Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement

Introduction

• Dorothy Day's quote on changing the world
  • "[W]e would like to do is change the world by crying out unceasingly for the rights of workers, of the poor, of the destitute..."
• Feeling small and the importance of taking action

Early Life

• Born in 1897, Brooklyn, New York to a modest Episcopalian family
• Father: sports reporter; Mother: homemaker
• Third of five children
• Experienced the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
  • Family's house damaged, father lost job
  • Moved to Chicago

Education and Early Influences

• Interest in socialism during college
• Influences: authors like Jack London and Upton Sinclair
• Dropped out of college; returned to New York City
• Worked for radical journals
• Active in women's suffrage movement
  • Arrested and jailed for 10 days

Personal Challenges and Conversion

• Unfortunate love affair and abortion
• Met William Forster Batterham; had a daughter, Teresa Tamar
• Began praying and reading religious texts
• Converted to Catholicism

Founding the Catholic Worker Movement

• Met Peter Maurin
• Founded the Catholic Worker Movement and Newspaper in 1933
• Movement provided hospitality houses, newspaper, round table discussions, return to the land

The Great Depression

• Catholic Worker Movement's role during the Great Depression
  • Provided food, housing, and community discussions

Core Beliefs and Practices

• Centrality of Christ, Eucharist, and Holy Scriptures
• Daily Mass and attending to the "Works of Mercy"
• "Revolution of the heart" - changing oneself to change the world

Later Life and Legacy

• Pacifism and anti-war stance during various conflicts, including Vietnam and Spanish Civil War
• FBI surveillance due to radical activities
• Continued activism in civil rights and peace movements

Death and Recognition

• Died on November 29, 1980
• Recognized posthumously by Pope Francis and received multiple awards

Key Takeaways and Teachings

• Importance of individual action in the face of global crises
• Dorothy as a model of holiness and social justice
• Integrated faith with social activism

Prayer and Reflection

• Inspired by Dorothy's life to work for unity, fraternity, and social justice
• Emphasizing the ideals of caring for the less fortunate and committing to peaceful causes

Closing

• Dorothy Day's life as a blend of radical politics and devout Catholicism
• Her legacy as a saint of modern times and her contribution to social justice