Catholic.id

Mary & the SaintsIntermediate

Is Dorothy Day considered saintly because of her support for Fidel Castro?

Mary & the Saints

The short answer

Of course not. Holy people are admired for their holiness, not their politics. Dorothy Day, a convert who founded the Catholic Worker movement, cared above all for the poor and marginalized, rejected the "free love" revolution, and stayed loyal to the Church. She is a Servant of God.

Holy people are admired for their sanctity, not their politics.

Dorothy Day (1897-1980) was a journalist who converted to Catholicism. Before her conversion she lived a sinful life for years, including two common-law marriages and an abortion. Afterward she worked in social justice causes and founded the Catholic Worker movement. She took political positions that would now be called leftist, but her main concern was to care for and advocate for the poor and marginalized.

When the "free love" revolution of the 1960s came, she rejected it, saying she had already lived through its bad effects. She remained staunchly loyal to the Church. The Archdiocese of New York opened her cause for sainthood in 2000, and she has the title Servant of God.