Changes

The creation of the Catholic Worker cannot be separated from the economic and cultural climate from which it was born. Day was living amidst a particularly trying time in American life: the Great Depression. During the Great Depression one could not walk outside without being bombarded by the poverty lining American streets. Families were cast out of their homes, desperate for work, and depended on the charity of others for their meals. As Day read through the Gospels, she found Jesus’ commitment to the poor particularly compelling and an inescapable duty of Christian life. She not only wanted to serve the poor, but live among them just as Jesus did. She felt that depth in relation with Christ necessarily moves one towards the other. During the Depression , Day especially felt the need for such a movement towards the other, opportunities were increasingly abundant. So, restless, eager for political change, and new to the Catholic faith, Day prayed for a way to enact the change she wanted to see in the world.