Dorothy Day

It is not every day that one finds an incredibly influential person with a dream to change

the world. It is equally as remarkable to find one who is determined to take past hellish

experiences and bring out the light in them. Dorothy Day fit perfectly into both of these

categories and more - she worked endlessly until the end of her days to serve others through her

God. Originally, however, this was not her desired life’s path. Though Dorothy Day’s original

choices could have been considered quite questionable by some, she had the best intentions at

heart. She gave her body to a man in order to have an article printed to spread awareness about

issues on which she was passionate. It was not until after two failed marriages and one abortion

did she realise her true calling and begin her work for the poor and convert to Roman Catholic

Church.

Dorothy Day was on a destructive life path when she moved to the seaside as a time for

recollection, relaxation, and to pull herself together. Her move, when she witnessed the poor and

ran into nuns, started a spiritual awakening for her, but it was only after the birth of her daughter,

Tamar Day, did Dorothy experience her true conversion. Dorothy was walking along the beach

when she came across a hut of sticks and went to investigate. Upon realising it was the sole

possession and home of an unlucky man, she ran, both terrified and touched. Dorothy witnessed

the homeless, the poor, the addicts, and others in dire need of assistance and was overcome with

such a sense of passion and pity that she could simply not resist doing something to help. She

knew, from the second she lay her eyes on the unfortunate, that she had to do something

contribute positively. Dorothy was a woman who saw the injustices in the world and simply

could not sit by and watch; she had to do something. Dorothy Day put almost everything down

and aside to be able to help people, changing her lifestyle to a complete bohemian one. Not long
after she started doing this did she convert to Catholicism and devote herself wholly to the well

being of her daughter and the betterment of the unfortunate.

As the writer she aspired to be, Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker organisation started with

a newspaper to promote Catholicism and advocate peace in unsteady war-times. Not long after

her faith conversion and the birth of her daughter, Dorothy moved from seaside to city in order to

better help people. There she met Peter Maurin, a homeless man who seemed almost sent by God

to help guide her on her journey. Through Peter’s insistence, Dorothy began helping more and

more people, turning no one away, and judging no one because of their conditions. Soon, she

gave her room, apartment, and eventually the entire building in which she was living as shelter

for those who needed it. Dorothy Day fed the hungry with her breadline, clothed the naked,

sheltered the homeless and wrote about the teachings of Jesus, the Catholic Church, and ways to

help improve lives.

Everything did not go perfectly for Dorothy. She had to find the courage to stand up to

her enemies, in the face of the public eyes, and say what she knew was right. She had to find the

courage to stand up to her friends to similar reasons. The hardest of all, perhaps, Dorothy had to

learn how to back down to her friends and admit she was wrong when she knew they were

correct. In the end, Dorothy learned through many mistakes that she could not do this alone. She

absolutely could not solve all of the world’s problems. She needed the help, love, and support of

her family and friends. Ultimately, movie and Dorothy lived up to the following quote: "Do not

neglect to show hospitality, for by that means some have entertained angels without knowing it"

- Hebrews 13:1-2