ST FRANCIS CATHOLIC WORKER
540-369-0079
9631 Peppertree Road - Spotsylvania, Virginia 22553
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
ABOUT THE CATHOLIC WORKER MOVEMENT
The Catholic Worker Movement was founded by Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day in New York, in 1933.
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The aim of the Catholic Worker movement is to realize in the individual and in society the expressed and implied teachings of Jesus Christ. We see the Sermon on the Mount and the call to solidarity with the poor in spirit as being at the heart of these teachings.
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The Catholic Worker envisions a society based on Saint Thomas Aquinas' doctrine of the common good, in which the freedom and dignity of the person are fostered and the good of each person is bound to the good of the whole in he service of God. A person's primary responsibility is to the common good, and not to a political entity.
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The Catholic Worker advocates a society that is decentralized, very personal, and sees voluntary poverty as an implementation of Jesus's teaching on the unity of justice and charity. We believe in the gentle personal way of traditional Catholicism, in the personal obligation of looking after each other's needs. We also, believe in daily practice of the Works of Mercy, in Houses of Hospitality for the immediate relief of people in need, and in the establishment of farming communities, where each one works according to their abilities and receives according to their needs. Catholic Workers seek to defend the dignity of human life from conception to its natural ending in all of their activities and readily taken public stands on issues relevant to the sacredness of life.
Prayer is the the foundation of each Catholic Worker community. It is that which sustains and nurtures us, enabling us to serve the needs of our sisters and brothers around us. Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, co-Founders, were people of service, spending long hours of prayer in church or at home.
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Peacemaking, soup kitchens, houses of hospitality, conducting retreats, and the like are only a small example of our prayer through and for the Church and society.
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In the words of Dorothy Day, "And where are we going to learn to pray? Where are we going to learn to use these spiritual weapons? The only answer that we can see is in retreat houses... It is certainly a dream for the future... the retreatants, who will be workers, and poor people from our bread lines...". She wrote this in 1943. We at St. Francis Catholic Worker are honored to be able to implement this dream of one of our Founder's.
