Dorothy Day
Background
Dorothy Day was born in Brooklyn, NY on November 8, 1897. In 1906 her family moved to Chicago which is where she first formed her positive impressions of Catholicism, when a friend's mother showed no embarrassment when praying in front of Day. It was also in Chicago where she developed her deep interest in the desolate urban neighborhoods that many people avoid. After receiving a scholarship, she attended the University of Illinios campus at Urbana in 1914, but only lasted two years there. New York became her new home when she moved there after finding a job as a reported for the city's only socialist daily. This was the first of a handful of journalism jobs. Her next one was for a magaznie that opposed American involvement in the European War. This job also did not last long because the magazine was discontinued [1].
Dorothy's enthusiasm for social activism landed her in jail in November of 1917 after being one of forty women protesting exclusion from the electorate in front of the White House. The women were forcefully handled at the rural workhouse where they were taken, causing them to retaliate with a hunger strike. They were freed by a presidential order [2].
While Dorothy's passion for social activism developed quickly, her religious growth was a slower process. Growing up she attended an Episcopal Church and as a young journalist she would sometimes make trips late at night to St. Joseph's Catholic Church in New York City. At this point she really started to become interested in the Catholic faith. The spiritual discipline captivated her though she knew little about the beliefs. On reason the Catholic faith applead to her was because she saw it as the church of the poor [3].
Over the years Dorothy's faith strengthened into a steadfast belief in God. Although she had such a strong belief, she began a four-year common-law marraige with Foster Batterham, an English botanist. He was an anarchist opposed to religion and marraige. Their vast differences in beliefs led them to have many arguments. The next major event in Dorothy's life, the birth of her daughter Tamar Theresa Day, was really a turning point. Batterhamn did not believe in bringing children into such a violent world. After Tamar's baptism, Dorothy and Batterhman broke up permanently 4].
Birth of the Catholic Worker
Her daughter's baptism prompted Dorothy to be baptized herself and received into the Catholic Church. Her new faith caused her to make changes in the way she participated in social causes. While in Washington D.C. Dorothy visited the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception where she offered up prayers all morning, expressed with great anguish. She was very zealous about helping the poor and now that she wouldn't take part in certain protests and events because of her new faith, she needed an outlet to use her talents and passions.
An answer came to her prayer the very next day when she was met by Peter Maurin back in her New York appartment. He was sent to talk with her by George Schuster of Commonweal Magazine. He wanted to talk to her because she was a journalist, hoping she would be able to publish a newspaper that would express his ideas.
They met in 1933, Peter having been sent to Dorothy Day by George Schuster of Commonweal magazine. He had sought out Dorothy Day particularly because she was a journalist, hoping she would publish a newspaper where his ideas would be conveyed.
