"A Philosophy Ninety-Two Years Old That Looks Like New": Catholic Workers Celebrate 92 Years
Inside: Claire Schaeffer-Duffy visits Dorothy Day's room in Maryhouse for a "retreat." Mark Colville is feted and arrested. Pilgrims walk in Nevada, Connecticut, to abolish nukes.
“May the first...not be your last”
The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, International Labor Day, on May 1, marked ninety-two years since Dorothy Day distributed 2,500 copies of The Catholic Worker in Union Square, boldly competing with the Communists’ The Daily Worker, and quickly edging it out in popularity, printing more than ten times as many copies a year later, and reaching its apex of 195,000 copies as it marked its fifth anniversary in 1938.
On May 1, I also finally finished Dorothy Day’s 1962 memoir, Loaves and Fishes. In this fourth book on the movement she and Peter Maurin started—with what must have felt like just five loaves and two fish to rub together—Day remarked on how much the country had changed for the worse since the Great Depression, despite the much-lauded post-war prosperity. “The fact is we are no longer a nation of homeowners and apartment renters,” she wrote:
“We are a nation of people owning debts and mortgages, and so enslaved by these and by installment buying that families do indeed live in poverty, only poverty with a new face.”
While the technological—and technocratic—changes in the world have accelerated madly, the history of the last century sometimes seems all-too-eerily contemporary.
Jeff Korgen, author of a recent graphic novel about Dorothy Day and coordinator for her local canonization cause for seven years, spoke here at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Worker in Harrisburg on Saturday. As Jeff shared panels of Christopher Cardinale’s illustrations and told the story of Dorothy Day’s life, he noted two episodes that seemed both a relic of an unjust past and a warning sign for the road ahead. The FBI raided The Call and shut down its offices for opposing U.S. involvement in the war in Europe. Being imprisoned (or deported) for writing an opinion—is that an omen of the past, present or future? In a panel depicting the Memorial Massacre of steelworkers in 1937, Jeff noted that strikers were beaten by the police and shot in the back. Is military action against innocent citizens a sign of a broken past or a harbinger of the future?
The Catholic Worker movement—and Dorothy Day—has persisted through popularity and precariousness, has preached peace and the dignity of the laborer, whether welcome or unwelcome. (As Jerry Windley-Daoust noted in his May Day message, being “relevant” or “to scale” are not the important metrics in a movement founded on persistence, faithfulness, and love.) As Matt Harper writes below, the current political moment can be a new opportunity for the “philosophy so old it looks new” to give hope to a new generation.
Paula Miller, a resident of Tucson, Arizona, who lived at the Catholic Worker in Cleveland for many years, shared this poem with Catholic Workers to mark the movement’s ninety-second year on “May the first”:
May the first
time you remember when you found
your people
May the first
bowl of soup you served
a guest
May the first
sign you held to protest
the system
May the first
tears you cried when your heart
was broken
May the first
moment of your awakening to
your complicity
Not be your last first
in a world in need of love.
peace,
Renée
FEATURED
It’s May 1. Do You Know How Many Catholic Workers There Are?
To mark May Day, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, International Labor Day, and the ninety-second birthday of The Catholic Worker, Jerry Windley-Daoust gave readers an inside scoop on an often-asked question that’s been plaguing him and other reporters on the Catholic Worker beat.
He writes:
Why, just the other day I answered a call from a prominent media outlet that, for reasons of charity, shall remain anonymous. Here’s a rough approximation of the conversation, as best I remember it:
Me: “Hello, you’ve reached CatholicWorker.org, no we’re not the New York Catholic Worker and we can’t help you with your subscription to The Catholic Worker newspaper, we just run the website and community directory, how can I help you today?”
Find out the answer by reading Jerry’s essay here.
'Break Down All Those Barriers': Remembering Bishop Tom Gumbleton
Johanna Berrigan shares memories of the former Bishop of Detroit, Tom Gumbleton, who died April 4, 2025.
Tom travelled around the world speaking and working for peace, denouncing violence, condemning war and the preparation for war, and calling for an end to nuclear weapons. He stood with those who are poor and most marginalized and spoke out for justice. He was a prophetic voice within the Roman Catholic Church and a bishop of the people. He took his role very seriously, and he was committed to being a bishop in the truest sense of the word.
For me and for many, Tom was a humble servant who not only worked for peace, he brought peace wherever he went. Memories dance across my mind with tenderness that exemplify his peaceful presence and his extraordinary patience. He embodied compassion, gentleness, and sought endlessly to alleviate suffering.
A Visit to Maryhouse
In an article originally published in The Catholic Radical, Claire Schaeffer-Duffy, a Catholic Worker and freelance journalist, meditates on spending a night in Dorothy Day's old room.
For four nights, I slept in the room where Dorothy Day lived during her later years. The room where she also died. Its two long walls are lined with books Dorothy read. There’s a desk, appropriately cluttered with stacks of folders and aging magazines, an armchair, a comfortable rocker, and two chests of drawers.
Read Claire’s reflection here.
COMMUNITY NEWS & NEWSLETTERS
DC Catholic Worker Remembers Mike Walli
The Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington, D.C. held a memorial service for Mike Walli on the afternoon of Saturday, April 26. Walli, 76, had died in his sleep at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, the community said in an email announcement. More than 100 mourners came to pray and share memories in his honor at the memorial service held at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. “It was a beautiful celebration of Mike's life with many stories shared,” the community said, expressing their gratitude to all who attended or sent condolences.
Retreats, Resistance Highlighted in Latest Issue of The Sower
“The first months of 2025 were especially tumultuous for this country and for the world, and so life on our little farm has likewise been exceptionally challenging and busy and blessed,” writes Brian Terrell in the latest issue of The Sower, the newsletter of the Strangers and Guests Catholic Worker Farm in Maloy, Iowa. The issue includes Terrell’s report on serving a 15-day prison sentence in Germany for anti-nuclear action, news from the farm’s annual craft retreat, and reflections on the passing of Pope Francis. Betsy Keenan offers an invitation for volunteers to spend time working, studying, and praying on the farm during the growing season. Betsy and Brian also invite folks to celebrate the summer solstice and the feast of St. John the Baptist with Strangers and Guests CW on June 21 in Maloy. You can download the entire issue from the CatholicWorker.org website.
St. Louis Catholic Worker Urges Prayer for Oak Flat
The St. Louis Catholic Worker is calling for solidarity and prayer in support of Apache Stronghold’s fight to save Oak Flat, a sacred site in Arizona threatened by mining interests. On Wednesday, May 7, Apache Stronghold will appear in U.S. District Court to halt the transfer of the land to a multinational mining company. In the days leading up to the hearing, Apache Stronghold will lead a prayer run from Oak Flat to the courthouse in Phoenix. In tandem, the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery is organizing a 24-hour prayer relay from May 4 to May 7. Supporters are invited to join by signing up to cover a prayer shift during this time. To learn more, read a recent article by Apache Stronghold member Laak’os Dagozhoogo Parsons. To join the prayer relay, sign up here.
Myers Lifts Up Integral Ecology at Earth Day Panel
Liam Myers, volunteer at Maryhouse Catholic Worker in New York City, joined an Earth Day panel at Brooklyn’s Forefront Church last Sunday to discuss the intersection of faith and climate justice. Myers highlighted Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’, particularly its call for “integral ecology” and its assertion that “the cry of the earth is the cry of the poor.” He connected the encyclical to Maryhouse’s rooftop garden and “integral ecology circles”; and resistance to fossil fuels. The full video of the event is available on Forefront Church’s YouTube channel.
CW IN THE MEDIA
Colville Arrested During Protest of Israeli Official
Mark Colville, co-founder of the Amistad Catholic Worker House in New Haven, was arrested Wednesday, April 23, during a protest against Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was speaking at an event hosted by Shabtai, a Jewish student society not formally affiliated with Yale University. The protest drew roughly 200 demonstrators, including pro-Palestinian activists and members of Neturei Karta International, an Orthodox Jewish group opposed to Zionism. Media reports noted that tensions escalated at one point when water bottles were thrown at Ben-Gvir as he briefly appeared outside.
Colville was charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with an officer after allegedly striking vehicles that were departing from the event. Read the full article at Connecticut Public Radio.
Commonweal Review Highlights Catholic Worker Activism
Mark Colville got another shout-out in a recent review of Michelle Nickerson’s book “Spiritual Criminals” in Commonweal. The review contextualizes Nickerson’s book with Catholic Worker war resistance, from the Harrisburg Seven to current protests of the Israeli occupation and the conflict in Gaza. Read the review here.
CWers Make Holy Week Pilgrimages to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
Several Catholic Workers marked Holy Week 2025 with prayerful pilgrimages in Connecticut and Nevada aimed at drawing attention to the ongoing threat of nuclear weapons.
Members and friends of the Atlantic Life Community walked from New Haven to Groton, Connecticut, stopping along the way for worship, reflection, and protest outside General Dynamics Electric Boat, where nuclear submarines are built. Among them was Steve Baggarly of Norfolk Catholic Worker, who told National Catholic Reporter the pilgrimage was a “daylong meditation” and a way of “taking the message on the road.”
Meanwhile, in the Nevada desert, Sacred Peace Walkers journeyed 60 miles from Las Vegas to the Nevada National Security Site. Brian Terrell (Stangers and Guests CW, Maloy, Iowa) helped organize the annual Nevada Desert Experience’s Sacred Peace Walk. On Good Friday, three walkers crossed the “white line” into the test site, risking arrest to call attention to the destructive legacy of nuclear testing on Native lands.
Bar Crawl Radio offered coverage of the Sacred Peace Walk in Nevada. And the Atlantic Life Community pilgrimage was covered in the National Catholic Reporter.
Catholic Workers Pray at Lakenheath Base
The London Catholic Worker was among several peace groups joining Pax Christi England and Wales on April 23 at the gates of Lakenheath Air Force Base, The Tablet reported on April 28. The vigil was organized in response to emerging fears that U.S. nuclear weapons could return to Lakenheath, according to The Tablet. Lakenheath Royal Air Force Base in Suffolk hosted U.S. nuclear weapons from the Cold War’s beginnings in the 1950s until the 1990s, although the U.S. military never confirmed their presence. Numerous peace groups, including the London Catholic Worker and Pax Christi, have protested and held vigils at the base for decades. Read the story here.
Los Angeles Catholic Worker on Faith & Resistance
Matt Harper of the Los Angeles Catholic Worker wrote a reflection for Knock LA on his hesitancy to sometimes identify himself as Catholic among progressive organizers, but how his faith has fueled his resistance to war and empire, and how, in a moment when scholars say that the United States is becoming increasingly autocratic, young Catholics and Americans have flocked to the Los Angeles Catholic Worker in increasing numbers, seeking new ways of organizing society, building community, advocating for the vulnerable and seeking nonviolent solutions. Read the full essay here.
OSV News Interviews Co-Founder of St. Peter Claver Catholic Worker
Michael Baxter, co-founder of the St. Peter Claver Catholic Worker in South Bend, Indiana appeared on a new podcast at OSV News, “Catholic in America,” to discuss his November op-ed on Dorothy Day and politics that he wrote for the Houston Catholic Worker. In the interview, Baxter addressed the increasing nationalization of politics, taking power away from local organizing. He offered the counter-witness of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin’s example of personalist organizing for the common good at the local level. You can listen to the episode here.
Wallyhouse Catholic Worker Feeds the Hungry Despite the Feds
Island News in Honolulu profiled Wallyhouse Catholic Worker’s hot meal program, amid concerns that federal food bank cuts will tax Hawaii’s food supplies. The federal government has canceled more than $1 billion to food banks over the past 100 days, even as the number of food-insecure families has grown steadily in the United States since 2022. Catholic Worker Jeremy Castro estimates the number of meals served at Wallyhouse has grown to nearly 200 a day. Read the story here.
Connecticut Legislature Screens Casa de Amistad Documentary
The Connecticut Legislature’s End Homelessness Caucus screened Where Then Shall We Go?, a documentary about Rosette Neighborhood Village, a tiny home community in Catholic Worker Mark Colville’s backyard, on Friday, April 25, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Connecticut. “Homelessness isn’t cured by housing alone…It has to involve communities,” Mark Colville said to a local news source. “We have a mythical shortage of resources here in this state and in our city.” Read the full story here.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Maurin Academy: French Personalism, Virtue Ethics, Ivan Illich
The Maurin Academy for Regenerative Studies has announced its lineup of spring Zoom classes:
The Harry Murray Sessions: French Personalism (Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. US Central Time), Catholic Worker author and sociologist Harry Murray focuses on French Personalism, including the work of Jacques Maritain and Emmanuel Mounier.
“The Golden Mean”: An Introduction to Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics: Dr. Laurie M. Johnson will lead a four-week introduction to Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics, with a focus on its relevance for Christian theology and practice. Classes will meet on Mondays: May 19, May 26, June 2, and June 9 at 7 p.m. Central.
Ivan Illich Series: A new five-part series exploring the thought of Ivan Illich begins Tuesday, June 17, and continues July 1, 15, and 29 at 7 p.m. Central. Hosted by Deacon Christopher May, this series will explore Illich’s ideas on technology, institutions, limits, and conviviality, and how these overlap with Peter Maurin’s vision of a better world.
For more information, visit pmaurin.org or email maurinacademy@gmail.com.
Save the Date for Upcoming Gatherings
The Midwest Catholic Worker Gathering at Sugar Creek in Iowa has been set for September 12-14, according to Eric Anglada at St. Isidore Catholic Worker.
The San Antonio Catholic Worker is tentatively planning a national Catholic Worker gathering for Oct. 4-6 to celebrate the community’s 40th anniversary.
WORDS FROM THE ELDERS
“What the Catholic Worker Believes”
by Peter Maurin, from the October, 1933 issue of The Catholic Worker
1. The Catholic Worker believes
in the gentle personalism
of traditional Catholicism.
2. The Catholic Worker believes
in the personal obligation
of looking after
the needs of our brother.
3. The Catholic Worker believes
in the daily practice
of the Works of Mercy.
4. The Catholic Worker believes
in Houses of Hospitality
for the immediate relief
of those who are in need.
5. The Catholic Worker believes
in the establishment
of Farming Communes
where each one works
according to his ability
and gets according to his need.
6. The Catholic Worker believes
in 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.
About us. Roundtable is a publication of catholicworker.org that covers the Catholic Worker Movement.
Roundtable is independent of the New York Catholic Worker or The Catholic Worker newspaper. This week’s Roundtable was produced by Renée Roden and Jerry Windley-Daoust. Send inquiries to roundtable@catholicworker.org.
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