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 friends, Happy February! We hope that each of you had a joyful Christmas season. After a busy autumn of travel and excitement, all of us at the Guild were grateful for a little time to rest and enjoy the holidays and are now looking forward to being back in a more regular rhythm of activity. We have a number of great, free programs coming up in the next few months and lots of other news and updates to share with you just below!
Dear friends, Advent greetings to each of you! We hope that in the midst of what for many of us is a busy, exciting, and sometimes stressful time of year, you have had a few moments of peace where you have been reminded of the joy we are all anticipating. Christ is again coming into our midst, in order to make us members of His Body and draw us closer to each other and closer to God in love.
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.