Dorothy Day House

Dorothy Day was born on November 8, 1897, in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge. She was the third of five children born to Grace and John Day. Dorothy's father was a sports writer who wanted his children to have a classical education. He had made a wise decision. Dorothy became a excellent writer. When Dorothy was six years old, the family moved to San Francisco where they experienced the earthquake of 1906. Dorothy later remarked that it was at this time that she first saw people helping people in need. It left a lasting impression on her.

When the family moved to Chicago, they lived in a poor apartment over a store. Dorothy did not like living in poverty. When the family moved to better housing, Dorothy was relieved. However, she did not lose her interest in the poor. As a high school student, she listened to people talk about the plight of the poor. However, they did not seem either able or desirous of really helping poor people in a practical way.

In 1916, Dorothy's career as a writer began. She got a job with a socialist paper, Call. As a reporter she wrote about rights of workers and injustices that they suffered. In 1927, Dorothy gave birth to a baby girl. Beholding her newborn child, She knew there had to be a maker of all creation's beauty. Her baby stirred up some deep questions in her life. She thought deeply about God. On December 28, 1927, Dorothy was baptized and became a Catholic.

In 1929, a terrible stock market crash occurred leaving horrible hunger, unemployment, homeless people and breadlines in its wake. It was at this time that Peter Maurin entered Dorothy's life. The Catholic Worker Movement was born out of this meeting of Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1932. Dorothy and Peter founded The Catholic Worker newspaper in 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression in order to implement a radical renewal of Catholicism and the social order.

There is a myriad of resources and writings on the history of the Catholic Worker Movement including Dorothy Day's and Peter Maurin's, own personal writings. The Catholic Worker Movement, Intellectual and Spiritual Origins. By Mark and Louise Zwick, we feel is a good resource. You may click on pictures for a link and search for title.

Dorothy Day House, at 865 Princeton St. was acquired in March, 2002. This basic three bedroom frame house was built in 1911. At the time of purchase, this became the fourth CWA house. As with the preceding three houses, this too was ravaged by the effects of drug usage and dealing. When we took possession every room was deep in garbage and in need of cleaning and repair. We fondly recall the youth group from Our Lady of Peace (Canton) whom spent two Saturdays stripping the house of all derbis; and the United Methodist youth group (Ellet) and the adult leaders, tore out and installed new walls and ceilings. The third floor was finished to be used as a fourth bedroom area. A year later, the house was made habitable. This hospitality house has been flexible to the needs of the community. It began as a residence for student volunteers, later a residence for homeless mothers with children, and currently it provides transitional housing for homeless men and acts as an office and base for our resident volunteers.