New Book on Catholic Worker’s Movement - Dorothy Day's vision still resonates

[JKirkLVNV]

I’ve known Catholic Worker supporters for over 25 years in my diocese. Every one of them has used that replacement notion – dismissing the Church’s spirituality in favor of a social ministry. It’s a combination of left-wing politics and watered-down Catholicism. It’s an older generation which is still fighting against “the old Church” (which did have its problems). They fail to recognize their own “success” in transforming the Church into a 1970s model of social justice and ecumenism.
For me, the “old Church” is Catholic Worker liberalism.
I will guess that not all of the Catholic Worker supporters are dissenters against the Faith and may follow Dorothy Day’s admirable fidelity.
Personally, I have never met one, myself. So, I guess also that such are an extreme minority.
What greater social problem is there than the ignorance of Catholics about what they should believe about God and the Church? And the lack of missionary effort to convert people to the faith? The statistics are too ugly to repeat. I see it as a major collapse – especially in the Northeast US where Catholic liberalism is strongest.
True, the errors of clericalism were strongest there also – so the fight for injustice was right.

But that has turned into a fight for women’s ordination and gay rights – fighting against the ‘injustice of the patriarchy’.
As with anything, we can find some good in it – but how much, really?

You should read the book “The Life You Save Could Be Your Own.” It’s about the four great Catholic writers in America in the 20th century, Walker Percy, Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Merton, and Dorothy Day. Day is portrayed as being EXTREMELY devout in her personal life and sprituality, and of a mind with the Church. I don’t think she would approve of “Catholic” workers attempting to co-opt what she attempted to do in order to replace the need for and call to personal conversion with a virtually godless version of “Catholic Social Justice.” (and yes, I know what you mean, I’ve interacted with them, too…“patriarchy is a sin!”).

 

[reggieM]

You should read the book “The Life You Save Could Be Your Own.” It’s about the four great Catholic writers in America in the 20th century, Walker Percy, Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Merton, and Dorothy Day. Day is portrayed as being EXTREMELY devout in her personal life and sprituality, and of a mind with the Church. I don’t think she would approve of “Catholic” workers attempting to co-opt what she attempted to do in order to replace the need for and call to personal conversion with a virtually godless version of “Catholic Social Justice.” (and yes, I know what you mean, I’ve interacted with them, too…“patriarchy is a sin!”).

Thanks for this good suggestion. I really should read about Dorothy Day. I’ve avoided her because of my impression of her supporters. But that’s definitely not fair to her.

I am not a Thomas Merton fan, but I respect some of his work – and I’m sympathetic with his struggles. Again, I dislike some of his supporters (who I interact with locally a lot) more than him.

I guess I’ve been turned off of that entire era - American progressivist Catholicism, peaking in the early '60s, then getting quite rotten after that.

If I could get some distance, I would see it more objectively and rightly. But I’ve been surrounded by the-now-grayharied crusaders of the Catholic Left for so long …

They meant well. – and certainly offered some important things.

Maybe younger generations will appreciate them more than I can - and that will be a good thing.

As for Percy and O’Connor – I’m not familiar at all, although I really should be.

Thanks again for the book recommendation - I’ll look for it.