Dorothy
Day lived in a tiny room with just a few possessions, but when she died, hundreds
of thousands mourned. The New York Times declared that her passing was the end
of an era, and her legacy was compared to the lives of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. Dorothy Day was a journalist who co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement
with Father Peter Maurin. Their newspaper, The Catholic Worker advocated social
and economic justice and reached over 185,000 people. But talking about a better
world wasn't enough - they set up hospitality houses across the country to help
the homeless. Dorothy Day's passion for a better world was awakened when she read
Tolstoy and Upton Sinclair's works about the suffering of the poor. She had a
spiritual awakening after her daughter was born and converted to Catholicism,
later taking a vow of poverty and service to the poor. Throughout her life she
worked for women's and worker's rights and the peace movement. Her passion and
dedication helped awaken social concern in many Catholics and other people of
faith.
