Year: 1943

Summary: Alone in the country, she reflects on all the “absent brethren” in New York, soldiers, prisoners, conscientious objectors, refugees–the lonely multitudes in war time. Describes her daily prayer routine. Lauds the State School of Applied Agriculture where her daughter Tamar attends. (The Catholic Worker, November 1943, 2, 3. DDLW #397).

Summary: Exuberant description of a month spent at a Grail folk school where work, crafts, prayer, meditation, liturgies, lectures, and fasting intermingled. Includes her notes of presentations on the Mass, liturgical singing, and the psalms. (The Catholic Worker, October 1943, 1, 2. DDLW #396).

Summary: Explains why she is leaving The Catholic Worker for a year of “solitude and silence” to practice the “weapons of the Spirit.” Notes all those who will carry on the work and says she will continue to write and says her Christian pacifist stance hasn’t changed. (The Catholic Worker, September 1943, 1, 2, 6. DDLW #395).

Summary: Notes from her date book about visitors, talks attended and given, meetings, and visits to friends. (The Catholic Worker, July August 1943, 1, 3. DDLW #394).

Summary: Summarizes the first day’s conferences of a weeklong silent retreat. Emphasis is on learning to increase our love of God through the right ordering of our desires in every day actions. Comments on the surroundings. (The Catholic Worker, July-August 1943, 2, 3. DDLW #393).

Summary: She is appalled that some don’t believe the killing of Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. Cites documented incidents of mass killings. Lists twelve recommendations for rescue, among them a change in immigration laws in the United States. Keywords: anti-semitism (The Catholic Worker, June 1943, 1, 9. DDLW #391).

Summary: Dorothy meditates on the importance of books to her, Peter Maurin, and to the Catholic Worker tradition. Mentions many titles and relates reading to prayer and joy. (The Catholic Worker, June 1943, 4, 5. DDLW #392).

Summary: Description of their Mott Street neighborhood where in the midst of poverty there is real joy. Recalls the beauty of Holy Week services and the Catholic Worker’s international network of friends and correspondents. Appeals for sheets and household items. (The Catholic Worker, May 1943, 4. DDLW #389).

Summary: Mediates on the Catholic Worker’s mission to all the poor–including those who are deemed unworthy of assistance by some who blame the poor for their condition. Concludes the story of her Southern travels with observations on Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Updates readers on the status of the women’s Bayard Street shelter and the history behind Ade Bethune’s illustrated Stations of the Cross. (The Catholic Worker, April 1943 DDLW #388).