Dorothy Day’s Socially Engaged Devotion to St. Joseph

Abstract

Abstract:Crediting Teresa of Avila, Dorothy Day developed a special devotion to St. Joseph, who would serve as her personal protector and provider and later as patron of the Catholic Worker community. During the Depression, she initiated creative devotions to the saint, including picketing prayer, stressing his identities as father figure, worker in solidarity with all workers, and protector of and provider for the poor. Joseph’s largess represented radical inclusivity to Day since he extended help to all and not exclusively to the pious or the “worthy” poor. During and after World War II, she continued to depend on Joseph but increasingly emphasized the more robust spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi to address the era’s existential issues. To encourage deeper reflection on the Gospel values of the Catholic Worker, she elevated Francis to co-patron.