The Dorothy Day Library on the Web includes all of Dorothy Day’s writings in The Catholic Worker newspaper as well as selected articles published elsewhere and many of her books.
You can use the search form above, or browse the writings using one of the methods below.
For an additional list of resources about Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement, see the bibliography.
Note that these dropdown menus cover all posts on the CatholicWorker.org website. However, posts listed under 1981 or earlier are exclusively from Dorothy’s writings.
An account of the first five years of the Catholic Worker. Describes the C.W. not simply as a newspaper but as a movement. Explicates its position on labor and unions through Peter Maurin’s ideas on personalism. Much of the book, however, is taken up with the day to day experiences of the C.W., describing the soup lines, publication of the paper, picketing, farm communes, and the finances of the C.W. (New York: Sheed and Ward, 1939.
States the objectives of the Catholic Worker and defends it against the accusations of other Catholics and secular thought. Writes on such themes as marriage, sex, the human condition, poverty, economics and a variety of Church doctrines. All of these topics are treated from an orthodox Catholic point of view. The book is adapted from the diary she kept in 1948, when she spent the first four months with Tamar (daughter) and the rest of the year at Mott Street and the retreat farm in Newburgh. She noted that the book could be called a woman’s book, since parts of it are directed solely to women. As usual, much of the book dwells on the day-to-day happenings in her life.
An autobiography written as a letter to her brother John. Conversion story genre of her conversion from Communism to Catholicism. Compiled from articles in America and Preservation of the Faith. Discusses Dostoyevsky’s influence on her life and the lonely experience of her conversion Reads as a baptized version of The Eleventh Virgin, with emphasis on her religious experience throughout her life. Expounds on such topics as Eucharist, prayer, Marxism, capitalism, free will and St. Teresa of Avila.
Autobiographical novel of her pre-conversion years. Begins with family relationships, with emphasis on her mother. Proceeds through her radical years with the pacifist, birth control, socialist and suffrage movements, and ends with her abortion and break up with Lionel Moise (Dick Wemys). William Miller’s biography on D.orothyDay gives the real names of the characters. The New York Times reviewed the book as “just one more adolescent novel,” and D.orothy herself later called it a bad book.
Summary: Contemplates the mysteries of birth and death, the continuing strength of the youth and peace movements, examples of Peter Maurin’s “Green Revolution,” and the passing of her long-time friend Maisie Ward. (The Catholic Worker, February 1975, 2, 7. DDLW #547).
Summary: Sketchy account of her around-the-world trip and two obituaries of lon-time Catholic Workers, “Smokey Joe” Motyka and Peggy Baird. (The Catholic Worker, October 1970, 1, 2, 4. DDLW #504).
Summary: Describes a trip to a meeting of the Catholic Rural Life Conference and hopes the movement will revolutionize Catholic thought in America as Lenin’s did in Russia. Notes the Catholic Worker’s support of such means as adult education, study clubs, forming co-operatives, and propagandizing. (The Catholic Worker, November 1935, 3. DDLW #294).
Summary: Semi-annual appeal for funds. She says the destitute they take in become part of the Catholic Worker family until they die. Says the Lord asks, “Do you mean what you say when you repeat my words, ‘All men are brothers’?” (DDLW #836) The Catholic Worker, April 1966, p. 2
Summary: Talks of means and ends by juxtaposing news of the end of the Vietnam war with an obituary for Bill Gauchat. A close follower of Peter Maurin, Bill Gauchat and his family exemplified a life built around all the works of mercy. (The Catholic Worker, May 1975, 3. DDLW #551).
Summary: Serving a month-long sentence for protesting civil defense drills her letters describe conditions in jail. Says their protest was a refusal to participate in psychological warfare and a way of showing responsibility for the common good. (DDLW #725: The Catholic Worker, July-August 1957, page 3)
Summary: Points out that many Join the Communist Party with good intentions, such as to better man’s human condition, yet many have received no religious training and are not concerned with the Party’s anti-religious stance. Gives a short summary of Lenin’s attitude toward dealing with Christianity. (The Catholic Worker, 49 (April 29, 1933):82-83. DDLW #44).
Summary: Describes her visit to a Hutterite community and gives a brief history of their existence. Bases their life on Acts 2:42, which depicts a form of distribution. Relates the Hutterites communities and the Kibbutizims of Israel as successful examples of farming communes as advocated by Peter Maurin. (DDLW #179) The Catholic Worker, Jul/Aug 1969, pp. 2, 7-8
