Dorothy Day strove to obey God in the midst of the violence and injustice around her. Read more about her life and legacy.
The Activist
When the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 left Dorothy Day’s father without work and penniless, the family moved into a tenement on Chicago’s south side. There she learned of the shame that people experience when they fall upon hard times. She won a scholarship to study and earned a living as a journalist. She supported women’s suffrage and was a pacifist in WWI. She converted to the Catholic faith in 1927.
The hardships of the Great Depression led Day to found the Catholic Worker, a newspaper that looked at social issues through the eyes of faith. She also helped set up “hospitality houses,” where the homeless could form communities of faith and action. Her pacifism in the face of world-wide fascism and WWII made her unpopular, but she continued to proclaim her opposition to war throughout the Cold War. Her acts of civil disobedience often landed her in jail as she rallied support for the civil rights of women, African Americans, and Latino farm workers. Day was quoted as saying, ‘If I have achieved anything in my life, it is because I have not been embarrassed to talk about God.”
Dorothy Day reminds us that our faith calls us to action. The Christian life is not lived in a vacuum. When one is oppressed, all are oppressed, and systems of social injustice can keep oppression in place. The oppression of poverty, racism, and war are forms of injustice that can be addressed by the Christian community, if we are willing.
Reflect on the Word
God blesses those people who are merciful. They will be treated with mercy! God blesses those people whose hearts are pure. They will see him! God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called his children!
Matthew 5: 7-9(CEV)