ByDorothy Day
In this 1945 meditation on Christmas, Dorothy Day reflects that it is not too late for any of us to welcome Christ, “who is always asking for room in our hearts” in the guise of our contemporaries, especially the poor.
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Praises God for May, the month of Mary and full of beauty. Recalls the Catholic Worker began in May sixteen years ago and summarizes their program and the many allied movements of the lay apostolate. Says their pacifism and distributism distinguishes them from other movements. Focuses on voluntary poverty as exemplified in Peter Maurin’s life, especially since he became ill. Reflects on holiness and the call to all to become saints. Includes quotations from her winter’s reading. Keywords: Gandhi, machine, philosophy of work (DDLW #480).
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Outlines The Catholic Worker pacifist position: opposition to class war, imperialist war, and war preparations. Calls for the courage to disarm. “It takes a man of heroic stature to be a pacifist and we urge readers to consider and study pacifism and disarmament in this light.” (DDLW #215). The Catholic Worker, May 1936, 8.
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Celebrates the feast of the Annunciation with frolicking grand children, kissing the springtime earth. Complains of fatigue and morning stiffness. Laments her inefficiency but recommends relaxing prayer, even in the midst of the disorder of happy children. (DDLW #926). The Catholic Worker, April 1962, 1, 6.
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Commentary on a case where a priest is silenced for his work with the poor. Expresses the tension of obedience and love of the Church with the demands of serving the poor and Church shortcomings. Affirms her acceptance of Church authority but notes the demands of conscience have caused Saints to be critical of even the Pope in the past. Reaffirms their lay mission to enlighten, arouse the conscience, and lead from the bottom up. (DDLW #497). The Catholic Worker, December 1949, 1, 4.
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Discusses the C.W.’s means to achieve a better social condition in comparison to communist means. Exhorts “the rich to become poor and the poor to become holy.” Criticizes capitalism’s unbalanced distribution of wealth and admits a certain compatability exists between Marx and Christianity. (DDLW #166). The Catholic Worker, November 1949, 1,2,4.
ByDorothy Day
Summary: States St. Therese, the Little Flower, is not a “sentimental” saint but one to “dread” once one gets to know her. Responding to critics, itemizes the cost of Peter Maurin’s funeral. Says “We should prepare for death with joy, as for our nuptials.” Notes they heard talks on three great Russians: Dostoevsky, Tolstoi, and Soloviev. (The Catholic Worker, October 1949, 1, 3. DDLW #474).
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Reviews Dom Remhert Sorg’s, O.S.B. pamphlet “Towards a Benediction Theology of Manual Labor.” Discusses the traditional views of labor from both a philosophical and theological outlook, particularly that of the Egyptian Monks. Also mentions other writers who have contributed to a philosophy of labor. (The Catholic Worker, October 1949, 4,6. DDLW #165).
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Announces a birth and eulogizes a long-time worker, John Anthony Curran. Tells of starting the farm at Newburgh, NY, and all their unpaid bills hoping someone will send money. Thanks readers for condolences on Peter Maurin’s death. (The Catholic Worker, September 1949, 1, 2. DDLW #473).
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Praises the liturgical work of Monsignor Hellriegel of St. Louis calling his parish “a fountain of living waters.” Calls for more hospices (houses of hospitality) run by the laity. Says the Mass is the foundation for knowing, loving and serving God in the poor. (The Catholic Worker, July-August 1949, 5, 8.DDLW #472).
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Complains of the lack of help from the Church to promote unions. Forcefully explains the difference between communism and the C.W. and contends that the greatest threat to the Church is the working man’s ignorance of the Church’s social teaching not communism, which is “simply a consequence to the ignorance.” (The Catholic Worker, July-August 1949, 1-2. DDLW #164).
ByDorothy Day
Summary: A loving obituary for Peter Maurin giving the details of his death and burial. Speaks of his last five years of illness, the day he died, his wake and funeral. Emphasizes the ways “He was another St. Francis of modern times.” (DDLW #495). The Catholic Worker, June 1949, 1, 2.
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Eulogizes Larry Heaney “the first of the Catholic Worker leaders to die.” Called a “saint” by those who knew him, she describes his love of the poor, family life, voluntary poverty, and farming practices. (The Catholic Worker, June 1949, 1, 6. DDLW #496).
ByDorothy Day
Summary: May is Mary’s month. She prays for a growth in love. Contrasts the teaming city with the peace of the farm at Newburgh where planting, repairs and visiting the sick go on. Lists the summer retreat schedule. (The Catholic Worker, May 1949, 2. DDLW #261).
ByCatholicWorker.org
Summary: Upset over the labor conflict between the Archdiocese of New York with its striking cemetery workers, she insists on only non-violent techniques and calls for love to overcome bitterness and resentment. Says Peter Maurin wanted to overcome divisions between clergy and laity. Notes her new book On Pilgrimage* “is selling slowly and steadily.” (The Catholic Worker, April 1949, 1, 2. DDLW #493).*
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Discusses Truman’s attempt to nationalize steel and argues that it should be permitted as a transition to smaller group ownership, or if private ownership is efficient. Mentions the lack of support for distributism, particularly among Catholics who support government intervention. (The Catholic Worker, February 1949, 1-2. DDLW #162).
ByCatholicWorker.org
Summary: Contrasts the attitudes of two religious sisters, one impatient and despairing, the other accepting and happy. Noting the fervent love of the early Christians she asks for more generous servants of the poor and sets it as a new year ideal for herself. Appalled at a news report planning for a man-made space satellite for weapons. (The Catholic Worker, January 1949, 1, 2. DDLW #492).
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Meditation on the spiritual weapons of voluntary poverty and manual labor. Lists work to be avoided and personal practices of nonparticipation while exploitation in labor continues. Calls for decentralized living. Recommends growing in acceptance of God’s providence and seeing good in others. Reflects on silence during Advent, a time of waiting and a time to examine one’s conscience, a time “to see only what is loveable.” (DDLW #486). On Pilgrimage , Catholic Worker Books, New York, 1948.
ByDorothy Day
Summary: After a “hullabaloo” of visiting children she mentions talks and inveighs against industrial capitalism. Visits Pittsburgh and Cleveland and lauds hospitality and the works of mercy, the little way and effective way, as the foundation of the work. (The Catholic Worker, December 1948, 1,2 DDLW #262).
ByDorothy Day
Summary: Repudiates John Cort and other Catholics who see distributism as an agrarian visionary dream. Quotes from Pius XI, Pius XII and Leo XIII in support of small and medium-sized businesses, employee ownership, and a back to the land movement. Discusses the evils of capitalistic industrialism and urges the long-range plan of distributism. (See DOC #159 and DOC #160) (The Catholic Worker, December 1948, 1,3. DDLW #161).
