Dorothy Day: Spiritual Giant

By Tracy Burgess

Dorothy Day was a faithful Catholic and an activist. She participated in protests for worker’s rights, voting rights, anti-war efforts, AND she attended daily Mass. She fed the hungry, clothed the naked, sheltered the homeless, AND she challenged the Church to live out the Gospel truth. Her life shows us that our faith  drives our action. Her faith and how she lived were inextricably linked.
Dorothy Day died 43 years ago today in 1980, the year I was born. In our lifetime, she lived the Catholic Faith out loud! The Catholic Worker movement started in 1933. First by writing a newspaper that challenged many people’s thoughts and actions to intentionally live out the Gospels and then by opening houses of hospitality to live a life of voluntary poverty and address hunger, clothing, and housing.
Dorothy Day is my spiritual giant. Sister Maureen Griner first introduced me to Dorothy Day in the early 2000s at a presentation at Marian Hall at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Neither Sister Maureen nor I would know the impact of that presentation until many years later.
Dorothy Day’s early life seems to be highlighted in the writings as dropping out of college, working endless jobs, drinking many nights at the bar, and more. I have felt connected to her desire to shut the door on parts of her early life. Don’t we all have times in our life that don’t define us anymore? I also feel connected to her life of action with the Catholic Worker. Not only to feed, clothe, and house, but also to build relationships with others, protest for injustices, and widen the circles of our community. 
Last year, my son and I were able to spend a whirlwind 24 hours in New York City. Taking the ferry to Staten Island, I made it to Resurrection Cemetery with 20 minutes to spare before it closed for the day. After finding her gravesite, I grabbed my rosary determined that was what I was supposed to do. I don’t think I made it through a decade. I had so many thoughts whirling through my head, so I started to practically plead for her prayers. Who knows what she would have said to me if we were sitting across from each other drinking a cup of coffee. Finally, I found some peace and sat quietly.
It was in those moments, thanks to the Holy Spirit, I realized that it is not Dorothy Day’s faith and it is not necessarily Sister Maureen’s faith, it is my faith, my choices, and my actions inspired by these two spiritual giants. Neither one of these women would want me to put them on the pedestal like I have. Nevertheless, they are great female leaders in our Catholic faith.
Knowing that it is our faith, our choices, and our actions, how will we live a life of love, community, and peace?