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sarah_mayer's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book. I appreciate the way Mayfield writes about Dorothy— more in a narrative sense than like a history textbook. She brings Dorothy and the Catholic Worker to life in a way that is imaginative, accessible, and salient. I am very grateful that this book exists and that it introduces Dorothy to a new generation.
drbobcornwall's review against another edition
5.0
Pope Francis addressed Congress and listed Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, as one of four great Americans. That he would name a radical pacifist labor-supporting Catholic layperson one of America's greatest leaders might be unexpected, and yet that's what he did. Since some have called her a saint (and she is currently in the canonization process), what kind of saint is she? While her willingness to give up everything to care for those in great need, advocate for workers, and oppose American wars, has caught the attention of many admirers, one might wonder if she would want such an honor, especially if in doing this the Church ended up domesticating her memory.
If you are like me, you know the name Dorothy Day. You may know that she helped found the Catholic Worker movement. You may know that many social justice advocates look up to her. But do you know her story? Do you know how this one-time near Marxist, labor-organizing journalist, who once had an abortion, could become a near saint? I will confess that I didn't know much about her until I opened up D. L. Mayfield's book "Unruly Saint." That title may sound odd, but by the time you finish reading this book, you will understand why Mayfield gave the book this title.
Mayfield offers us a biographical study of Day's life, with a focus on her role with the Catholic Worker movement. In other words, if you're looking for a comprehensive biography of Day, this isn't it. Though, she does provide significant biographical details. That's because her biography is the foundation of her involvement with the movement. As for the author, D.L. Mayfield is not Roman Catholic. In fact her spiritual location might best be described as post-evangelical. She is the author of two books, is a self-described activist, having taught ESOL to immigrant and refugee populations.
Mayfield approaches Dorothy Day as a something of a fellow-traveler. She doesn't aspire to the asceticism that Day embraced or puts all others before herself in the way Day did, but Mayfield seeks to identify as much as possible with Day and her commitments to justice and the well-being of others. She recognizes a degree of saintliness about Day's life, but fears she might get domesticated by a church that might use her memory in ways that do not reflect who she was. Most of all Mayfield wants the reader to know that Day may have died in 1980, but she remains relevant today.
What makes Day's story so compelling is that before her conversion at age 30, she was on a life path that wasn't leading toward the church. But once she found the church she wanted to make sure this faith fit with her commitment to serving the poor and the oppressed. The key to her life vocation is her encounter with a Frensh "philosopher-hobo" named Peter Maurin, who helped her discover her calling to create what became the Catholic Worker movement. That movement began with a newspaper she launched in 1933, which was followed by a 'house of hospitality, and later farms and communes. What Mayfield does here is bring this story to life.
In her introduction, Mayfield notes that she discovered Day at a point when she was in the midst of a personal crisis, where she was trying to figure out who she was spiritually. Growing up in white evangelical circles this no longer worked, and she went looking for something else, which is when she encountered Day. Thus, this is a very personal book, a book that seeks to take Day's life and work very seriously.
Mayfield breaks the book into three parts. She starts appropriately in Part 1 with a series of chapters that take us to Day's early life, which takes us from birth in 1898 to her conversion at age 30 in 1927. This turn in her life shocked all her friends since it didn't fit her life as a chain-smoker who wrote for leftist papers and impatiently sought to change the world. How did a "pregnant-out-of-wedlock free spirit who could quote Marx with the best of them and was always ready with a sarcastic retort or a girlish giggle" convert to Catholicism? (p. 22). For Day, as we discover, it was her commitment to the poor that led her to God and eventually the Catholic Church, even though she grew up in a nominal Episcopalian family. Part of this story was the birth of her daughter Tamar, which helped clarify her own sense of being and purpose. It was during this early period of her life as she began to move into the church that she took her muckraking style of writing that she had used writing for leftist papers to Catholic publications such as Commonweal. But, as she covered labor issues, she began to want to do more, especially since she watched as Communists demanded that people seeking justice leave religion for the class struggle. "She was angry at how they overlooked the reality that large percentages of the poor workers around the world were not only religious but Catholic. How could one claim to be for the common worker of the world and dismiss their religion as intellectually depraved and morally corrupt?" (p. 70). That is a relevant question for contemporary liberals who often dismiss religion. After covering a major labor march, she returned to her home in a New York tenement, where she encountered an older man in rumpled clothes who had come looking for her. That encounter would lead to the creation of the Catholic Worker, a muckraking paper that became the foundation of a movement in the church.
Part 2 takes us to the birth of the Catholic Worker. She begins with the meeting with Peter Maurin that day at her apartment. It was Maurin who encouraged her to use that passion for justice along with her writing ability to create a movement. Maurin may have looked like a hobo, but he was trained in theology and philosophy and sought to marry Catholic social teaching with this philosophy. As such he served as the intellectual foundation for what became Day's life work. The goal here was to change the world. Together, he with his ideas and with her energy and writing ability created a movement for the church. Though they had hoped to convince church leaders to create houses of hospitality in every congregation, they didn't succeed in that. However, the vision caught on, thousands subscribed to the journal, and she began to influence Catholics to commit to creating space and support for those in need. That journal was born in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression. From there came the houses of hospitality, which ultimately started as people showed up on Dorothy's doorstep needing housing and help. Most importantly, for her part, she was spreading word about Catholic social teaching, which not everyone in the hierarchy appreciated. The first house was opened in 1934. as Dorothy was busy renting apartments to house all those who were homeless. One thing that Mayfield notes is that Day was not impressed with government-sponsored programs and sought to do things differently. While she was not their biggest fan, she recognized the need and helped people get signed up for them. The problem today is that opponents of government programs will appeal to her concerns, but do so in ways that run counter to her own understanding. Interestingly, her problem with the government programs was rooted not in religion but a deep-seated anarchist bent that preceded her conversion. Mayfield does a good job navigating these concerns and suspicions. REgfarding the origins of this movement, Mayfield notes that the stories are "full of humor and failure and grassroots camaraderie and heady days." (p. 154). Over time the movement grew, setting up shop across the country with each having its own distinct feel. Mayfield writes of this work of living out Catholic social teaching in seeking to create a better world: "Love in action could be a harsh and dreadful thing, but it was certainly never, ever boring." (p. 154).
As I noted earlier, Mayfield's focus is on the origins of the Catholic Worker movement (part 2), with an exploration of the life she led to the point of its founding in 1933 when she was 35. Part 3 is titled "The Work Continues." This isn't a complete accounting of the work or her life, but Mayfelid helps us see how the work matured, how she ran into problems as her commitment to pacifism led to problems with both the church (especially during the Spanish Civil War in 1936- the church supported Franco) and then in World War II when she took a strong stand against the war, which led to a steep decline in support for her movement as she would not let go of her commitment, but also led to her being put on an FBI watchlist. While her earliest efforts were focused on labor issues and the realities of poverty, including homelessness, over time she gave more attention to her commitment to pacifism and to addressing the realities of racism in the country. In fact, Mayfield was surprised how often articles on race appeared in the early issues of the journal. In later years, Day had a second conversion, in which she came under the influence of a rigorist version of Catholicism, a version that seemed to give her a sense of grounding but which alienated many of her co-workers and family members. Mayfield shares how a Fr. Hugo led silent retreats at the Catholic Worker farm, which called for a severe form of asceticism, which called for giving up the best things in life.
The person we encounter here is in every way a radical Christian who gave her all for the cause. That led at times to neglecting members of her own family, though in time a break with her daughter led to reconciliation. She might be a saint, but if so, she is an unruly one. We can think D. L. Mayfield for helping us get to know this woman who might be a saint, but not a domesticated one.
If you are like me, you know the name Dorothy Day. You may know that she helped found the Catholic Worker movement. You may know that many social justice advocates look up to her. But do you know her story? Do you know how this one-time near Marxist, labor-organizing journalist, who once had an abortion, could become a near saint? I will confess that I didn't know much about her until I opened up D. L. Mayfield's book "Unruly Saint." That title may sound odd, but by the time you finish reading this book, you will understand why Mayfield gave the book this title.
Mayfield offers us a biographical study of Day's life, with a focus on her role with the Catholic Worker movement. In other words, if you're looking for a comprehensive biography of Day, this isn't it. Though, she does provide significant biographical details. That's because her biography is the foundation of her involvement with the movement. As for the author, D.L. Mayfield is not Roman Catholic. In fact her spiritual location might best be described as post-evangelical. She is the author of two books, is a self-described activist, having taught ESOL to immigrant and refugee populations.
Mayfield approaches Dorothy Day as a something of a fellow-traveler. She doesn't aspire to the asceticism that Day embraced or puts all others before herself in the way Day did, but Mayfield seeks to identify as much as possible with Day and her commitments to justice and the well-being of others. She recognizes a degree of saintliness about Day's life, but fears she might get domesticated by a church that might use her memory in ways that do not reflect who she was. Most of all Mayfield wants the reader to know that Day may have died in 1980, but she remains relevant today.
What makes Day's story so compelling is that before her conversion at age 30, she was on a life path that wasn't leading toward the church. But once she found the church she wanted to make sure this faith fit with her commitment to serving the poor and the oppressed. The key to her life vocation is her encounter with a Frensh "philosopher-hobo" named Peter Maurin, who helped her discover her calling to create what became the Catholic Worker movement. That movement began with a newspaper she launched in 1933, which was followed by a 'house of hospitality, and later farms and communes. What Mayfield does here is bring this story to life.
In her introduction, Mayfield notes that she discovered Day at a point when she was in the midst of a personal crisis, where she was trying to figure out who she was spiritually. Growing up in white evangelical circles this no longer worked, and she went looking for something else, which is when she encountered Day. Thus, this is a very personal book, a book that seeks to take Day's life and work very seriously.
Mayfield breaks the book into three parts. She starts appropriately in Part 1 with a series of chapters that take us to Day's early life, which takes us from birth in 1898 to her conversion at age 30 in 1927. This turn in her life shocked all her friends since it didn't fit her life as a chain-smoker who wrote for leftist papers and impatiently sought to change the world. How did a "pregnant-out-of-wedlock free spirit who could quote Marx with the best of them and was always ready with a sarcastic retort or a girlish giggle" convert to Catholicism? (p. 22). For Day, as we discover, it was her commitment to the poor that led her to God and eventually the Catholic Church, even though she grew up in a nominal Episcopalian family. Part of this story was the birth of her daughter Tamar, which helped clarify her own sense of being and purpose. It was during this early period of her life as she began to move into the church that she took her muckraking style of writing that she had used writing for leftist papers to Catholic publications such as Commonweal. But, as she covered labor issues, she began to want to do more, especially since she watched as Communists demanded that people seeking justice leave religion for the class struggle. "She was angry at how they overlooked the reality that large percentages of the poor workers around the world were not only religious but Catholic. How could one claim to be for the common worker of the world and dismiss their religion as intellectually depraved and morally corrupt?" (p. 70). That is a relevant question for contemporary liberals who often dismiss religion. After covering a major labor march, she returned to her home in a New York tenement, where she encountered an older man in rumpled clothes who had come looking for her. That encounter would lead to the creation of the Catholic Worker, a muckraking paper that became the foundation of a movement in the church.
Part 2 takes us to the birth of the Catholic Worker. She begins with the meeting with Peter Maurin that day at her apartment. It was Maurin who encouraged her to use that passion for justice along with her writing ability to create a movement. Maurin may have looked like a hobo, but he was trained in theology and philosophy and sought to marry Catholic social teaching with this philosophy. As such he served as the intellectual foundation for what became Day's life work. The goal here was to change the world. Together, he with his ideas and with her energy and writing ability created a movement for the church. Though they had hoped to convince church leaders to create houses of hospitality in every congregation, they didn't succeed in that. However, the vision caught on, thousands subscribed to the journal, and she began to influence Catholics to commit to creating space and support for those in need. That journal was born in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression. From there came the houses of hospitality, which ultimately started as people showed up on Dorothy's doorstep needing housing and help. Most importantly, for her part, she was spreading word about Catholic social teaching, which not everyone in the hierarchy appreciated. The first house was opened in 1934. as Dorothy was busy renting apartments to house all those who were homeless. One thing that Mayfield notes is that Day was not impressed with government-sponsored programs and sought to do things differently. While she was not their biggest fan, she recognized the need and helped people get signed up for them. The problem today is that opponents of government programs will appeal to her concerns, but do so in ways that run counter to her own understanding. Interestingly, her problem with the government programs was rooted not in religion but a deep-seated anarchist bent that preceded her conversion. Mayfield does a good job navigating these concerns and suspicions. REgfarding the origins of this movement, Mayfield notes that the stories are "full of humor and failure and grassroots camaraderie and heady days." (p. 154). Over time the movement grew, setting up shop across the country with each having its own distinct feel. Mayfield writes of this work of living out Catholic social teaching in seeking to create a better world: "Love in action could be a harsh and dreadful thing, but it was certainly never, ever boring." (p. 154).
As I noted earlier, Mayfield's focus is on the origins of the Catholic Worker movement (part 2), with an exploration of the life she led to the point of its founding in 1933 when she was 35. Part 3 is titled "The Work Continues." This isn't a complete accounting of the work or her life, but Mayfelid helps us see how the work matured, how she ran into problems as her commitment to pacifism led to problems with both the church (especially during the Spanish Civil War in 1936- the church supported Franco) and then in World War II when she took a strong stand against the war, which led to a steep decline in support for her movement as she would not let go of her commitment, but also led to her being put on an FBI watchlist. While her earliest efforts were focused on labor issues and the realities of poverty, including homelessness, over time she gave more attention to her commitment to pacifism and to addressing the realities of racism in the country. In fact, Mayfield was surprised how often articles on race appeared in the early issues of the journal. In later years, Day had a second conversion, in which she came under the influence of a rigorist version of Catholicism, a version that seemed to give her a sense of grounding but which alienated many of her co-workers and family members. Mayfield shares how a Fr. Hugo led silent retreats at the Catholic Worker farm, which called for a severe form of asceticism, which called for giving up the best things in life.
The person we encounter here is in every way a radical Christian who gave her all for the cause. That led at times to neglecting members of her own family, though in time a break with her daughter led to reconciliation. She might be a saint, but if so, she is an unruly one. We can think D. L. Mayfield for helping us get to know this woman who might be a saint, but not a domesticated one.
themodvictorian's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
the_dragon_starback's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
This is a great introduction to Dorothy Day from the perspective of a woman and Christian living today. This isn't a strict biography of Dorothy Day, but I found Mayfield's thoughts and reflections quite helpful for thinking about Dorothy Day in the context of our time.