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: Describes a mission being preached in a nearby Church. Feels love for the poor ones in attendance seeing them as brothers of Christ. Explains why she prays for those who have committed suicide. Makes an appeal for funds. (The Catholic Worker, March 1939, 1, 4. DDLW #341).
Summary: Expresses deep gratitude for Peter Maurin’s vision and life. Intermingles appreciations of Peter and St. Joseph’s gifts to the works of the CW. (The Catholic Worker, May 1956, 2.DDLW #704).
Summary: Tales of children at the Easton farm, sleeping under a leaking roof, and recent donations. Tells of their prayers to St. Joseph for money to acquire a nearby farm and to build a chapel. (The Catholic Worker, September 1937, 1, 2. DDLW #325).
Summary: Traces the French involvement in Vietnam through the lives of the 19th century missionary Venard and the political leader Ho Chi Minh. Admits it is hard to clearly see complex historical issues where faith, persecution, power, and economics intermingle. Keywords: war (The Catholic Worker, May 1954, 1, 6. DDLW #667).
Summary: Inspired by the beauty and inner-city location of Los Angeles’ St. Bibiana Cathedral, this editorial focuses on the poor. “The closer we are to the poor, the closer to Christ’s love.” Because May, 1942 marked The Catholic Worker’s tenth year, reminds readers that we are called to love all men, friend and foe alike, because all are brothers: “love is shown by works of mercy, not by war.” (DDLW #383) The Catholic Worker, May 1942, 4.
Summary: Updates about new residents and helpers at “Mary’s rooms” on Mott Street and the activities in New York and the farm at Easton. Meditates on the means and ends in the spiritual life noting the tension created between those who concentrate on “good works” and those who prefer “spiritual methods.” Asks for books and supplies for Maryfarm. Keywords: retreat (The Catholic Worker, January 1945, 2. DDLW #407).
Summary: Reflects on the massacre of forty-two in the Attica prison uprising and sees new repression and brutality forthcoming. Asks us to reflect on Jesus who forgave his torturers. Suggests that no one would know the majority profess being Christians in this country. (The Catholic Worker, September 1971, 1. DDLW #512).
Summary: Anecdotes that focus on money, poverty, freedom, encounters with courts, accusations by the city, troublesome guests, and taxes. (The Catholic Worker, November 1955, 2, 7. DDLW #694).
