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November 29, 2020DOROTHY DAY: November 29 is the 40th anniversary of the death of Dorothy Day. When Pope Francis visited the United States in 2015, he gave an important address to a joint session of Congress. In that address he highlighted the work of four great Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. Although Day was not a household name to most Americans, Pope Francis noted that for Servant of God Dorothy Day, “[h]er social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.” Her witness and life were so extraordinary that a cause for her canonization was opened in 2000 by the Archdiocese of New York (hence, the reason Pope Francis called her “Servant of God” Dorothy Day). Here is a photo from our Subiaco November 1952 Periscope publication that showed a visit by Dorothy Day to Subiaco Abbey where she gave an informal talk about the Catholic Worker Movement which she co-founded. The pictured conference was held in East Park in what the monks called the "Ecce Quam Bonum" (from the Latin of Psalm 133--Ecce quam bonum et quam jucundum habitare fratres in unum [Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity]). This was built in 1907, was used for the recreation of the "Junior" monks in formation, and is today a favorite reflection place for retreatants. This visit by Day was part of a larger tour in 1952-1953 where she also visited St. Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana; Pius the Tenth Monastery, Missouri; St. John’s Abbey, Minnesota; Mt. Angel Abbey, Oregon; St. Leo’s Abbey, Florida; and Our Lady of the Holy Ghost Abbey, Georgia. Additionally, few people know that Day was also a Benedictine Oblate of St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, IL. During this month of November, we join with our monastic brothers and oblates of St. Procopius to pray for Day’s canonization [for those interested in reading more about Day, there is her autobiography “The Long Loneliness” and an excellent book by her granddaughter “The World will be Saved by Beauty”]. May we remember the witness of Benedictine Oblate and Servant of God Dorothy Day and seek her intercession to renew our own passion for justice and the cause of the oppressed. UIOGD!
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