I would say when I began to take my Christianity seriously, it all began to make some sense. And Dorothy Day inspired me; Wolf Wolfenberger is an inspiration for me. Those were the main influences, but really it was informed by my faith. Now all of the work I do is in the secular world and we teach workshops basically on the sanctity of human life, but we don’t use that term because we teach them in a secular context. But I find that you can get pretty far with people who are of good mind and heart, to prompt them to think about really the value of the human life, which is at the basis of all of my work.
Jo Massarelli was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1958. She is involved in several organizations in Worcester, such as Family Matters, the Medical Safeguards Project, and the Social Role Valorization Implementation Project (SRV Implementation Project). She travels the globe to teach courses on such topics and highly values the sanctity of all human lives. In this interview, Jo discusses the establishment of Women Together, an organization that focuses on improving the neighborhood. Additionally, she highlights important aspects of having a hospitality home. Jo emphasizes her transformative experience with faith and the ways in which it has guided her peace work, especially in regards to her involvement as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Mustard Seed, a Catholic Worker soup kitchen.