Deacon Michael, Ruthie and
Annette Cullen

Today the youngest daughter of my old friends Michael and Annette Cullen got married. This was a special wedding for the Cullen family and for my wife, Pat, and me. Both Pat and I knew the Cullen family before we knew each other. Mike and Nettie were founders of the Catholic Worker House of Hospitality in Milwaukee, Casa Maria, in the 60’s. My wife was a Marquette University student who used to go to Casa Maria and babysit for their children, just two boys at the time. I was a Marquette University student when I got to know Mike and Nettie and was introduced into the Catholic Worker community and way of life. I remember taking the two boys to the store and explaining to them why their parents did not want them to purchase water guns.

In 1968, before Pat and I met at Casa, I was involved with Mike, Father Lorenzo Rosebaugh and others in the Milwaukee 14 action, a nonviolent action against the military recruiting system for the war in Vietnam, the forced Selective Service Draft system. I met my wife at Casa while we were out on bond, and we were married right at the time of the trial.

All 14 of us went to prison. However, Mike, since he was not quite an American citizen, was deported with Nettie, and now four children, to Ireland. We all expected Mike and Nettie to be allowed to return to USA sometime soon.

However, years went by and Mike was denied entrance to the USA. So the Cullen family settled in Ireland and grew. By the time Mike and Nettie were allowed back in the USA, many years later, they had twelve children, the youngest being Ruthie. I remember going to visit them up north on Nettie’s family homestead where they were living, and little Ruthie Cullen, the youngest child, going fishing with my wife and me.

Over the years, at special events like weddings, when Michael was ordained a Deacon in the Superior diocese, visits to the Camp Jesus at the Cullen family home, or when some of their children went to school or work in Milwaukee, we gradually got to know the children and watched them grow into adults.

The two boys Pat and I first knew are now an established engineer in Milwaukee and a doctor in Grand Rapids, MI. Talking to them tonight they told me that after they grew up and were in Ireland they were finally allowed to shoot guns. After that they both lost their interest and fascinations with guns.

Ruthie, the youngest, is a college student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she met, now her husband, Patrick, an Irishman naturally.

The wedding in Church and the reception was full of children — Michael’s and Nettie’s nineteen grandchildren and more. There was lots of good food and drink, good dancing and good people. It was a truly joyful time.

In the 60’s at Casa Maria, the Catholic Worker house of hospitality, when we would run low on food to feed the many people that came there or be low on money to continue this work, Michael would always say “Just trust in God and God will provide.” It happened that way, someone would show up with food or donate money just when it was needed. Michael and Nettie lived their whole married life this way, trusting in God, and God did provide a bountiful harvest, a beautiful family of children and grandchildren. Trusting in God Works!

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