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Housing 

Dorothy DayByDorothy 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).

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Pacifism

Dorothy DayByDorothy 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.

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The Case of Father Duffy

Dorothy DayByDorothy 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.

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Beyond Politics

Dorothy DayByDorothy 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.

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On Pilgrimage – October 1949

Dorothy DayByDorothy 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).

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Work 

Dorothy DayByDorothy 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).

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On Pilgrimage 

Dorothy DayByDorothy 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).

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Hospices Needed

Dorothy DayByDorothy 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).

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On Pilgrimage – July-August 1949

Dorothy DayByDorothy 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).