Writings from Commonweal

by Dorothy Day, Patrick Jordan (Editor)

Dorothy Day has been described as the most significant, interesting, and influential person in the history of American Catholicism." Outside The Catholic Worker (which she edited from 1933 to her death), Day wrote for no other publication so often and over such an extended period - covering six decades - as the independent Catholic journal of opinion, Commonweal.

Gathered here for the first time are Day's complete Commonweal pieces, including articles, reviews, and published letters-to-the-editor. They range from the personal to the polemical; from youthful enthusiasm to the gratitude of an aged warrior; sketches from works in progress; portraits of prisoners and dissidents; and a gifted reporter's dispatches from the flash points of mid-twentieth-century social and economic conflict. Day's writing offers readers not only an overview of her fascinating life but a compendium of her prophetic insights, spiritual depth, and unforgettable prose.

Chapters are *The Brother and the Rooster, - *Guadalupe, - *Letter From Mexico City, - *Spring Festival in Mexico, - *Bed, - *Now We Are Home Again, - *Notes From Florida, - *East Twelfth Street, - *Review: Saint Elizabeth by Elizabeth von Schmidt-Pali, - *Real Revolutionists, - *Review: The Catholic Anthology by Thomas Walsh, - *For the Truly Poor, - *Saint John of the Cross, - *Houses of Hospitality, - *The House on Mott Street, - *Tale of Two Capitals, - *Letter: 'In the Name of the Staff,'- *King, Ramsey and Connor, - *It Was a Good Dinner, - *About Mary, - *Tobacco Road, - *Review: In the Steps of Moses by Louis Golding, - *Review: Our Lady of the Birds by Louis J.A. Mercier, - *Peter and Women, - *Letter: 'Things Worth Fighting For?'- *The Scandal of the Works of Mercy, - *Traveling by Bus, - *Letter: 'Blood, Sweat and Tears,'- *The Story of Steve Hergenhan, - *Priest of the Immediate, - *We Plead Guilty, - *Letter: 'From Dorothy Day,'- *Pilgrimage to Mexico, - *In Memory of Ed Willock, - *Southern Pilgrimage, - *A.J., - *On Hope, - and *A Reminiscence at 75. -

Patrick Jordan, managing editor of Commonweal, is a former managing editor of The Catholic Worker. He resides in Staten Island, New York.

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Genres: Social Justice

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2002

About the author

Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and anarchist who, after a bohemian youth, became a Catholic Christian without in any way abandoning her social and anarchist activism. She was perhaps the best-known political radical in the American Catholic Church. In the 1930s, Day worked closely with fellow activist Peter Maurin to establish the Catholic Worker movement, a nonviolent, pacifist movement that continues to combine direct aid for the poor and homeless with nonviolent direct action on their behalf.

A revered figure within the U.S. Catholic community, Day's cause for canonization was recently open by the Catholic Church.

Reviews

[J.D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I really did not enjoy this book for the most part, I simply can not give it one star because a woman as great as her does not deserve that. The main reason I did not care for much of this is that it was extremely contextual as it is a collection of articles she wrote for the Commonweal. Because she wrote so many different articles for the publication, they were simply not able to include surrounding information which would have made this book readable for a larger audience. Many of the topics are not general which allow for her to share her wealth of knowledge and learning, but are very specific. This is unfortunate because I was really looking forward to all that she had shared with the Commonweal. For those that have had the chance to live longer on this Earth than I have and may have experienced some of these events, however, I suspect this would be completely different.

[Larry Kloth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a selection of articles written by Dorothy Day over four decades which give a good overview to her life, thought, and work. I read with a browser open, so I am able to look up people and events for further study and deeper understanding of the topic I am reading about. Day gives loads of such jumping-off points. This work is essential in understanding how Dorothy Day and the people of the Catholic Worker movement were motivated by and applied their faith.

[sare · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Dorothy Day you'll like this book. Because the pieces were published in Commonweal rather than the Catholic Worker, they are in general more polished than a lot of her pieces published in the CW paper.