reap the innumerable benefits of gardening together.

For more information about Casa Juan Diego, visit their website.

2311 Canal St., Suite 122, Houston, TX 77003
713-880-5540 •