Dorothy Day – A Life of Hospitality

Dorothy Day was a person of contradictions: activist and contemplative, political radical and theological traditionalist. Intending to found a newspaper, The Catholic Worker, she ended up founding a movement. The most important monuments to her are the many houses of hospitality that stretch from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, places of welcome for many who have been treated as throwaways. The houses are also centers of work for a nonviolent, sharing society. Many regard her as one of the saints of our time; within the Catholic Church, her official canonization process is now underway. Jim Forest worked closely with Dorothy Day during the last 20 years of her life. Soon after her death in 1980, he wrote a biography of her, Love is the Measure. Drawing on her recently-released diaries and letters, this has now been greatly expanded and given a new title, All is Grace. Dorothy Day continues to open doors for many, in terms of spiritual life, community building, the healing of division, service of the poor, and the renewal of churches. During our weekend together we’ll be looking closely at all these and other aspects of her life and the challenge Dorothy poses to us.

Jim Forest is both an author and peace activist. His many books include biographies of Dorothy Day (All Is Grace) and Thomas Merton (Living With Wisdom), both of whom he worked with closely. In 1969 he left the Navy as a conscientious objector, afterward joining the Catholic Worker movement. In 1969-70 he spent a year in prison for burning draft records. For twelve years he was General Secretary of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, a job that brought him to Europe. He is now international secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship. In 1989 he received the Peacemaker Award from Notre Dame University’s Institute for International Peace Studies. Since 1977 his home has been in Alkmaar, Holland. He is the father of six and grandfather of eight.