Dorothy Day & The Catholic Worker Movement

[LaMar]

This is sort of interesting to me. Dorothy Day was apparently a socialist or anarchist who converted to Catholic Christianity and continued her work for social justice in a religious context.

Are any of you fine people involved with this noble cause? Has the concept strengthened your faith? Comments welcome.

catholicworker.org/

*The Catholic Worker Movement, founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933, is grounded in a firm belief in the God-given dignity of every human person.

Today over 185 Catholic Worker communities remain committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the homeless, exiled, hungry, and foresaken. Catholic Workers continue to protest injustice, war, racism, and violence of all forms.

Explore the life and writings of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin as well as sample contemporary Catholic Worker thought and action.*

 

[bpbasilphx]

Let’s not forget that Dorothy Day also attended Mass and read the Divine Office daily.

 

[puzzleannie]

let us not also forget that she was a loyal and faithful Catholic to the day of her death and her cause for sainthood as been proposed, so the discussion of her life should be on the spirituality forum and possible discussion of the Catholic Worker movement on the social justice forum, but there is no reaon to discuss her life and work on this forum

 

[why_me]

This is sort of interesting to me. Dorothy Day was apparently a socialist or anarchist who converted to Catholic Christianity and continued her work for social justice in a religious context.

Are any of you fine people involved with this noble cause? Has the concept strengthened your faith? Comments welcome.

catholicworker.org/

*The Catholic Worker Movement, founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933, is grounded in a firm belief in the God-given dignity of every human person.

Today over 185 Catholic Worker communities remain committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the homeless, exiled, hungry, and foresaken. Catholic Workers continue to protest injustice, war, racism, and violence of all forms.

Explore the life and writings of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin as well as sample contemporary Catholic Worker thought and action.*

I paid a visit to the Catholic Worker when I was in New York City last summer. They are great people. I also subscribed to the newspaper for 25 cents a year. I gave a few dollars however. When I paid them a visit, the helper gave me a free lunch that was given to the poor and needy and I had a nice chat with the woman. I admire the catholic worker and Dorothy Day. The newspaper is catholicism in action and the people who are involved with the movement are putting the social justice aspects of the catechism into action. The catholic church has been the church of the poor and the catholic worker movement is its imbodiment.

Here is sort of the mormon equivalent since you have mormon roots. I put it here so that this thread stays on this forum:

gomakecontact.com/mesj/

 

[LaMar]

I paid a visit to the Catholic Worker when I was in New York City last summer. They are great people. I also subscribed to the newspaper for 25 cents a year. I gave a few dollars however. When I paid them a visit, the helper gave me a free lunch that was given to the poor and needy and I had a nice chat with the woman. I admire the catholic worker and Dorothy Day. The newspaper is catholicism in action and the people who are involved with the movement are putting the social justice aspects of the catechism into action. The catholic church has been the church of the poor and the catholic worker movement is its imbodiment.

Wow! No kidding? That must have been quite the experience.

I had never heard of these guys before last week (and I consider myself pretty well schooled on the history of the American non-Communist Left).

From what I’ve read in the last couple of days I admire Ms. Day immensely. Making her a saint would be a great tribute to someone who did so much good for so many.

 

[why_me]

Wow! No kidding? That must have been quite the experience.

I had never heard of these guys before last week (and I consider myself pretty well schooled on the history of the American non-Communist Left).

From what I’ve read in the last couple of days I admire Ms. Day immensely. Making her a saint would be a great tribute to someone who did so much good for so many.

First she would need to be made ‘blessed’ and then she can be up for sainthood. The catholic worker sells its paper for one cent. But a subscription is the best bet. It is a small but good paper with nice lithographs of saints throughout the paper. I remember it from my university days in NYC. Michael Harrington, a leading democratic socialist and catholic, supported the catholic worker. He died many years ago but you can google him. The premises are very poor looking and they operate on a small budget. But they do have enthusiaism for the work that they do.

I have thought about doing some volunteer work for the catholic worker. They and I agree politically. There is also a movie about Dorothy Day. You should to get a hold of it.

imdb.com/title/tt0116212/

And here is the trailer to the movie:

movies.nytimes.com/movie/136836/Entertaining-Angels-The-Dorothy-Day-Story/trailers

She also cared for people of various faiths and non-faiths. She was the embodiment of the catholic church and its work among the poor on the lower east side of NYC.

 

[why_me]

LaMar, did you see the trailer. I am bumping this up just in case you missed it.

 

[LaMar]

LaMar, did you see the trailer. I am bumping this up just in case you missed it.

I just added it to my Netflix queue! Thanks!!

I’ll post a review on this thread after I watch it.

“If you feed the poor, you’re a saint…if you ask why the poor exist, you’re a communist”

 

[why_me]

“If you feed the poor, you’re a saint…if you ask why the poor exist, you’re a communist”

I do believe that a bishop from south america said the same thing but I cannot be sure. Was it Bishop Romero? I don’t know. But Dorothy was correct. Back in the cold war until the collaspe of communism, if a person spoke about the poor and critiqued the capitalist system, they were deemed to be communist.

 

[LaMar]

I do believe that a bishop from south america said the same thing but I cannot be sure. Was it Bishop Romero? I don’t know. But Dorothy was correct. Back in the cold war until the collaspe of communism, if a person spoke about the poor and critiqued the capitalist system, they were deemed to be communist.

I’ve been meaning to read up on liberation theology at some point. If you have the name of the bishop in question, I’d love to peruse his work.

When I was a student (long ago) I remember reading about a priest in Texas, who reconciled Catholic theology with Marxist-Leninist philosophy. I can’t even remember his name, and I wish I did. Anyway, this guy was quite the crusader in the early 1990s for social justice. One of his fans was none other than Henry Cisneros (member of presidential cabinets &c.)

 

[LaMar]

I do believe that a bishop from south america said the same thing but I cannot be sure. Was it Bishop Romero? I don’t know. But Dorothy was correct. Back in the cold war until the collaspe of communism, if a person spoke about the poor and critiqued the capitalist system, they were deemed to be communist.

By Bishop Romero, I’m assuming you mean this fellow:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Romero

Very interesting write-up. I like stuff like this a lot.

*Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (August 15, 1917 – March 24, 1980), commonly known as Monseñor Romero, was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in El Salvador. He became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, succeeding the Luis Chávez y González.

As archbishop, he witnessed ongoing violations of human rights and started a group which spoke out on behalf of the poor and victims of the country’s civil war. Chosen as archbishop for his conservatism, once in office he embraced a nonviolent form of liberation theology, a position which led to comparisons with Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. In 1980, he was assassinated by El Salvadoran government troops as he held the consecrated host up during a Mass. This provoked international outcry for reform in El Salvador. After his assassination, Romero was succeeded by Msgr. Arturo Rivera y Damas.

In 1997, a cause for beatification and canonization into sainthood was opened for Romero, and Pope John Paul II bestowed upon him the title of Servant of God. The process continues.[1] He is considered by some the unofficial patron saint of the Americas and El Salvador and is often referred to as “San Romero” by the Catholic workers in El Salvador. Outside of Catholicism, Romero is honored by other religious denominations of Christendom, including the Church of England through its Common Worship. He is one of the ten 20th century martyrs who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey, London.[2] In 2008, he was chosen as one of the 15 Champions of World Democracy by the Europe-based magazine A Different View.[3]*

 

[why_me]

By Bishop Romero, I’m assuming you mean this fellow:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Romero

Very interesting write-up. I like stuff like this a lot.

*Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (August 15, 1917 – March 24, 1980), commonly known as Monseñor Romero, was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in El Salvador. He became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, succeeding the Luis Chávez y González.

As archbishop, he witnessed ongoing violations of human rights and started a group which spoke out on behalf of the poor and victims of the country’s civil war. Chosen as archbishop for his conservatism, once in office he embraced a nonviolent form of liberation theology, a position which led to comparisons with Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. In 1980, he was assassinated by El Salvadoran government troops as he held the consecrated host up during a Mass. This provoked international outcry for reform in El Salvador. After his assassination, Romero was succeeded by Msgr. Arturo Rivera y Damas.

In 1997, a cause for beatification and canonization into sainthood was opened for Romero, and Pope John Paul II bestowed upon him the title of Servant of God. The process continues.[1] He is considered by some the unofficial patron saint of the Americas and El Salvador and is often referred to as “San Romero” by the Catholic workers in El Salvador. Outside of Catholicism, Romero is honored by other religious denominations of Christendom, including the Church of England through its Common Worship. He is one of the ten 20th century martyrs who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey, London.[2] In 2008, he was chosen as one of the 15 Champions of World Democracy by the Europe-based magazine A Different View.[3]*

Yes that is him. I think that this is where Pope John Paul II made a mistake. He abandoned the liberation theologists. At one moment, he was fighting against communism and oppression but could not support the liberation theology priests who were struggling for social justice in latin america. At the time I found it a little hypocritical.

 

[ibkc]

Yes that is him. I think that this is where Pope John Paul II made a mistake. He abandoned the liberation theologists. At one moment, he was fighting against communism and oppression but could not support the liberation theology priests who were struggling for social justice in latin america. At the time I found it a little hypocritical.

They were advocating Marxism and violent revolution. Marxism is antithetical to Christianity and JPII was instrumental in bringing about its downfall in Europe. I can’t imagine why he should have been expected to support it in Latin America.

 

[LaMar]

Yes that is him. I think that this is where Pope John Paul II made a mistake. He abandoned the liberation theologists. At one moment, he was fighting against communism and oppression but could not support the liberation theology priests who were struggling for social justice in latin america. At the time I found it a little hypocritical.

Well, the cold war drove everyone a little crazy, so no big deal. Remember Ezra Taft Benson? LOL!

There was at least as much hypocrisy on the eastern side of the divide. I was too young to remember it all, but later I read about unsanctioned labor unions which had to strike in the pretend socialist countries of Poland and East Germany for 40 hour weeks. If Marx or Lenin or Trotsky were alive, they would have called for those oppressive societies to be overthrown immediately.

Ever been to Orderville?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orderville#History

 

[swariffin]

I paid a visit to the Catholic Worker when I was in New York City last summer. They are great people. I also subscribed to the newspaper for 25 cents a year. I gave a few dollars however. When I paid them a visit, the helper gave me a free lunch that was given to the poor and needy and I had a nice chat with the woman. I admire the catholic worker and Dorothy Day. The newspaper is catholicism in action and the people who are involved with the movement are putting the social justice aspects of the catechism into action. The catholic church has been the church of the poor and the catholic worker movement is its imbodiment.

Here is sort of the mormon equivalent since you have mormon roots. I put it here so that this thread stays on this forum:

gomakecontact.com/mesj/

I am reading her book now. It has already been translated into our language. So far, her story quite inspires me. Was she really a self claim atheist, or was it just somebody accused her to be an atheist?

 

[why_me]

I am reading her book now. It has already been translated into our language. So far, her story quite inspires me. Was she really a self claim atheist, or was it just somebody accused her to be an atheist?

There is no mention of her atheism on the following site:

Her conviction that the social order was unjust changed in no substantial way from her adolescence until her death, though she never identified herself with any political party.

Her religious development was a slower process. As a child she had attended services at an Episcopal Church. As a young journalist in New York, she would sometimes make late-at-night visits to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Sixth Avenue.

The Catholic climate of worship appealed to her. While she knew little about Catholic belief, Catholic spiritual discipline fascinated her. She saw the Catholic Church as “the church of the immigrants, the church of the poor.”

catholicworker.com/ddaybio.htm

 

[LaMar]

There is no mention of her atheism on the following site:

catholicworker.com/ddaybio.htm

What little I know about her suggests she was an anarchist (i.e. a Karl Marx, Mikhail Bakunin fan). That doesn’t necessarily mean she didn’t believe in God, but it’s suggestive. Whoever claims she was an Atheist might be making the same sort of assumption that people make about conservative republicans in the U.S. (people assume they must be fundamentalist Christians, but clearly they aren’t all followers of that belief system).

Even if she was an Atheist at one point, she wasn’t one after conversion. Her anarchist/socialist/communist ideals were compatible with the ideals of Christianity and she seems to have reconciled them perfectly. That, of course, is exactly as it should be. There are Christian capitalists, and Christian republicans. Christian anarchists are cool too.

 

[why_me]

What little I know about her suggests she was an anarchist (i.e. a Karl Marx, Mikhail Bakunin fan). That doesn’t necessarily mean she didn’t believe in God, but it’s suggestive. Whoever claims she was an Atheist might be making the same sort of assumption that people make about conservative republicans in the U.S. (people assume they must be fundamentalist Christians, but clearly they aren’t all followers of that belief system).

Even if she was an Atheist at one point, she wasn’t one after conversion. Her anarchist/socialist/communist ideals were compatible with the ideals of Christianity and she seems to have reconciled them perfectly. That, of course, is exactly as it should be. There are Christian capitalists, and Christian republicans. Christian anarchists are cool too.

During the time the catholic worker newspaper was established the communist party newspaper was called the ‘Daily Worker’. The name implies similiarity. But of course it wasn’t similiar. The catholic worker was guided by ‘Personalism’ as a means to implement change in american society. Here is a definition of Personalism:

–Personalism, a philosophy which regards the freedom and dignity of each person as the basis, focus and goal of all metaphysics and morals. **In following such wisdom, we move away from a self-centered individualism toward the good of the other. This is to be done by taking personal responsibility for changing conditions, rather than looking to the state or other institutions to provide impersonal “charity.” **We pray for a Church renewed by this philosophy and for a time when all those who feel excluded from participation are welcomed with love, drawn by the gentle personalism Peter Maurin taught.

catholicworker.org/aimsandmeanstext.cfm?Number=5

The aims of the catholic worker were very much centered in being extremely critical of the capitalist system. Which is not a bad thing at all. And in some way they had a christian socialist understanding of life but they called it ‘personalism’ which of course is a strange name since the conotation can be quite different from the actual meaning as described above.

 

[manualman]

Yes that is him. I think that this is where Pope John Paul II made a mistake. He abandoned the liberation theologists. At one moment, he was fighting against communism and oppression but could not support the liberation theology priests who were struggling for social justice in latin america. At the time I found it a little hypocritical.

You fail to understand the job of the pope. If a movement of priests advances a good goal, but supports that goal with invalid theological and philosophical underpinnings, the pope cannot support them. The ends do not justify the means in Catholicism.

LT posited that unjust economic and political structures were the SOURCE of evil in the world. Therefore it had the goal of overthrowing those structures on the theory that the replacement structures would be just and the Kingdom of God would be complete. What they failed to realize was that the FALLENNESS of man is the source of evil in the world. Because they made such a basic mistake they couldn’t realize that giving control over the wealth and power of a nation to revolutionaries would be every bit as bad as the control being in the hands of the current tyrants. You can’t create Utopia by force, you only make new tyrants. What IS required is just laws and government policies that TEND to distribute wealth, but don’t trample anyone’s rights to do so. LT didn’t recognize that.

 

[LaMar]

So, I saw Entertaining Angels yesterday.

That was a very powerful film. Thanks again to Why Me for the recommendation.