Women's History: Dorothy Day

Pope Francis recently wrote the foreword to a new edition of Dorothy Day's 1938 memoir about her conversion to Catholicism. Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, is a candidate for sainthood.

Did you know that the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco played an influential role in the life of the American journalist, Catholic social activist, and founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, Dorothy Day? Dorothy Day was born on November 8, 1897, in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, a sportswriter, took a position with the San Francisco Chronicle and the family moved to Oakland, California. In the aftermath of the earthquake, nine-year-old Dorothy witnessed the outpouring of support and self-sacrifice by the community. Young Dorothy drew a lesson about individual action and the Christian community, two guiding principles that would inform her entire life.

As a young journalist, Dorothy settled on the Lower East Side of New York. Already a decided socialist and communist, Dorothy explored Catholicism, particularly the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, inspired in part by her friend and colleague Peter Maurin. They shared a vision of social justice and its connection to the poor. Dorothy prayed to find a way to use her gifts and talents to help her fellow workers and the poor. The Catholic Worker Movement started with the publication of the newspaper the Catholic Worker on May 1, 1933. Priced at one cent, it is still published. The Catholic Worker provided coverage of strikes and explored working conditions, especially those affecting women and Black workers. In 1935, the Catholic Worker published articles that articulated a rigorous and uncompromising pacifist position. Day affirmed her pacifism following the US declaration of war in 1941.

Over several decades the Catholic Worker attracted such writers as Michael Harrington and Thomas Merton. From the publishing enterprise came a “house of hospitality,” a shelter that provided food and clothing to the poor of the Lower East Side and eventually a series of farms for communal living. The movement quickly spread to other cities in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom. More than 30 independent but affiliated Catholic Worker communities had been founded by 1941. In the early 1940’s Day professed as an oblate of St. Procopius Abbey in the Benedictine tradition. This gave her a spiritual practice that sustained her throughout the rest of her life. Her autobiography The Long Loneliness was published in 1952.Day hoped the Second Vatican Council would endorse nonviolence as a fundamental tenet of Catholic life and denounce nuclear arms. Day lobbied bishops in Rome and joined with other women in a ten day fast. She was pleased when the Council declared nuclear warfare as being incompatible with traditional Catholic just war theory. Described by Abbie Hoffman as “the original hippie,” Dorothy accepted the moniker as a form of tribute to her detachment from materialism. In 1971 despite suffering from poor health, she visited Mother Teresa in India and saw her work. She visited many eastern European countries and the Soviet Union as part of a group of peace activists. In 1972 the Jesuit magazine America honored her 75th birthday by devoting an entire issue to her and the Catholic Worker Movement.

Dorothy supported the work of César Chávez and his religious inspiration and commitment to nonviolence. In 1973, she joined his campaign advocating for the rights of the farm workers. She was arrested with other protestors for defying an injunction against picketing and spent ten days in jail. On November 29, 1980, Dorothy Day died of a heart attack at Maryhouse in Manhattan. She is buried in the Cemetery of the Resurrection on Staten Island. Her gravestone is inscribed with the words “Deo gratias.” Dorothy Day’s lifelong devotion to the oppressed aligns with the core feminist principles of pushing against the hierarchy and fighting for the rights of the marginalized. Her lifelong work in providing aid to impoverished communities and her devotion to egalitarian Catholic values makes her an ideal role model and inspiration for us in these troubled times.

Ana Gonzalez-Lane, parishioner, St. Ignatius Parish

“I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.” - Dorothy Day