Peter Maurin, Co-Founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, died in 1949. The telephone rang insistently. It had been ringing all day for we were expecting Peter Maurin—co-founder, with Dorothy Day, of the Catholic Worker movement—to come for a lecture. He was also expected to speak elsewhere in the city, at St. Michael’s College. But as… continue reading
New Biography of Peter Maurin in French
April 25, 2022 by
Jean Francois Salles, Peter Maurin l’appelait la Green Revolution (Mende, France : L’ours de granit 2021. https://www.loursdegranit.fr. Reviewed by Allison Clifton When Jean-François Salles, a photographer in Lozère in southern France, met an American Catholic Worker looking for traces of Peter Maurin in the region, he knew little about the man they were seeking. For… continue reading
Synods and Roundtables
February 14, 2022 by
Peter Maurin must be smiling. Pope Francis has announced a startling new way forward for the whole church. When we think of big changes in the church, we think of shifts in theology like Vatican II or in terms of stances on major issues. But Francis’ dream of a church is ultimately transformation, and his… continue reading
The Cause of Dorothy Day
February 9, 2022 by
“The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us? When we begin to take the lowest place, to wash the feet of others, to love our brothers with that burning love, that passion, which led to the… continue reading
PROGRAM ON HOLD: Peter Maurin’s Agricultural Ideal: Now There is Help for Minority Farmers
April 27, 2021 by
This is what Black farmers feared when they heard the good news: U.S. Farmers Of Color Were About To Get Loan Forgiveness. Now The Program Is On Hold https://www.npr.org/2021/06/11/1005560226/u-s-farmers-of-color-were-about-to-get-loan-forgiveness-now-the-program-is-on-ho A key part of Peter Maurin’s practical program for implementing Catholic tradition was family or community farms. In the U.S., smaller farms have been… continue reading
Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century
August 19, 2020 by
Book Review John Loughery & Blythe Randolph, Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2020. Can any single work capture and convey the story of Dorothy Day’s endlessly fascinating and significant life? Religiously precocious child born to nominally Christian parents. Radical journalist and activist in her teens. Bold bohemian in… continue reading
Dorothy Day at Koinonia Farm
July 30, 2020 by
“I have not yet resisted unto blood,” Dorothy Day commented, after surviving a drive-by shooting at Koinonia Farm. She had endured many hardships–jeers, threats, and insults, being shoved into paddy wagons and jailed–but her acts of protest against war and social injustice had never put her life at risk. She had never been shot… continue reading
La Révolution du Coeur: Le Café Dorothy and The Catholic Worker in France
November 1, 2019 by
More French-speaking guests have been arriving at Casa Juan Diego from Africa. We have been fortunate to have volunteers who speak French and some of our Catholic Workers who have never studied French have begun a study of the language. Last spring we also had a visit from Pierre from Paris, who told us about… continue reading
“When I Was Hungry”: A Reflection on Volunteering At Casa Juan Diego Men’s House
May 28, 2018 by
My wife, Blossom, our 2 children (at the time), and I left Houston in 2003. In 2010, we began returning each year for one week. These have been rich experiences, both in the privilege to encounter Christ in the poor and in the camaraderie and fellowship we share with Mark, Louise, their family and the… continue reading
How Mark Zwick Met Dorothy Day and the Seeds Were Planted For the Houston Catholic Worker/Casa Juan Diego
May 20, 2018 by
Mark visited Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker on several occasions. One visit was with his mother Florence to Peter Maurin Farm on Staten Island in 1956, when they spent the better part of a day with Dorothy. Mark sometimes accompanied his mother to New York when she went on buying trips for her family department store… continue reading
