Those of you at Marquette know that a favorite cause for the liberals on campus is the Catholic Worker Movement. Marquette’s Raynor Library is home to the Catholic Worker – Dorothy Day papers collection. Marquette University Press recently published a volume on Day and her Catholic Worker Movement, published a collection of essays in 2000, and another volume is in the works. One of the authors is delivering this year’s Neiman lecture. Dorothy Day was a 288 feature during Mission Week, and the Office of Mission & Identity recommends the Catholic Worker as a “Catholic Peace and Justice organization.” The movement is the model of Campus Ministry’s Soup with Substance series. Milwaukee’s Catholic Worker house, Casa Maria, is a site of MU’s Midnight Run volunteer program, and was the recipient of funds raised by the Library’s 2008 cookbook project. Casa Maria is an approved service learning site for the classes on Francophone Women, Organizational Communications, Feminist Philosophy, and Theology, Violence, and Non-violence. Meanwhile, the Casa Maria House is engaged in a 40-year campaign to end ROTC at Marquette, including a celebration of Dorothy Day’s 100th birthday by occupying the MU ROTC building.
Obviously, one cannot generalize always from a particular instance in one place to a broad organization, particularly one as loosely connected as the Catholic Worker movement. None the less, I found it interesting that the Washington, D.C. Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House advertised and hosted a “Mass” by an illicitly-ordained member of Roman Catholic WomenPriests.
I think there is a broader point here, which a recent column by Bill Donahue from the Catholic League makes nicely. It is simply this: often times, though certainly not always, Catholics who are dedicated to liberal “peace and justice issues” are also liberal on other issues, such as the sanctity of marriage and life.
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I do not know about a woman doing a service in DC Catholic Worker House but I do know from over 40 years of experience with Catholic Worker Movement that Catholic Workers, unlike conservative Repulicans are consistanly pro-life–opposing abortion, death penalty and unjust and “immoral” wars like in Iraq. Yes Catholic Workers and many others have opposed teaching of military values that are contrary to teachings of Catholic Church and the training for wars that Chruch considers “immoral” at Marquette for over 40 years. If only the conservative Repulicans would practice what they preach about the scanity of life as well as Catholic Workers.
Peace,
Bob Graf
P.S. Like God I am not a Republican or Democrat. Dorothy Day never voted in an election but did more for human rights than most persons.