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: Distinguishes between individuals in society and persons in society. The former are isolated monads who are “weak and adrift”, the latter are a part of a body, (the Body of Christ) which draw strength from each other. The liturgy teaches this unity, which is indispensable for social regeneration. (DDLW #16) The Catholic Worker, December 1935, 4.
Summary: Discusses Truman’s attempt to build Federal Steel plants—a possible step towards nationalization—and argues that it should be permitted only if as a step towards decentralization to ownership by smaller groups representing the workers themselves. Mentions the lack of support for distributism, particularly among Catholics who support government intervention, and warns of the danger of encroachment by the State. Tells of challenges facing rural populations, and the assistance provided by their neighbors. (DDLW #162) The Catholic Worker, Feb 1949, pp. 1-2
Summary: Focuses on the joy of their work—“It is a joyful experience, to serve the poor, and to be poor ourselves.” Quotes St. Vincent de Paul on serving the poor and how it contributes to a growth in faith. (DDLW #819) The Catholic Worker, October 1964, p. 2
Summary: Deep in winter at her daughter’s farm in West Virginia they await the birth of Tamar’s third child. Reflects on country life and a woman’s spirituality in the midst of small children and housework. Describes her efforts at prayer. Reflects on the handicrafts Tamar practices and the worth of a country economy, a way to be co-creators with God. Notes the duty to find joy and resist despair. Long quotes from Eric Gill on a decentralized economy. Keywords: family, poverty, personalism, distributism, capitalism, socialism, communism. (DDLW #476: Catholic Worker Books, New York, 1948, pp. 3-26.)
Summary: Highlights progress in the grape strikes in California and efforts to organize in other parts of the country. Cesar Chavez visits the Catholic Worker and is admired for his non-violent methods. Advises readers to learn more about the struggle. (DDLW #920). The Catholic Worker, May 1967, 1, 9
Summary: Recoils at the senseless murders of “bums” by four youths on August 16, 1954, in Brooklyn. Links this violence to the hate and fear of the McCarthy anti-communist hearings in Washington and the violence of weapons of mass destruction. Keywords: non-violence (The Catholic Worker, September 1954, 1, 8. DDLW #673).
Summary: Describes the poor they serve and a nearby dilapidated tenement they could acquire for hospitality but which needs extensive repairs. (The Catholic Worker, June 1950, 1, 3. DDLW #611).
