Dorothy Day
Born in Brooklyn in 1897, Dorothy Day as a college student became a socialist. In New York, she worked as a journalist and later a nurse and all the while was seeking ways to better address social ills. After having a child, she became a Catholic. She cofounded, with Peter Maurin, the Catholic Worker Movement, which included a newspaper and houses of hospitality.
She was also a vocal activist opposing war and nuclear weapons and fighting for civil and workers' rights, often going to jail for her role in protests. During the Vietnam war, she helped found Pax Christi.
A deep spirituality and love for the Catholic Church sustained her through all her work. She died in 1980.
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