Pfeil Reflects Catholic Social Teaching in Her Life and Work

CSC News & Reflections
Spring 2004

If you need a lesson on the practical side of Catholic social teaching, you should start at the Peter Claver Catholic Worker House in South Bend.

In this unremarkable house reside 12 guests—from infant to retirement age—who have been brought together by the potent mix of poverty and homelessness that plagues South Bend.

Yet, the guests seem upbeat—many have found work lately—and all are genuinely glad that spirituality and a belief in the common good have brought this house into being.

But, perhaps, they’re most pleased by the presence of Margaret Pfeil, PhD, one of the founders of the house, who lives there, cooks, listens and provides a rare type of soft-spoken support to the guests.

Indeed, if Pfeil is a gift to the residents of the house, the same can be said for students at Notre Dame and the Center for Social Concerns who witness her vocation played out in her personal and professional life.

Recently, she was appointed as an ethicist in the Theology Department, a position that marks the first joint appointment between Theology and the Center for Social Concerns.

“ My work as theologian and professor is the greatest job in the world because it allows me to find God, as well as helping students do the same,” said Pfeil.

During the fall semester, she team-teaches a course “Discipleship: Loving Action for Justice,” in which students integrate their service experiences of Summer Service Project Internships with inter-disciplinary analysis.

In the spring semester, she teaches “Vocation and Leadership in the Catholic Social Tradition,” which provides a narrative-based exploration of the vocational journey of prominent figures in the Catholic social tradition.

These courses stress theological contemplation with service opportunities through the Center and encourage students to integrate reflection and action as Pfeil does in her own life.
In addition to teaching classes, Pfeil is a resource for the staff at the Center. She has led continuing education sessions for the staff as well as made presentations to students preparing for many of the Center’s seminars.

Pfeil graduated from Notre Dame having studied international relations, peace studies and Latin American studies and returned to complete her PhD in moral theology.
As an undergraduate, she participated in a summer service project in Tijuana, Mexico.

“I found a great joy in working with the people of Tijuana that summer,” said Pfeil. “But, I also became starkly aware of the disparity between that reality and the reality of my hometown, San Diego. My journey ever since has been an on-going effort to bridge these two distinct realities.”

However, driving her to devote her personal life to the Catholic Worker House were the events of September 11.

“ I felt a call to react personally to break the cycle of violence,” said Pfeil. “It was my reaction to what I saw going on in the world.”

The Catholic Worker Movement, which began under the leadership of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1932, is grounded in the belief in the dignity of every human being and seeks to create a better society through solidarity and hospitality.

Since opening in November 2003, the house has welcomed 20 guests. Anyone is welcome as long as they are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and there are no rules of behavior or limitations on staying in the house.

For the residents and for Pfeil, the biggest challenge to staying in the house is a looming $50,000 payment due this June on the home.

“ We need a few big donors,” said Pfeil, with her characteristic smile.

But, even with some headaches—small and large—she views her life and work as a blessing she does not take for granted.

“Even the smallest moments bring me the sense that this is something I could not not do. Just recently, I was shoveling snow outside the house and had such a sense of joy.
“ I knew I was right where I should be.”