Customer Reviews

Voices From Catholic Worker

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Four months ago I started volunteering at a fairly new Catholic Worker house in Akron, OH. I knew virtually nothing about The Worker; of course, I'd heard of Dorothy Day and even stayed in a Worker house on a weekend retreat but never thought to inquire into its history and philosophies. A good friend asked me to help her out at the Casa de la Paz (the Akron House), to get me out of the full-time work/college grind. I agreed and fell in love with the folks I came in contact with. Quickly I sank deeper and deeper into the house's struggles and joys (mostly joys) and picked up on the philosophies behind the movement. Aine, one of the house coordinaters, loaned me her copy of Voices from the Catholic Worker to read. An avid reader herself, she pointed out a couple in the book and directed my attention to a hand-written script in the first pages. "To Mary and Pat {Murray}, True Catholic Worker "lifers" and an inspiration to me. Love, Rosalie" I delved into the book and learned of a truly blessed movement through the mouths and lives of the people that helped withstain it. Folks like the Murrays, the Zarrellas, and other common people whose lives were transformed forever. Troester weaves the memories of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin and other prominent figures into a cohesive history that reads like a campfire conversation. Strangely intimate and familiar, one feels a friendship with the storytellers that delves the reader into the book and arrests his/her interest in the present. (My teapot screamed for minutes before I shook myself out of my reverie and answered its wail.) One of the best books I've read this year, it's a necessary read for those searching for a more intimate recount of the Catholic Worker history.

Troester is only the editor of this book. The actual text is taken from interviews of Catholic Workers all over N America. Because of this, it's an all-encompassing book...with voices who are Catholic, Jewish, Athiest, Buddhist, and in-between...people who practice hospitality in different ways, running Shelters, Soup Kitchens, Farms, and also homes for kids...people with all sorts of different opinions and ages...and stories of all different sorts. No one person could possibly have written such an excellent book. Also, if you're hesitating about reading this book because you think it may be too Catholic, or too political, or too do-gooder, too conservative or too radical or what have you...then I suggest that there are so many voices in this book that this need not be a concern. Somewhere in this book there is a story of profound value for everyone.

The intellectual ferment at the Catholic Worker comes across in this book, which includes views ranging from those of prominent people to those of children. Catholic Workers are fiercely independent thinkers who take ideas seriously. Their roundtable discussions are not unlike those of the Transcendentalists at Boston and Brook Farm in the 1840s. But they don't live in ivory towers. They are in the front lines of the struggle for social justice. Practicing hands-on Christianity, they live with the broken people they serve, and have stories to tell that most people cannot even imagine! I especially liked the one about the Catholic Worker activist who was sentenced by a judge to do community service. I already do that, she replied, to the consternation of the judge.

This provocative book of practical philosophy covers the movement from every angle: why people join, why they leave, what they think about war and peace, usury and capitalism, going to jail for justice, community and family life, abortion, homosexuality, feminism, the Catholic church, and many other issues. No evasion of thorny issues here! There are insights from many Worker communities in the U.S. and Canada, plus interesting accounts of the history and personalities of the movement. A very lively and candid discussion!

It's the small human touches that make connections that make a difference. Riegle has done an inspiring job of recording them in a book that's encouraging to read especially at a time when success is measured in mergers and Web billions.