Nearly 100 years after Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin began the Catholic Worker — their mission of solidarity, service and community, and newspaper of the same name — the movement continues with a strong presence throughout the world and especially the U.S.
Day’s granddaughter, Martha Hennessy, is an active leader with Catholic Worker today. She shared with Aleteia the ongoing mission of Catholic Worker as well as some of her favorite stories about her famous grandmother.
Fond and funny memories
Growing up as Dorothy Day’s granddaughter, she recalled moments of spiritual guidance and warm affection.
“When I was 3, I recall sitting on her lap with my ear on her chest, feeling the presence of God so close to her heart,” she said. “When I was 16, she reminded me to be more like Mary than Martha, to slow down and be more contemplative.”
She also recalled some funny moments when Day reacted to the shenanigans of the seven rambunctious Hennessy children, saying, “When I was 10 or so I was climbing in an apple tree with my brother and sister and she said, ‘I can’t look anymore’ and went into the house. Then the branch broke, and we all came tumbling down.”
The movement grows
Today Catholic Worker operates some 200 Houses of Hospitality. Hennessy previously shared the projects of various different houses, and in this interview she took some time to describe the various ministries and work going on at her own local Catholic Worker houses:
At the New York Worker, we cook meals for the men and women who live in the houses and for the street homeless. We have showers and the clothing room available, along with phone access and cell phone charging. Roof gardening is a recent project undertaken at Maryhouse. St. Joe’s has a mobile shower unit that comes on a weekly basis for the men. We are also engaged in cooperative housing projects in the neighborhood for affordable housing.
The community continues in the tradition of Peter Maurin by holding Friday night meetings for roundtable discussions for clarification of thought. Topics include cultural, political, faith-related, and social issues of the day. There is a weekly Bible study and Mass is held at each house on a weekly basis, provided by local priests. Community members also participated in the ceasefire for Gaza, the closing of Rikers Prison, and the Extinction Rebellion protests.
Learning more about Catholic Worker
If you are interested in getting involved and volunteering with Catholic Worker, look up the CW Houses of Hospitality directory. It lists the many locations of houses around the country.
“Come and visit, come to volunteer and to study our co-founders Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin,” Hennessy said. She also recommended getting to know Catholic Worker by reading Day’s books. They include The Long Loneliness, Loaves and Fishes, and From Union Square to Rome.
