Day 9 Hope in Hard Times: A Novena with Dorothy Day

admin • April 21, 2020

The Dorothy Day Guild asks its members and others to “spiritually gather” (in the words of Pope Francis) to pray a novena for solidarity and compassion in this challenging time. Her conversion cost her dearly, but Dorothy always insisted that it was a great joy, occasioned by the birth of her daughter, that brought her to God.The mystery of life! Later she said she learned of God’s goodness from her love of His poor. Today, we pray for mindfulness of beauty and grace in the midst of suffering. We pray to see with the eyes of faith ‘if only through a glass darkly,” and hold fast to hope as we journey together — like those disciples on the road to Emmaus — through these hard times.

“Irene pointed out a phrase to me recently of Ruskin’s which appealed to us both. It was “the duty of delight.” To reverence and be thankful for life itself, in a time when the world holds human life so lightly there is again joy. To be grateful is to be full of grace and grace is participation in the divine life, knowing that we are sons of God and heirs of the kingdom.
Happiness too means warmth after cold, peace after pain and satisfaction after hunger. These simple joys are good to remember.… We must express it with sweetness, with tenderness. When I saw the altar boy kiss the cruet of water this morning at Mass, I felt how necessary ritual is to life.To kiss the earth, to lift the arms, to embrace the lonely.”
– Dorothy Day, The Catholic Worker, 1951

Let us pray…Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be OR the Holy Rosary

Prayer for the Canonization of Servant of God Dorothy Day (1897 – 1980)

God our Father,
Your servant Dorothy Day exemplified
the Catholic faith by her life
of prayer, voluntary poverty,
works of mercy, and
witness to the justice and peace
of the Gospel of Jesus.
May her life inspire your people
to turn to Christ as their Savior,
to see His face in the world’s poor, and
to raise their voices for the justice
of God’s kingdom.
I pray that her holiness may be recognized by your Church
And that you grant the following favor that I humbly ask through her intercession:
here mention your request)
I ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Archived Comments

Teresa Gould says:

January 28, 2021 at 12:00 pm

I have come to know Dorothy during the pandemic as I have had time to read much of her writings, especially her journals and letters. She has become my friend, of sorts, since so much of what she writes about and struggled with speaks directly to me. I am asking Dorothy to pray that my son will be healed from alcoholism. Dorothy knew the struggles of alcoholics, many of whom she housed and served, including alcoholic priests. Please pray with me, Dorothy, and all who read this, for healing for all those struggling with alcoholism and their families.

Nancy Cooney says:

April 27, 2020 at 2:56 am

I am taking my time with the Novena, I so enjoy thinking and praying with Dorothy who I knew slightly. If there is anything she can do to help our country devise a just treatment that will house the homeless, that is a miracle I strongly hope for. Thank you for your work.

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Works of Mercy and Works of Peace: A Late-Summer Missive from the Guild

By Casey Mullaney • August 31, 2026
Dear Dorothy Day Guild members and friends, Greetings and peace to each of you, your families, and your communities. As always, we hope this missive finds you well. This month’s update is a quick one, but we have a few invitations for fall events to share with you, as well as some reading and listening recommendations (including a collection of audio recordings of Dorothy’s talks and lectures you may not have heard before!) for the end of the season. Thank you so much for your enthusiastic support for our cause; keep reading to learn more about how you can continue to be involved in the coming months!

Summer Greetings and Canonization Updates

By Casey Mullaney • July 15, 2026
Dear Dorothy Day Guild friends and members, We hope that all of you are well, and for those in the United States, that you had a safe and happy July 4th weekend! Fifty years ago, for America’s Bicentennial anniversary, National Catholic Reporter included a six-page spread of greetings, poetry, and commentary from both ordinary and prominent American Catholics. Dorothy responded to their request for a quote with a one-word message to her country: “Repent.”

Ninety-three years ago today!

By Casey Mullaney • May 1, 2026
Dear members and friends of the Dorothy Day Guild, Greetings to each of you in this fourth week of Easter and on the occasion of the Catholic Worker movement’s 93rd anniversary! On May 1st, 1933, Dorothy, her daughter Tamar, and several others sold the first issue of The Catholic Worker newspaper in Union Square for a penny a copy, and as Dorothy later wrote in The Long Loneliness, “It all happened while we sat there talking, and it is still going on”! It is because of that faithful witness to the Gospel through Dorothy’s practices of nonviolence, hospitality, and voluntary poverty that we get to share in this joyful pilgrimage with you all these years later. Thank you, Dorothy, and happy anniversary to all our Catholic Worker friends, past and present!
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