Welcome to our house!

The Oakland Catholic Worker (OCW) began in 1981 as a soup kitchen and shelter. In 1986 it became a sanctuary house for refugees fleeing the brutal civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala. In the tradition of the Catholic Worker movement, we base our ministry of service on the practice of solidarity with the poor and disenfranchised. Over the years we have served as a home where hundreds of Latin American immigrants begin stable and productive lives in this country. We continue to serve as a community center for the Latin American immigrant and refugee community as they establish themselves in our East Oakland neighborhood and strive to stay healthy and organized. We offer food, shelter, and other services to some of the neediest among us. In solidarity with those we serve, we struggle to change the unjust structures of our society through social activism.