“The aim of the Catholic Worker movement is to live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ. . . . This aim requires us to begin living in a different way. We recall the words of our founders, Dorothy Day who said, ‘God meant things to be much easier than we have made them,’ and Peter Maurin who wanted to build a society ‘where it is easier for people to be good.’”
—the aims and means of the catholic worker
The Movement
An overview of the Catholic Worker: aims and means, history, books, bibliography, and more.
Dorothy Day
Biographies, writings, canonization, and more about the co-founder of the Catholic Worker.
LATEST CATHOLIC WORKER NEWS
‘Do You Want to Come Home?’ 18 Years Running a Kansas City Christ Room
For 18 years, Charles Carney and Donna Constantino hosting a Christ room in their modest Kansas City home. In this interview with Roundtable editor Jerry Windley-Daoust, they describe how they…
Christ Room Hospitality is about Relationships and Family, Hosts Say
Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin called for every Christian household to have its Christ room. What would it be like if even a fraction of Christian households adopted the ancient…
Alexandria Addesso Comes Home to Start a New Jersey CW (CCW Ep 24)
In this episode of “Coffee with Catholic Workers,” Theo Kayser and Lydia Wong interview Alexandria Addesso, founder of the Elizabeth, New Jersey, Catholic Worker.
Alex talked about her journey to the…
From Resistance to Resurrection: Jeff Dietrich Recalls His Journey to the LACW
After refusing induction into the army, a 24-year-old Jeff Dietrich hit the road, traveling to Europe, then back across the United States, in search of an “alternate American dream.” With…
The Christ Room Network
In 2016, Casa Alma Catholic Worker launched its Christ Room Network. Here, you’ll find an excerpt from the resource guide they wrote to support the project, along with the full…
War Tax Resistance: A Catholic Worker Tradition
As early as 1943, Dorothy Day was advocating withholding taxes in order to avoid complicity in military violence. War tax resistance has been a Catholic Worker tradition ever since, and…
Alice McGary and Mary Kay McDermott: The CW’s Land and Craft Vision (CCW Ep 23)
In this episode, hosts Theo Kayser and Lydia Wong are joined by Alice McGary from The Mustard Seed Farm in the Ames, Iowa region and Mary Kay McDermott from St…
After Arrests, Students Renew Call for Notre Dame to Follow Catholic Teaching on War, Investments
At the University of Notre Dame, student protesters and their allies are drawing on Catholic social teaching and the Catholic Worker tradition to press the university to divest from companies…
Stop the Killing!: A Review of Philip Berrigan’s “A Ministry of Risk”
In a new collection of his writings, Philip Berrigan continues to be a mentor and a master of nonviolent civil disobedience. The collection, A Ministry of Risk, should move us…
OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Roundtable brings you news of the Catholic Worker Movement every Friday.
Check out past issues here.
Upcoming Catholic Worker Events
CATHOLIC WORKER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
GET TO KNOW
THE CATHOLIC WORKER MOVEMENT
A Brief Introduction to the Catholic Worker Movement
Tom Cornell, associate editor of The Catholic Worker and a leader in Catholic peace and justice movements, offers a brief overview of the Catholic Worker Movement.
The Evolution of the ‘Aims and Means of the Catholic Worker’
The Aims and Means of the Catholic Worker movement describe its goals and the means by which the movement hopes to achieve those goals. The Aims and Means have taken…
What is the Catholic Worker?
This essay was written by Jim Forest on the Catholic Worker Movement for The Encyclopedia of American Catholic History to be published by the Liturgical Press. Jim Forest, once a…
Biography of Peter Maurin
This essay by Jim Forest on Peter Maurin was written for The Encyclopedia of American Catholic History published by the Liturgical Press.
The Life and Spirituality of Dorothy Day
This article is from the introduction to the book Praying with Dorothy Day by James Allaire and Rosemary Broughton.
May Day, 1933
An account of the birth of the Catholic Worker Movement on May 1, 1933, in New York City’s Union Square, from the opening paragraphs of “All Is Grace: a Biography…