Entertaining Angels

     I have recently seen the film, Entertaining Angels. This movie gives us a look at the life of Dorothy Day. Day was an advocate for the poor and a saintly woman. Her life was not always perfect, however. Early on in her life, Day was a troublemaker. She was a communist who wanted to increase workers' rights, but she was not religious. She got pregnant at an early age, and was pushed to have an abortion. Day later said, "Women think with their whole bodies and they see things as a whole more than men do."


     The Catholic Worker would not have been possible if it weren't for the efforts of a man named Peter Maurin. Maurin encouraged Day to start the paper. He also encouraged Day to take action to combat hunger and homelessness. Maurin said, "The world would become better off If people tried to become better.

     After the abortion, Day struggled to find meaning. She moved to Long Island, where she met another man. She got pregnant again, this time keeping the baby and giving birth to a baby girl. During her time on Long Island, Day found the influence of God. She and her daughter were later baptized. She and her daughter later moved to New York City, where Dorothy started the Catholic Worker, a newspaper which turned into a homeless shelter. Day said, "I firmly believe that our salvation depends on the poor." Day combined a newspaper which brought awareness to the issues of workers' rights, with a homeless shelter that took care of the people that no one else would. On this issue, Day said, "Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul."

And people would become better If they stopped trying to become better off."

     Maurin's ideas were not always easy to carry out. Day had very little resources to support not only the shelter and paper but her daughter as well. Maurin believed that anything was possible with God, and that sometimes you need to leave your comfort zone to do what you have to do. Maurin said, "If we are crazy, then it is because we refuse to be crazy in the same way that the world has gone crazy."

     Maurin later suffered a stroke and was not able to help Day morally as much as he used to. Maurin's pre-stroke wisdom still stood with her to carry out her mission, however. He said, "You know what's wrong with the world? People who act don't think, and people who think don't act." Day truly took these words to heart as she both devised a plan and had the willpower to carry it out. Day's love of the poor was inspirational.
     
     Day started a string of homeless shelters known as Houses of Hospitality to care for the most basic and essential needs of the poor. Her precedent is part of the reason why there are such places all around the country. Locally here in Rochester, one similar organization is the Bethany House. Founded in 1978 to respond to ever growing needs for homeless shelters, It is still going strong to this very day. Their mission is to provide every human being with their basic daily needs of food, water, clothing, and shelter. Another local House of Hospitality is St. Joseph's House of Hospitality. They are directly related to the Catholic Worker movement, and they bring Dorothy Day's love for the least of society right here to Rochester. They too try to provide for the poor's every day needs. The love and ideals of Dorothy Day have spread throughout the country, even in our own town.