An Essay About Dorothy Day

Dorothy Day was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 8, 1897. Her mother, Grace Satterlee Day was a New Yorker and her father, John Day, was from Tennessee. Dorothy had three brothers and a sister. At the age of six, John Day, her dad, had been relocated for his job and the family moved to Oakland. However, in 1906 he lost his job to the San Francisco earthquake. Unfortunately, the earthquake had destroyed the newspaper industry. At this young age, Dorothy was able to recognize how in this time of need people like her mother and her neighbors were helping out the poor and homeless during the tragedy. Those matters of kindness had really affected her and she could not forget them. On the other hand, due to the earthquake, the family moved to Chicago where they ended up living for the next twelve years of their lives.

At ten years old, Dorothy’s brothers joined the church choir and Dorothy started to attend church every Sunday. She was amused by all the songs and hymns sung in the church. With this, Dorothy found herself attached so she began to study Christianity. She wanted to be confirmed as a Catholic and also baptized so studying would help her to do so. Dorothy’s favorite thing to do was read. She read all types of novels from various important authors and at the age of sixteen ended up winning a scholarship enrollment to the University of Illinois.

Dorothy had stayed two years at the university where she started becoming aware of the conditions happening around her. One day, she was writing a paper she started to realize the difference between the wealthy and those in poverty. She wanted to get involved so she joined the socialist party at her college. Ironically, Dorothy was also poor in this time. She worked many j...

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...ed Day when she was no longer able to travel, was Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa once pinned the crucifix normally worn only by fully committed members of her sisterhood on Day’s dress. Way before she died in November of 1980, Day was regarded to by many as a saint. Her most famous words are “Don’t call me a saint. I don’t want to be dismissed so easily.” Cardinal John O’Connor launched the canonization process in 1997, this was 100th anniversary of Day’s birth.

In the years past, Day’s life story has been the topic of many books, and even films. Day was the subject of Entertaining Angels: Dorothy Day in 1996, and of Dorothy Day: Don’t Call Me a Saint. The movements she established and created still continue to do work in about 200 cities in the United States, and 20 communities out of the country. Day’s legacy has left a lasting impact all over the world.