Books and Media | Essay | News
Civil Disobedience: A Sacrificial Act of Personal Integrity
An excerpt from Scott Schaeffer-Duffy’s “Nothing Is Impossible: Stories from the Life of a Catholic Worker”.
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Christian Friends of the Mentally Ill: Bringing Hope to Kenya
Japheth Obare, founder of Christian Friends of the Mentally Ill (CFOMI), a Catholic Worker community in Kenya that primarily serves those with mental health needs, spoke to attendees about CFOMI’s vital work, the unique challenges they face under the current government, and the hope they have to forge ahead.
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Communities | Essay | News
“In Africa, you do not need to take a vow of voluntary poverty—because poverty is already the daily reality”: Life at the Uganda Catholic Worker
In this transcript of Michael Sekitoleko’s presentation to the National Catholic Worker Gathering in San Antonio, Texas in October 2025, Michael urges the U.S. and European Catholic Workers to provide mentorship and capacity building, and shares three goals of the Uganda CW with the group.
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Communities | Essay | News
Fill the Jails! A Catholic Worker Vocation
In this transcript of Brian Terrell’s presentation to the National Catholic Worker Gathering in San Antonio, Texas in October 2025, Brian shares about his experiences with imprisonment and Dorothy’s belief that we ought to move beyond learning about the world by looking down from above, to learn about the world by looking up from below and “filling the jails.”
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Communities | Essay | News
Dorothy Day as a Template for Christian Prophecy
In this transcript of Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s presentation to the National Catholic Worker Gathering in San Antonio, Texas in October 2025, Fr. Rolheiser shares nine points that provide a framework for those who aspire to live out Dorothy’s prophetic ordinance in today’s world.
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“This Shameful Silence”: Why We Must Actively Resist the War Machine
Reflecting on Pope Francis’ address to Congress and Dorothy Day’s legacy, Brian Terrell argues that opposing the arms trade and practicing nonviolent resistance remain essential duties, not optional additions, to the Catholic Worker movement’s mission.
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What I Learned from Dorothy Day
In this transcript of Robert Ellsberg’s presentation to the National Catholic Worker Gathering in San Antonio, Texas in October 2025, Ellsberg reflects on what he learned from Dorothy Day during the years that he knew her and from a long career of editing her writings.
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It’s May 1. Do You Know How Many Catholic Workers There Are?
We can count the years there has been a Catholic Worker movement (92, as of today), but can we count how many Catholic Worker houses are in it? Jerry Windley-Daoust tackles the question.
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Dorothy Day’s Permanent Dissatisfaction with the Church: A Model for the Jubilee Year
“Dorothy’s dissatisfaction with the Church is not in contradiction to her equally emphatic devotion to and love for the Church. It is not a denial or even a qualifier, but an intensifier of that love.”
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Our Way of Life Is Spiritually Killing Us
Why is anxiety and depression at an all-time high? In part, Colin Miller writes, because the totalized digital economy in which we participate prevents us from fully realizing our God-given potential.
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How the Totalized Economy Commodifies Even Social Life
New technologies are making it possible for radical monopolies to commodify not only our labor, but our entire lives, writes Colin Miller.
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What the Myth of the Coffee Cup Mass Gets Wrong—and Why It Matters
People love to tell the story of Dorothy Day’s “Coffee Cup Mass,” but how much of it is true? As the story evolves with each retelling, it risks overshadowing the deeper truths of Dorothy’s spirituality. Brian Terrell explains what this enduring tale gets wrong—and why the reality of Dorothy’s faith offers a more profound lesson than any legend.
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Laughter in the Catholic Worker: The Great Disarmer
Is it gauche to laugh in such grim times…or is it a strategic move that opens up new possibilities? Claire Lewandowski went looking for levity at the L.A.C.W., and shares what she found.
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How ‘Radical Monopolies’ Destroy Our Communities and Local Economies
One of the main features of our consumerist society, writes Colin Miller, is that the production of basic necessities ceases to be internal to local communities and is taken over by large impersonal institutions in what Miller calls “radical monopolies.”
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The Catholic Worker and the 2024 Vote
As the 2024 election looms, Liam Myers examines the Catholic Worker’s legacy of resistance to systems of violence, reflecting on figures like Dorothy Day and the Catonsville Nine. In a time of political disillusionment, he challenges us to rethink “false joy” and rediscover solidarity outside conventional power structures. Can we, like the third servant in the parable of the talents, reject complicity in systems of suffering?
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The Path to Passing a Climate Emergency Resolution in Duluth
In this fourth installment of his journey into climate activism, Anthony Lanzillo of Duluth’s Bread and Roses Catholic Worker describes how a Chicago training session catalyzed his involvement with the local Climate Mobilization Campaign. Despite initial resistance from city council members who viewed Duluth as a “climate haven,” their persistent grassroots campaign succeeded in passing a climate emergency resolution and establishing new environmental initiatives, proving that dedicated local advocacy can create meaningful change.
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Christianity and Empire: A Call to Conversion
In this provocative essay, Mike Wisniewski challenges Christians to examine their relationship with empire, particularly the U.S. government. Drawing on biblical passages and current events, he argues that authentic Christian faith is inherently revolutionary and incompatible with supporting imperial power. A compelling call to “create a new society in the shell of the old.”
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Voting in a Time of Fascism
Should Catholic Workers vote in the 2024 election, despite the movement’s long-standing aversion to participating in partisan politics? Matt Harper wrestles with hard questions and asks for forgiveness in advance.
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Can We Survive the Storms Around Us? Insights from Henri de Lubac, SJ
Louise Zwick reflects on how Henri de Lubac’s theology offers guidance for enduring life’s storms, drawing parallels to Jesus calming the sea. Highlighting the power of the Works of Mercy, she explores how de Lubac’s teachings on supernatural destiny, the Eucharist, and resisting authoritarianism remain relevant in today’s political and social crises.
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Finding My Footing: A CW Climate Activist’s Story (Part 3)
In the latest chapter of Anthony Lanzillo’s Catholic Worker climate activist “origin story,” he organizes a public forum with less than 14 days to pull everything together. Lanzillo is a member of the Loaves and Fishes Catholic Worker in Duluth, Minnesota.
