Difference between revisions of "Catholic Worker Movement"

Revision as of 15:11, 24 August 2010

The Catholic Worker Movement is a Catholic organisation founded by Servant of God Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ."^[1] One of its guiding principles is hospitality towards those on the margin of society. To this end there are over 185 local Catholic Worker communities providing social services. Each house has a different mission, going about the work of social justice in their own ways, suited to their region of the country. Catholic Worker houses are not official organs of the Roman Catholic Church. The group also campaigns for nonviolence and is active in opposing war, as well as the unequal distribution of wealth globally. Dorothy Day also founded The Catholic Worker newspaper which is still published, and sold at 1 cent per copy. The group began as a means to combine Dorothy Day's history in American social activism and pacifism with the tenets of Catholicism, five years after she converted in 1927.^[2]

"Our rule is the works of mercy," said Dorothy Day. "It is the way of sacrifice, worship, a sense of reverence."

Beliefs of the Catholic Worker

According to co-founder Peter Maurin, the following are the beliefs of the Catholic Worker:^[3]

1. gentle personalism of traditional Catholicism.
2. personal obligation of looking after the needs of our brother.
3. daily practice of the Works of Mercy.
4. Houses of Hospitality for the immediate relief of those who are in need.
5. establishment of Farming Communes where each one works according to his ability and gets according to his need.
6. creating a new society within the shell of the old with the philosophy of the new, which is not a new philosophy but a very old philosophy, a philosophy so old that it looks like new.

See also

• Dorothy Day
• Ammon Hennacy
• Fritz Eichenberg
• Ciaron O'Reilly
• Friendship House
• Catholic social teaching
• Christian anarchism
• Peace church
• Industrial Workers of the World
• Saint Patrick's Day Four

Catholic Worker House Listing

Open Directory list of Houses

In the United States

Most Houses don't have websites. This is a partial list.

Listed in alphabetical order by city.

1. The Open Door Community Atlanta, GA
2. Catholic Worker Community of Akron Akron, OH
3. Trinity Nuclear Abolitionists Albuquerque, NM
4. Haley House Boston, MA
5. Dorothy Day House Berkeley, CA
6. Holy Family Catholic Worker House Briarcliff Manor, NY
7. Grace Place Catholic Worker Community Cincinnati, OH
8. St. Jude Catholic Worker House Champain, IL
9. St. Elizabeth Catholic Worker Chicago, IL
10. St. Francis Catholic Worker Chicago, IL
11. Su Casa Catholic Worker Chicago, IL
12. Catholic Worker of Columbus, OH Columbus, OH
13. Day House Detroit, MI
14. Loaves & Fishes Catholic Worker Community, Duluth, MN
15. Des Moines Catholic Worker Community Des Moines, IA
16. St. John Bosco House Eugene, OR
17. St. Benedict Catholic Worker Fresno, CA
18. Father Charlie Mulholland Catholic Worker House, Garner, NC
19. Magdalene House Coastside Catholic Worker Half Moon Bay, CA
20. St. Martin de Porres House Hartford, CT
21. Hartford Catholic Worker Hartford, CT
22. Casa Juan Diego Houston, TX
23. St. Martin de Porres Catholic Worker Harrisburg, PA
24. Las Vegas Catholic Worker Las Vegas, NV
25. St. Francis Farm Lacona, NY
26. Los Angeles Catholic Worker Los Angeles, CA
27. Fargo-Moorhead Dorothy Day House of Hospitality Moorhead, MN
28. Casa Maria Catholic Worker Milwaukee, WI
29. Amistad House New Haven, CT
30. Archbishop Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House Oklahoma City, OK
31. Oakland Catholic Worker Oakland,CA
32. Bread and Roses: A Catholic Worker Olympia, WA
33. Maggie's Place Phoenix, AZ
34. Andre House Phoenix, AZ
35. Duncan and Porter Houses and Farm Pittsburgh, PA
36. Raleigh Catholic Worker Community and Hospitality House Raleigh, NC
37. San Diego Catholic Worker San Diego, CA
38. Martin de Porres House of Hospitality San Francisco, CA
39. Temenos Catholic Worker San Francisco, CA
40. Catholic Worker House San Antonio, TX
41. St. Isaac of Nineveh - Gift of Tears Catholic Worker Spencer, WV
42. Catholic Worker Farm Sheep Ranch, CA
43. Silk Hope Catholic Worker, Siler City, NC
44. St. Peter Claver Catholic Worker House South Bend, IN
45. Silver Spring Catholic Worker Silver Spring, MD
46. Little Flower Catholic Worker Farm Trevilians, VA
47. Tacoma Catholic Worker Tacoma, WA
48. Utica Catholic Worker Utica, NY
49. Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Washington, DC
50. Mary Harris Catholic Worker Washington, DC
51. Winona Catholic Worker Winona, MN
52. The Mustard Seed, Worcester, MA
53. Saints Francis & Therese Catholic Worker, Worcester, MA

In Other Countries

1. Katholieke Werker Belgium
2. Vancouver Catholic Worker Canada
3. London Catholic Worker England
4. Bread and Roses Germany
5. Dublin Catholic Worker Ireland
6. The Fig Tree Catholic Worker in Hammarkullen Sweden
7. The Peter Maurin Farm, Australia

References

1. ↑ "The Aims and Means of the Catholic Worker" from The Catholic Worker newspaper, May 2002
2. ↑ ""Dorothy Day, Prophet of Pacifism for the Catholic Church"" from "Houston Catholic Worker" newspaper, October 1997
3. ↑ What the Catholic Worker Believes by co-founder Peter Maurin

External links

• Official Website of the Catholic Worker Movement
• Catholic Worker Documents
• The Catholic Worker's Temptation