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Dorothy Day, Servant of God
 Almost immediately after her death in 1980 controversy arose about whether Dorothy Day should be canonized a Saint by the Church.
Now that the Vatican has approved the late Cardinal John O'Connor's request to consider Dorothy Day's "cause," the controversy is being rekindled. (See links to the Cardinal's announcemnt and other views of Dorothy Day as a possible saint in the box to the right.)
Voices opposing the process say that Dorothy Day shunned the suggestion she was a saint and believe she would rather have any money spent on her canonization given to the poor. Others are concerned that her radical vision will be sanitized and spun to support Catholic traditionalism and a narrow anti-abortion stance, neutralizing her ardent pacifism, radical critique of society, and love of the poor.
Many voices are in support of the canonization process as well, citing Dorothy Day's life as an example that has inspired them to prayer and action for social justice. Her faithfulness to the Gospel, living the "preferential option for the poor" and showing that a lay person can achieve heroic virtue are often cited.
"Dorothy Day is already a saint" is a common refrain, which reminds us that the Church doesn't make saints, but only recognizes what the faithful acknowledge as the action of God's grace in a person's life.
In fact, that's the next step in the process, the formation of a Dorothy Day Guild¾
a group anyone can join, whose purpose is to spread the word about her sanctity and show that there is popular grassroots devotion to Dorothy Day.
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