Catholic Women's Network Magazine
“Dorothy Day’s passion for social justice caused the FBI to keep files on her activities…”
Book Description
Newly available and expanded, the diary of a 20th-century leader in the fight for social justice--Dorothy Day. ON PILGRIMAGE gathers diary entries written by Dorothy Day in 1948 that intimately reveal both Day's spiritual life and the personal ideals that guided her tenacious pursuit of social justice. When Dorothy Day sat down to record her thoughts in diary form, she wrote not only as the leader of the Catholic Worker movement but also as a mother, a grandmother, and a deeply religious woman concerned for even the mundane facets of life. But whether describing day-to-day happenings or the writings of the saints, Day's reflections return to her abiding theme--the call to personal and public transformation. Her diary entries touch on numerous social and moral concerns still vital in our day: the disenfranchised poor, the benefits of meaningful work, the significance of family, the dangers of secularization, the decline of moral standards, and the importance of faith. Available for the first time since its limited printing in 1948, ON PILGRIMAGE is published here with a foreword by Mich! ael O. Garvey and a significant introduction by Mark and Louise Zwick that highlights Day's early life and her commitment to the Catholic Worker movement.
On Pilgrimage FROM THE PUBLISHER
Dorothy Day (1897-1980), widely known as the founder of the worldwide Catholic Worker movement, has been described by historian David O'Brien as "the most significant, interesting, and influential person in the history of American Catholicism." On Pilgrimage gathers diary entries written by Day in 1948 that intimately reveal both her spiritual life and the personal ideals that guided her tenacious pursuit of social justice.. "When Dorothy Day sat down to record her thoughts in diary form, she wrote not only as the leader of the Catholic Worker movement but also as a mother, a grandmother, and a deeply religious woman who was passionate about everything from baking bread to prayer. But whether describing day-to-day happenings or exploring the writings of the saints, Day's reflections return to her abiding theme - the call to personal and public transformation. Her diary entries touch on numerous social and moral concerns still vital in our day: the disenfranchised poor, the benefits of meaningful work, the significance of family, the dangers of secularization, the decline of moral standards, and the importance of faith.
FROM THE CRITICS
Commonweal
This 1948 book is full of high-grade ore and some unforgettable passages that demonstrate not only Day's gripping reportage but her luminous humanity and spirit.... We cannot but learn from her many pilgrimages, and this 1948 collection, circumscribed and limited though it may be, reveals something essential and timelessly challenging about her.
Publishers Weekly
This collection...offers an intimate glimpse into Day's life and work.... Whether she's writing about a visit to her daughter's farm or her work with the poor, Day locates the gift of God's love in every moment.
New Oxford Review
Happily, Eerdmans has brought Dorothy Day's On Pilgrimage back into print. If you are only going to read one book by Dorothy Day, read this one. It is likely the best introduction available to her ideas and character.
Expository Times
Dorothy Day, a putative twentieth-century saint of American Catholics, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, has bequeathed to posterity diary entries for 1948. Accompanied as they are by an introductory setting-of-the-scene chapter, they constitute a searing critique of facets of modern western society and culture, allied to a relentless hopeful resolve that refused to be daunted, and a love of the church triumphantly surviving clear-eyed recognition of its warts. Here is a rebuke to complacency, completely devoid of sentimentality, and a challenge to action.
Art & Photography
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