Last year I stumbled upon a different volume in this series, 15 Days of Prayer with Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati by Père Charles Desjobert, OP, and really enjoyed it. I did some research on the series and this was the third volume I decided to work through.
I believe as of the writing of this review there have been 40 volumes in the series, the earliest I found was from 1999 through to a volume which was published in 2025. Only about a dozen seem to be in print currently and of those only a handful appears to have eBooks. With my dual form of dyslexia this is disappointing. I greatly prefer eBooks so I can change the font, and the colour of font and page to make reading easier. I have added all the eBook editions I could find to my wish list. About the Series we are informed:
“15 Days of Prayer Series
On a journey, it’s good to have a guide. Even great saints took spiritual directors or confessors with them on their itineraries toward sanctity. Now you can be guided by the most influential spiritual figures of all time. The 15 Days of Prayer series introduces their deepest and most personal thoughts.
This popular series is perfect if you are looking for a gift, or if you want to be introduced to a particular guide and his or her spirituality. Each volume contains:
• A brief biography of the saint or spiritual leader
• A guide to creating a format for prayer or retreat
• Fifteen meditation sessions with reflection guides”
Many of the books in this series were written in French and translated into English. That does not appear to be the case with this volume. This book was originally published in 2013, the physical volume appears to be out of print but the eBook is readily available. The description of this specific volume states:
“Dorothy Day connected radical faith with doing radical deeds. Beginning from her discovery of God in the Word when she was eight years old, Michael Boover shares Dorothy's reflections about her pilgrimage to the daily discipline of readiness and openness to God in her life, especially to God in her neighbor. He shares her words on why and how she prays, on her preference for frequent confession, on her intentional choice of suffering and poverty, and on her desire to imitate the saints and to make sanctity the norm of everyone's life.
In these 15 days, we see how Dorothy's discipline gave her true freedom. In particular, it allowed her to give priority to Love - to take the most direct route to God by loving her neighbor. She recognized "the paucity of her own best spiritual efforts and took refuge in the fact that God would do for believers what they could not fully do for themselves." Boover's practical exercises emulate Day's own temperament. They push you to live with more integrity and deeper love, and they show a deep compassion for the difficulty of the challenge.”
There is no ‘about the author’ section in the book or on the back. But we are informed on the page with the book description that:
“Michael Boover has been connected to the Catholic Worker movement since the early 70s when he met Dorothy Day and Catholic Worker priest Bernard E. Gilgun. Michael joined other young Catholic Workers in Central Massachusetts doing the works of mercy in a storefront and later house of hospitality in the city of Worcester and at the "House of Ammon" farm commune in Hubbardston. He also lived at the Catholic Worker Farm in Sheep Ranch, California. Michael currently lives and works at "Annunciation House of Worcester," a household blending Franciscan, Benedictine (Cistercian) and Catholic Worker influences. He and his wife, Diane, have four adult children who inspire and entertain.”
The chapters in this volume are:
How to Use This Book
A Brief Biography
Introduction
1: The Bible (and God) in the Attic
2: A Shaking Earth and Intimations of Solid Heavens
3: The Noise and Impetuousness of Youth
4: An Ever-Expanding Horizon
5: The Power of Prayer
6: Poverty and Hope
7: Spiritual Friendship
8: Love Come What May
9: Hope over the Long Haul: Investment in a Holy Alternative
10: A Self-Critical Stance that Leads to Holiness
11: The Grace of Persistence
12: Living in Christ, Living in the Church
13: Saint Dorothy?
14: Judged By Love
15: Still Sowing
Epilogue
Prayer for the Canonization of Servant of God Dorothy Day
Notes
For Further Reading
I highlighted a number of passages while reading this volume some of them are:
“Admittedly, at times the saints might well have traveled far beyond the experience of their guide and companion but more often than not they would return to their director and reflect on their experience. Understood in this sense, the director and companion provided a valuable contribution and necessary resource.”
“Lord, catch me off guard today. Surprise me with some moment of beauty or pain So that at least for the moment I may be startled into seeing that you are here in all your splendor, Always and everywhere, Barely hidden, Beneath, Beyond, Within this life I breathe.”
“Yet Dorothy would become a premier exponent of Catholic social teaching in America, and in many ways exemplifies the tradition in North America. She did not arrive at or assume this calling quickly. Her discernment went through a process of development. Her life story is quite striking in this regard; telling her story is a good starting point for examining her call to prayer, a call in which we all share.”
“Although the Days were not particularly religious, Dorothy was. Her spiritual inklings stood out from an early age. Their ties to organized religion were tenuous at best, attending services now and again in different Protestant churches. Yet these disparate and episodic encounters with Christian faith made a deep impression on young Dorothy. Within her was growing a sense of a biblical truth to be had and a sacred realm to be accessed.”
“The poor, she discovered—despite what seemed overwhelming odds—made life bearable for themselves and others in the midst of squalor. The young observer concluded that despite their economic status, all people had inherent dignity. She saw an amazing resilience and creativity in the lives of many of her poor neighbors.”
“Paradoxically, perhaps, it was this garrulous and indulgent community that somehow helped her narrow the gap between professing radical faith and practicing radical deeds. Her friends had a discipline of commitment, an observable correspondence between word and deed.”
“She learned the high cost of maintaining one’s convictions—serious and sometimes cruel opposition. She learned that anyone who would challenge injustice needed two essentials: a sturdy disposition and daring.”
“Over time, Day’s radical friends acknowledged her unspoken but increasingly evident spiritual sensibilities. Some suspected openly that Dorothy was too religious to be a good communist.”
“If God would bless and multiply what this young lad had given, so too would God do for her and those who followed her way if they were generous enough to give all that they had, no matter how small it seemed.”
“After her conversion to Catholicism and baptism in 1928, she exercised greater care concerning matters of politics and matters of the heart.”
“She became a tireless seeker after a better personal day for herself and a better day for society, a renewed social order. She would pursue such seeking, however, more on her own terms, an even more dramatic change than that of her conversion.”
“At first, Dorothy kept her faith to herself. In fact, even as she began praying in churches frequented by immigrants, the very people who drew her to this Church of the poor, she had never met a Catholic face-to-face. Bit by bit, however, she sought out and formed personal relationships with the editors of Catholic publications who gave her the chance to support her child and herself as a Catholic writer, although one with an unusual pedigree.”
“One day, Dorothy had prayed to discover a holy work that would truly be her own; the next day, Maurin appeared at her apartment door. Dorothy’s life and world would never be the same.”
“She would become a living example of Catholic social teaching taken seriously in an American context. She taught Americans what it meant to uphold human dignity and promote solidarity.”
“The task that Peter and Dorothy set before themselves was no less than converting people from selfishness and hatred to personal and social responsibility, shaping a world where every person had the physical and spiritual means to live a dignified life.”
“Dorothy had no trouble acknowledging Peter’s sanctity, but when someone suggested similar recognition for her she replied brusquely: “Don’t call me a saint. Don’t dismiss me that easily.” These two “saints” never called attention to their own virtue. They did not seek holiness for themselves but for all. In dismissing her own sanctity, she intended a lesson for everyone. We are all in this together. None of us should dismiss ourselves that easily.”
“She demonstrated that freely given and undaunted love is not only an idealistic way of life; it is pragmatic as well. Indeed, such love is the only remedy that really cures, the only thing that really works in the here and now even as we look to full union with Divinity in eternal life.”
“It was her last lesson to us—because we will be judged by how we have loved, we must therefore love in that measure. It is by love that all of us, despite our many failings and weaknesses, will find our way home.”
“In fifteen days of attentiveness in prayer, we will meet Dorothy in all of her complexity and beauty and our own spiritual lives will be enriched.”
“Dorothy claimed that whatever she may have achieved came about because she was not embarrassed to talk about God. This willingness to speak makes her a spiritual figure and guiding moral voice in confusing, even perilous, times.”
“Christians are called to conversion (turning toward Love) and depth conversion (turning again and again and ever more deeply to Love).”
“Dorothy discovered the cure for her own loneliness in her fellowship of lonely friends, a fellowship that makes the friends less lonely.”
“In discovering an old Bible in the attic of her new home in Oakland, Dorothy discovered a Friend whom she knew would accompany her for the rest of her life.”
“Dorothy’s childhood recollections resemble those in Thérèse of Lisieux’s The Story of a Soul. Encounters with the sacred by these young women might inspire us to revisit our own childhood experiences to discover the hand of God at work in them.”
“Highlight(orange) - Page 53 · Location 493
This solitary experience in grave circumstances made her question the nature and source of security. Perhaps this is the event that moved Dorothy to pray the prayer of the abandoned, the lost and the rejected.”
“That requires a singularity of vision. When our energies are scattered and we hear a cacophony of mixed and distressing voices (even within us), it takes a special effort and openness to accept those graces that enable us to focus our attention on the knowledge and love of Christ and to integrate in Him the voices within and outside of ourselves.”
“Discipline left Dorothy’s soul free. At one point in her spiritual life she accepted an invitation to become a Benedictine lay oblate at Saint Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois. This fellowship with vowed monks and fellow laity who adhered to a Rule—a way of living with Christian faith and integrity—further refined her vocation.”
“As we set our gaze on a wider horizon, our inner landscapes also expand. This new perspective sometimes comes through synthesizing our own varied experiences, sometimes through the shared insight of a significant other. In her mid-thirties, Dorothy was ready to take a higher, wider view of the political and spiritual landscape within and around her.”
“Dorothy was drawn to the wonder of traditional Catholicism, to the mystical tradition and later to those who spoke for that tradition and with whom she identified—Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Brother Lawrence. The Catholic Worker creatively blended the traditional elements with openness to the needs and vicissitudes of a particular social era.”
“Both scholar and worker himself, Maurin modeled the ideal of threading the intellectual’s clarified thought with the worker’s muscle, thereby giving ennobled thought the momentum to generate needed change, to making the ideal become real. Yet Peter proposed an even higher ideal. He called scholars to become workers and workers to be scholars.”
“Although it is difficult to acknowledge our sins and failings, over the years life offers many chances to do so. We cannot underestimate the value of an honest estimate of our actual state and its promise of a better day ahead.”
“When we fall, we need to know there is a way to a better place, to remedy poor choices. Dorothy often chose self-criticism and penance for herself. Although she found going to confession difficult, she received the sacrament often, learning there that new freedoms and hopes need to be born again and again. Through her acts of penance and hope, she understood how to pursue better ways.”
“In poverty, both physical and spiritual, Dorothy discovered herself rich in God’s providence and love. Simplicity, she discovered, brought to her life extraordinary balance and harmony.”
“We are possessed by our possessions, even our non-material ones. It takes a lot to seek the pure path. Sometimes that pure path begins with recognizing our own impurity, even in our quest for purity.”
“Spiritual friendship is the raison d’être for a book such as this, one that explores how one of God’s friends influenced others. Those who are close to God celebrate spiritual giftedness; their distinct witness cannot help but have a profound influence—not only for their peers, but also for those in other places and in other times.”
“But Dorothy so appreciated the retreats because she needed them almost desperately as a source of rest and a wellspring for her grace-thirsty soul. She urged her co-workers to look to their own spiritual needs and to slake their thirst as she did at these springs of grace. The activity of those in the Worker movement had to be based on prayer. Action that springs from such deep sources bears fruit, even if in ways that the world does not recognize or appreciate.”
“Authentic discipleship, however, calls for steadfastness.”
“Dorothy’s life was hard, filled with multiple challenges. Her books, diaries and letters convey how difficult her life really was, but also how sturdy she was, facing each day’s hardships with faith.”
“We must be undaunted in living beautiful lives even though life can be ugly. Love does cast out fear, but it costs—often a lot, sometimes everything.”
“Dorothy never ceased inviting God into her own pain and that of others. She understood the receptivity believers needed to savor fully divine assistance. In the mid-seventies she told the editors of Sojourners Magazine, “You have to imbibe faith, hope and love; otherwise you get too discouraged.” 11 She knew that the Church’s mission included members of the Body doing this imbibing together.”
“She conveyed the faith lessons she learned from Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy into the daily round of apostolic labors at the houses of hospitality. The colorful Russian characters, be they ordinary or eccentric, reflected the colorful spirit of the men and women who peopled Worker houses. Soul-centered radical Russian Christianity impressed Dorothy and influenced her movement. The Worker houses became schools of love where students studied with and learned from each other.”
“Dorothy acknowledged her vocation and learned how to meet its demands by consulting those who had gone before, and those who were facing the same challenges in the present.”
“Although Dorothy would find the title “Servant of God” more appropriate than “saint,” her cause for canonization has been opened. Interest in Dorothy, her lifetime of good works and her holiness is on the rise. Whether she is declared a saint or not, those familiar with her life story recognize her genuine sanctity.”
“The “school of hard knocks” sometimes left Dorothy grumpy, and the good in her life she saw not as something she merited, but as pure gift. Gratitude for grace is expressed in praise directed to God, not to self. Perhaps she feared that people would mistake grace for virtue.”
“A “Saint Dorothy” would not be content with being a passive, sweet heavenly intercessor. The Church, in its wisdom, knows full well the challenge Dorothy presents. Dorothy wanted and needed the Church. The Church, in proposing Dorothy for sainthood, is acknowledging the world’s need for Dorothy’s living witness to gospel truth.”
“The Church teaches that asking a saint’s intercession and emulating her virtues edifies and enriches the entire Body. Emulating the sterling faith, generosity and intelligence of someone like Dorothy can help us on our own path to sanctity. From time to time she stumbled, but by the grace of God always got up and returned to her path to holiness.”
“Dorothy has been named “Servant of God.” The movement’s and Dorothy’s recognition, however, are not her followers’ ultimate concern. Love is. Is the movement still grounded in love for God and for neighbor?”
“Dorothy demonstrated that the gospel mandate for Christian life in the modern world focuses on unadorned love and advocacy for the poor. Peter and Dorothy taught us that the personal and the communal dimensions of living serve each other. Workers should become scholars and scholars workers.”
“The Catholic Worker movement has become international. The tiny seed planted in New York City has sprouted and continues to grow, with houses of hospitality in Canada, Mexico, Australia, Uganda and in various European nations. Like the mustard seed in the parable, the Catholic Worker movement has spread to welcome “the birds of the air who find rest in its branches” in many parts of the world.”
“If we are rushed for time, sow time and we will reap time. Go to church and spend a quiet hour in prayer. You will have more time than ever and your work will get done. Sow time with the poor. Sit and listen to them, give them your time lavishly. You will reap time a hundredfold. Sow kindness and you will reap kindness. Sow love, you will reap love. “Where there is no love, if you put love, you will take out love”—it is again St. John of the Cross. The Long Loneliness, 252”
“She had the humility and perhaps also the audacity to say that if God meant for the movement to continue after her death, it would. If not, that was all right too. She displayed what spiritual writers call “holy indifference,” an attitude of detachment, resignation and submission in all things to the will of God.”
“Dorothy devoted her life to fulfilling the great commandments: love of God and love of neighbor. And she also committed herself with equal fervor to a life of thanksgiving for the gifts of creation and redemption. She sought to imitate Christ in her work for social justice as well as in her work of praise, seeking to love as Christ loved.”
“Can we be better people of the Book? How would spending more time with the Bible help our spiritual lives? How we take up and live a Biblical world view? Are our own children open to the Sacred? Does their wonder and joy in relating to God show us how we should think and act?”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. I highlighted way more than I though. There was so much in this volume that really spoke to me. I am now trying to figure out which book by Dorothy or about her to read next. Prior to reading this I had encountered excerpts of Dorothy’s works in my schooling. And I have read one brief biography. I really enjoyed working my way through this book. As the third in the series I appreciate the series even more now. I can see myself easily returning to it again in the future. I have been inspired me to get going and read as many in the collection as I can lay my hands on.
This is an excellent volume in what is shaping up to be a great series. Spending these 15 days with Servant of God Dorothy Day, the written reflections and the discussion questions was a moving experience. I can easily recommend this book and look forward to reading others in the series. I just really wish all of the 40 volumes were available as eBooks, I would work through them all if so.
Saint Francis of Assisi - Thaddée Matura O.F.M.
Saint Martín de Porres: A Saint of the Americas - Brian J. Pierce
