Dorothy Day’s vision was one of learning from the land, that the cities might be more humane and sustainable as a result.
In the Christian imagination, Dorothy Day looms as one of the 20th century’s great saints. A Communist convert to Christianity and co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, her work among the poor, her advocacy against war, and her commitment to the long and difficult work of community life only begin to explain why she remains an inspiration to millions. Leaving behind numerous articles, autobiographies, journals, and letters, Day left a rich, provocative, and daunting literary legacy. Though she is remembered as a saint for the city, we cannot forget another side of Day: her experiments with the farm and agrarian life. For it was in her experiments with farming that many of Day’s commitments became tested and refined, and it is here that we find a potent vision for how urbanites and agrarians might be allies.
