Jonah House is a faith-based community/commune in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, centered on the concept of "Nonviolence, resistance and community". It was founded in 1973 by a group that included Philip Berrigan (one of the Catonsville Nine), then a Catholic priest, and Elizabeth McAlister, formerly a Catholic nun.[1] Jonah House is located on the grounds of St. Peter's Cemetery in West Baltimore south of Coppin Heights.[2] The 22-acre (89,000 m2) cemetery was largely abandoned and overgrown, the community has devoted itself to restoring and maintaining it.
Jonah House has been specifically regarded as a prime example of a Catholic Worker House of Resistance.
The community's papers are held at the TriCollege Libraries.[3]
Nonviolence
Much of the non-violent resistance direct actions undertaken by Jonah House have taken the form of Plowshares actions.[4] Additionally non-violence is practiced in the community both as a way of thought and action. Education of the injustice present in violence is contemplated.
Food pantry
Jonah House donates food and clothes to persons in need.[5]
Sister communities
Jonah House is part of a network of individuals and communities along the east coast that calls itself "The Atlantic Life Community".[4]
The Pacific Life Community is a similar organization encompassing the west coast of the United States of America, Pacific Islands and East Asia.
Jonah House is also a sister community with Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House (in D.C.) Viva House Catholic Worker, and The P. Francis Murphy Justice/Peace Initiative.
References
- ^ Berrigan, Philip. (2010). The time's discipline : the Beatitudes and nuclear resistance. McAlister, Elizabeth. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers. ISBN 9781608990573. OCLC 774486833.
- ^ "Philip Berrigan and Elizabeth McAlister papers, DePaul University Special Collections and Archives". DePaul University Libraries. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
- ^ "Jonah House". TriCollege Libraries. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ^ a b Proposition One website, Swords into Plowshares
- ^ "Jonah House Food Pantry Details". Food Pantries Baltimore. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
External links
- Jonah House site
References
- Jonah House under siege: convicts of strong conviction
- Praise for Philip Berrigan and Jonah House as central to the Atlantic Life Community and the Plowshares Movement
- Do-Gooders
39°18′12.8″N 76°39′19.8″W / 39.303556°N 76.655500°W / 39.303556; -76.655500
