About Us

Bill Callahan and Dolly Pomerleau founded the Quixote Center in 1976 with the general purpose of advocating for justice within the Catholic Church and in society. We initiated a variety of programs over the years, and some of the larger ones have spun off as independent organizations. These include the Christic Institute, New Ways Ministry, Prison Radio, Equal Justice USA, the Nicaragua Cultural Alliance and Interfaith Voices.

Our current work is focused on economic development through partners in Nicaragua (Quest for Peace) and Haiti (Haiti Reborn), as well as advocating for changes in U.S. foreign and immigration policies that impact the people of Haiti and Nicaragua.

Quixote Center launched Quest for Peace in 1985 in solidarity with the people of Nicaragua, seeking to challenge the Reagan administration’s Contra War, while also providing humanitarian aid to people in the war zone in northern Nicaragua. Until 2023 we continued to work on both fronts, providing development assistance and advocating for non-interventionist U.S. policy. In 2023 the government of Nicaragua shut down our long-time partner and we are no longer providing any direct assistance. We continue to advocate for changes in U.S. policy as a way to accompany the people of Nicaragua.

We launched Haiti Reborn in 1991 in response to the demise of the Duvalier dictatorship and election of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. After the coup in September of 1991, the work quickly transformed into advocacy for democracy in Haiti and challenging the U.S. role in the coup. In 1999, we launched a reforestation and sustainable agriculture program in Gros Morne, Haiti in partnership with the Montfortins and the Jean Marie Vincent Formation Center.

We continue to engage in advocacy on U.S. policy toward Haiti and to report on the human rights situation in the country. The work with the JMV Formation Center remains the cornerstone of our work in Haiti, but in 2023 we also began exploring new partnerships in new parts of the country.

In 2018 we launched a new program focused on Migrant Justice to advance changes in immigration policy and in 2019 we partnered with the Franciscan Network on Migration (FNM). FNM is a network of shelters that serve migrants traveling through Central America and Mexico. In 2022 we launched a travel program to the FNM shelters in southern Mexico and Guatemala as part of our efforts to help activists and others understand better the situation migrants face as they make their way north, and the role of U.S. policy. In 2023 we launched a program to strengthen the capacity of the FNM team in Panama as the migrant path in their country became increasingly perilous. The Quixote Center serves as the Franciscan Network’s fiscal sponsor, and we also collaborate on advocacy projects.