Towards the end of the Second Vatican Council, Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, was asked about the future of the church in America.  Day responded with the hope that Catholic youth would become more involved in causes which would increase their love for humanity, and also their love for God.  Day’s response spoke of the greater need for the participation of the laity in not only terms of the “Liturgy of the People,” but also for the greater transcendence of the human person, in their going forth into the community, and performing works of mercy for the betterment of all society. 

  
Fifty years after the closing of the Council, one must wonder whether there is still cause for hope and unity in a postmodern nation filled with atheism, pluralism, and a general turning away from organized religion.  Has the secular so overtaken the spiritual that organized religion will cease to exist in the United States?  I would like to believe that there is still hope for the future involvement of the youth and laity, however an decisive effort must be made to incorporate the teachings and witnesses offered by such American saints—and saintly figures—as Day, Venerable Solanus Casey, and Elizabeth Ann Seton. 

Over the past five years, I have researched and written extensively about Servant of God Day, an avowed pacifist, and advocate for the poor.  My fascination and deeper appreciation of Day’s witness concerns the power of her conversion experience, and her total gift of self to all of God’s creations, especially those poor and marginalized individuals which society often seeks to exclude from its very midst. 

Prior to her conversion to Catholicism in December of 1927, Day had admittedly led a most sinful life—she was briefly a Socialist during her time at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, wrote for both Communist and Socialist magazines and newspapers, was arrested in front of the White House for protesting in favor of the women’s suffragist movement, was arrested a second time under the guise of “prostitution” during the Palmer “Red Raids” of suspected anarchists in the 1920s, was rumored to have attempted suicide on two occasions, had an abortion, engaged in a year-long marriage to Berkeley Tobey—a playboy who would ultimately marry seven or eight different women in his lifetime—and  later bore a child out of wedlock with Forster Batterham.

However, Day ultimately experienced a deep conversion experience, and once she was touched by God’s ineffable grace, she did not vacillate in her commitment to serve the poor, voluntarily living a life of true Christian poverty for the remainder of her life.  Day’s witness inspires me—a most sinful man—with the hope of one day attaining the kingdom of God.  For if someone with Day’s past could see the light of God and seize upon His grace, then I truly believe that she has left me with a path that I can follow.  Day has also inspired me with hope for the future of an inclusive Church, although there is much left that needs to be accomplished.

Amidst declining Mass attendance, and all too numerous parish closings and mergers, I wonder about the youth of today, who have left the Catholic Church in America.  As a Catechist, I have witnessed many former students who have “disappeared” after receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation (Eighth Grade).  Perhaps the doctrine of the Church seems too rigorous for them, or the very thought of being religious is not fashionable in our fast-paced culture.  Perhaps the real reason is that the youth of today need to experience life on a deeper level, before making a commitment, and service, to a religion that their parents chose for them at birth.  If that is the case then, as a community, we need to have more patience, and keep the door open for the youth to return and get involved when they are ready.  To this end, it is important that we stress the power of saintly individuals like Day and Casey (saints in our own backyard, so to speak) early on in the education process.