The Catholic Worker movement led by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin sought to invigorate and give new life to the radical vision of Christianity. At the heart of that vision is the practice of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy:
Day 4, Works of Mercy
Admin • December 3, 2022
- Feed the Hungry – Instruct the Ignorant
- Give Drink to the Thirsty – Counsel the Doubtful
- Clothe the Naked – Admonish the Sinner
- Visit the Imprisoned – Comfort the Sorrowful
- Shelter the Homeless – Bear Wrongs Patiently
- Visit the Sick – Forgive All Injuries
- Bury the Dead – Pray for the Living and the Dead
Servant of God Dorothy Day, intercede for us; pray that we grow in courage and faith to follow our own path to holiness.
We pray for the grace and desire to bear witness to our faith through the daily practice of the works of mercy.
“When Peter Maurin talked about the necessity of practicing the works of mercy, he meant all of them. He envisioned houses of hospitality in poor parishes in every city of the country, where these precepts of our Lord could be put into effect. He pointed out that we … no longer practice personal responsibility, but are repeating the words of the first murderer, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?” –Dorothy Day, “The Scandal of the Works of Mercy,” Commonweal, November 4, 1949
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Dear members of the Dorothy Day Guild, Happy Dorothy-month! November is always a very special time of year for the Guild, since amid the close of the liturgical year, the beginning of Advent preparations, and the start of the winter holiday season for those of us in Northern Hemisphere, we also celebrate the anniversaries of Dorothy’s birth on November 8th and her death on November 29th. Thank you each for coming alongside us on this journey of faith as together, we work to make Dorothy’s legacy of nonviolence, voluntary poverty, and hospitality more widely known and practiced in our Church and in our world.
Dear members of the Dorothy Day Guild, Hello! We hope that this missive finds you all well, and hopefully wherever you are, enjoying the same beautiful weather we’ve been experiencing in South Bend. Our Catholic Worker community is starting to look towards colder weather and anticipate the upcoming needs of our unhoused guests and neighbors for warm clothing, tents, and sleeping bags, but we have still managed to squeeze in a tiny bit more warm-weather fun: camping, picnics, and making Dorothy and Catholic Worker-themed art as a fundraiser at a neighborhood fall festival!
Dear members of the Dorothy Day Guild, We are writing to share the sad news that our friend Patrick Jordan, former editor of The Catholic Worker , founding member of the Guild, and close friend of Dorothy’s, died last week on Thursday, October 2nd. Pat joined the Catholic Worker movement in 1968, and met his wife, Kathleen DeSutter Jordan, working together on the soupline soon afterwards.