The PC has gloriously high ceilings with tons of light; its whimsical architecture is highlighted with bright colors

Dakota makes a call on Sisters’ free telephone.

Devin at the door of the PC meeting space

Lauren at the PC mail counter

Richard peruses the PC info shelves

Catharine tries out the PC phone, which makes it easier for our customers to make quick calls

Peter Maurin 1877-1949. Co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement who coined the term “personalist.”

Happy 2nd Birthday, PC!

What is the Personalist Center?

The exciting Personalist Center project is central to our mission, philosophy, and the daily work we do. It comes directly from our Systemic Change program goals: to integrate Systemic Change work into the daily operations of the cafe, and to eliminate charity-based direct services in favor of participatory ones.

The Center opened in July 2007 in the space adjacent to the cafe, with a new indoor waiting area, a revamped mail center, an open-access telephone for customer use, and an expanded barter program. It represents the first expansion of the cafe since 1986, when Sisters converted an adjacent store front into seating for 29.

All Personalist Center events are focused upon building community and sharing power with all who use the cafe. Our direct services are run largely by the people who use them, with minimal staff oversight; nonviolence trainings encourage customers in the cafe to share in the responsibility of keeping the cafe safe and hospitable; and community events such as the knitting circle build deeper friendships between staff, customers and volunteers. We expect that we will shortly be expanding opportunities for involvement in Personalist Center events, especially those directly related to our Systemic Change activities; check out updates to this page and our online calendar to find the perfect way to get involved in this exciting work!

Where is the Personalist Center?

It occupies 137 NW Sixth Ave., the space directly adjacent and to the right of the cafe.

How does this redesign accomplish our goals?

• It physically brings the work of crossroads and the cafe together into one venue. A meeting room has been integrated along with office space for our crossroads and Civic Action Group members. Information about our Systemic Change activities is available in the Personalist Center or online; for more details or to get involved contact Brendan, our Community Organizer (extension 13), or our Personalist Center Manager (extension 25).


• It creates an indoor space where customers waiting for a meal may wait, off the street, out of the cold in the winter and the sun in the summer. Our customers have too long been at the mercy of the weather while they wait for space at one of our tables. We made room inside by removing the wall between the cafe and former offices, also adding a new entrance on Davis Street.


• It brings our direct services out of the cafe. These services, like U.S. mail, free hygiene supplies, phones and message boards were previously available in the cafe only between 10am to 1pm; now they are available in the PC from 10 am to 2 pm.


• It expands our barter program by involving our customers and volunteers in supporting direct services, thereby allowing us to expand the hours they are available and make them more customer-driven. It also provides more barter hours that customers with disabilities can perform.

Who built it?

When it came time to hire a designer and contractor for this project, Sisters knew that we needed folks who not only value this commitment to community, but who can translate it into the vibrant space we aim to create. Design and planning firm communitecture became the obvious first choice for designing this unique space. In all of communitecture’s work, community and the sense of place are the highest priorities. Founder Mark Lakeman says that “communitecture uses design as a vehicle for building human relationships, the spaces we design are created to bring people together.” The design team’s commitment to homeless and low income communities further highlights the great fit they are with Sisters Of The Road; their designs have been put into the service of Dignity Village since its inception in 2000.

We also had those considerations in mind when we hired SJM Construction to build the Center. It’s another natural fit with Sisters and our values. Owner Stuart Marsh, together with John Shaffer and Michael D’Angelo, are committed to both green building and helping out in the community. With ties to both the City Repair Project and the Rebuilding Center, SJM’s creative use of reclaimed materials have been part of the Personalist Center construction. These guys see value in places that others might not. Doors, windows, and cabinets from remodeled homes have been turned into beautiful and functional furniture in the new PC.

We’d like to acknowledge the donations of time, energy, and reduced rates by communitecture, SJM construction, Kelso Electric, historic re-building specialist Ron Powell, and also from Howard Thurston who engineered the project.  Thank you all!
For pictures of construction, click here!

Where does the term “Personalist” come from?

The term “Gentle Personalist” was coined by Catholic Worker Movement co-founder Peter Maurin, to refer to a community-minded, other-focused sensibility.  He wrote:

“A personalist is a go giver, not a go-getter.

“He tries to give what he has and does not try to get what the other fellow has.

“He tries to be good to the other fellow.

“He is altro-centered.

“He has a social doctrine of the common good through words and deeds.

“He speaks through deeds as well as words for he knows that deeds speak louder than words.

“Through words and deeds he brings into existence the common unity, the common unity of a community.”

To learn more about Peter Maurin, check out this link to the Catholic Worker.


Peter Maurin