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Dorothy Day: A worker for the poor and outcast

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Dorothy Day once expressed her hope that she would never be proclaimed a saint, believing that if she were, individuals would cease to heed her words. Regardless of whether Day’s wish becomes a reality—at the moment of this writing, the proceedings that might lead to her recognition as a saint seem to be progressing in Rome—fascination with this proponent of a transformative approach to social justice shows no signs of waning. Recently, it has even escalated to the point, though still short of canonization, of naming a Staten Island ferry after her.
Most importantly, as the writers of a recent Day biography note, she was an individual who posed difficult inquiries: “Every assertion she made, every demonstration she participated in, her enduring dismissal of ease and convention, challenges us to consider: What type of world do we genuinely desire to inhabit, and what compromises are we prepared to undertake to realize it?”
Dorothy Day, ca. 1916. Public domain
Early life
Born on Nov. 8, 1897, in Brooklyn Heights, she was christened in an Episcopalian church, yet her parents later expressed no enthusiasm for her spiritual education. Nevertheless, from a young age, she exhibited an innate openness to spiritual matters. After learning about prayer from a Catholic neighbor, she started crafting her own elaborate prayers while she and her younger sister, Della, pretended to be saints — “It was a game for us,” she recounts in her memoir “The Long Loneliness” (HarperOne, $16.99).
Her father was a journalist whose work relocated the family to San Francisco and later to Chicago. It was in Chicago that Day, now a teenager, started exploring the works of authors like Upton Sinclair and Jack London, whose writings ignited her developing social awareness. Even at the age of 15, she noted, she sensed that “God intended for man to be joyful … we shouldn’t have to endure so much poverty and suffering as I observed all around.” While attending the University of Illinois, she became a member of the Socialist Party, deepened her engagement with radical literature, and scoffed at church attendees who showed no desire to contribute to a better society.

Celebrating the martyrdom of St. Stephen, and turning stones into bread

Celebrating the martyrdom of St. Stephen, and turning stones into bread

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“But [Stephen], filled with the holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55-56).
St. Stephen, recognized as the first deacon and the initial martyr, has always occupied a significant place for me within the Communion of Saints. My maternal grandmother had her birthday on Dec. 26, which is St. Stephen’s feast day, and that significantly influenced my choice to adopt St. Stephen as my patron during my confirmation. Likewise, the narrative of his martyrdom in the Acts of the Apostles captivated me, particularly his bold testimony to God’s mercy towards Israel, which reached its pinnacle with the arrival of Christ (and the ongoing rejection of that mercy through the ages, culminating in Christ’s death). As Stephen’s declaration comes to a conclusion, even a first-time reader of Acts must sense how the tale will conclude. The Truth has liberated Stephen, and in this newfound freedom, he has no longer any fear of death.

Celebrating the four women Doctors of the Church

Celebrating the four women Doctors of the Church

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As Catholics, we are truly fortunate to possess the Communion of Saints, and each of us is invited by the Church to select a patron (or several) from among them. I personally understand how beneficial it is to have a companion throughout the journey, someone whose existence provides guidance and support, whose insight can steer me in the right direction, and whose intercession I can seek during challenging moments.

In my personal experience, I have noticed that at times I discover a saint because I actively seek them out — I possess a particular question or requirement for which I am looking for intercession. At other moments, a saint has reached out to me, offering insights I was unaware I required. To assist individuals in locating the ideal saint for their specific situations, the Church has assigned saints as patrons of nations, cultures, occupations, hobbies, and even health conditions.

Furthermore, the Church has established classifications of saints, collections of saints that share comparable traits. Some categories are quite evident — virgins and martyrs require minimal clarification — while others necessitate further elaboration. The Early Church Fathers, for instance, is a specific and limited group. One of the more obscure classifications, yet one of significant relevance, is that of Doctor of the Church.

Not a medical physician, this designation is intended to express a sense of seriousness akin to that of a Ph.D. While this may come off as daunting or elevated, I would contend that the Doctors of the Church are merely the saints that numerous individuals require to deepen their understanding of the faith, and furthermore, to enhance their connection with the Lord. I recognize that I have gained a lot from them throughout the years, and not solely in the intellectual sense of the term.

What does it signify to be a Doctor of the Church?

Even though the saints who hold this title are neither superior nor more significant than other saints (as St. Paul states, there are various types of spiritual gifts but one Spirit), this designation celebrates these individuals for achieving something monumental: influencing the Church’s theology and, consequently, the understanding of God among its people and their relationship with Him.

That is astounding! The Doctors of the Church expressed doctrine and dogma in a manner that was comprehensible, which elucidated and framed extensive and frequently abstract concepts into forms that ordinary individuals could grasp. It wasn’t until perusing St. Teresa of Ávila’s “Interior Castle”that I could understand the methods by which God was operating in my spirit, and it was via St. Thérèse’s”Story of a Soul”that I could expand my comprehension of his radical compassion.”

The requirements to be recognized as a Doctor of the Church

In order to be recognized as a Doctor of the Church, an individual must fulfill three requirements:

The individual should exhibit outstanding sanctity.

They must have played a significant role in the Church’s theology and moral existence through their writing, study, or speaking engagements.

They must be recognized as a Doctor by either a complete Church assembly or through a papal declaration.

Although every canonized saint has led a life of outstanding holiness — which is an essential aspect of sainthood — during the evaluation for the designation of Doctor of the Church, a saint’s life undergoes additional examination to confirm this.

The second requirement is more intricate and exacting. To qualify for the designation of Doctor of the Church, it must be demonstrated that a saint’s contributions are both orthodox and distinctive — offering new perspectives on Catholic teaching and doctrine that are relevant and necessary for their own era, as well as enduring, continuing to be true and beneficial for Catholics in future generations. This indicates to me as a lay individual that each saint with the title of Doctor of the Church has something meaningful to convey to me, a member of God’s Church, in the present moment.

The initial Doctors of the Church were appointed by Pope Boniface VIII in the 13th century. Since that time, popes across the ages have increased the list of saints. Currently, there are 37 Doctors of the Church. Some are widely recognized saints, such as Jerome and Augustine, while others are less familiar, probably known only within Catholic scholarly communities.

11 saintly quotes on love to examine this Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday

11 saintly quotes on love to examine this Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday

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When discussing love, the saints and popes emphasize, above all, the cross.

They concur that love signifies self-denial for the benefit of someone else. They resonate with the words of Jesus Christ found in John 15:12-13: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

This year, the merging of Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday — the commencement of the reflective season of Lent that precedes Jesus’ crucifixion for all humankind and his resurrection — offers the chance to reflect on genuine love.

Presented below are 11 reflections on selfless love from saints and popes to reflect on this Feb. 14.

Sayings regarding genuine love

1. “When one loves, one does not calculate.”

10 saints to pray to this Lent
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10 saints to pray to this Lent

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Catholics have the opportunity, in a unique manner, to seek the intercession of a minimum of 10 saints during this Lenten period.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops frequently lists Lenten saints whose celebration days occur during the 40 days of prayer and fasting preceding Easter. The U.S. bishops encourage the faithful to explore and contemplate these sacred lives while participating in Lent.
For 2023, the U.S. liturgical calendar features the subsequent 10 saints whose feast days take place in the season of Lent, commencing on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, and finishing on Holy Thursday, April 6. Below are their narratives.
African-American and Native American children are depicted with Mother Katharine Drexel in a painting. (CNS photo from Catholic Standard and Times)
1. St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955)
A Philadelphia socialite with a fortune, St. Katharine devoted her life and her legacy to supporting Native American and African American communities. She established the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and managed educational institutions across 13 states for African Americans, along with 40 mission centers and 23 rural schools. In collaboration with her order, she created Xavier University of Louisiana, the sole Catholic and historically Black college in the United States. She also set up 50 missions for Native Americans.