Dorothy Day's granddaughter speaks at Seneca Falls, N.Y - Faith & Spirituality

Catholic New Times, Nov 3, 2002

"Dorothy once commented that anyone could hand out sandwiches and soap. This kind of work is defined by the reason and intent behind it. Dorothy shared her life and unconditional love with people caught in poverty and destitution. She understood the work that needed to be done and she chose to do it while sacrificing her own comforts. She was a tough woman of unyielding principle, standing up in protest against war, injustice and conditions of impoverishment.

"Her authority was rooted in her courage, fearlessness and faithfulness to the Gospel. She brought the church to task for losing sight of the commitment to serving the poor and the disempowered. She rejected the culture of capitalism that produced human misery and loss of dignity. Dorothy created an example for us in which she integrated political, theological, moral and social ideals into an effective and powerful model.

"Her movement grew from personalism, not as an organizational structure. Her written and spoken words will forever remain a testament to this.

"Twenty-two years after her passing, communities which she called "houses of hospitality," continue to carry on throughout the country and the world. In recent years, we have seen a growing need for these works of mercy. Rather than making gains through so-called better economic times, conditions of homelessness, poverty, lack of health care, racism and unemployment are only increasing. Instead of addressing these pressing social and economic needs and their underlying causes, our resources and attention are being diverted by a drumbeat of war mongering and by the building of a colossal war machine. We are living with a growing threat that spreads, with little democratic decision-making or deliberation. We are about to unleash an overwhelming force against an impoverished nation. The purpose of this unilateral war is to establish the United States as the dominating economic and military global power with unfettered corporate exploitation to follow. Millions of lives are to be sacrificed to maintain high poll ratings for politicians and the outrageous wealth for a fraction of the world's population.

"Dorothy would protest this current state of affairs with her strong voice of dissent. She declared that `We must forever renounce war as an instrument of policy.' If we want to truly honour her, we should put her ideals into action. She was larger than life because she could galvanize others to act, and she stills does. Thank you."

The above address was delivered by Dorothy Day's grand-daughter, Martha Hennessey at the Installation of Great Women to the National Women's Hall of Fame Oct. 5 in Seneca Falls, N.Y.