The Forgotten Radical Peter Maurin: Easy Essays from the Catholic Worker , edited by LincolnRice (New York: Fordham University Press, 2020), viii + 584 pp.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly S. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  



Moreana ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 12 (Number 47-4 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-115
Author(s):  
Richard Chase
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  


Author(s):  
Nicholas K. Rademacher

Paul Hanly Furfey realigned his approach to social reform during and after his sabbatical in Germany, questioning now the efficacy of a purely scientific approach. Furfey’s scientific studies in Germany, the onset of the Great Depression and stirrings of World War II led Furfey to re-evaluate his hypotheses on social reform. His emphasis shifted to a supernatural perspective. Furfey’s progress from optimism in 1931 to a revised approach in 1935 can be traced across three benchmarks: first, his request to study medical science in Germany and his subsequent intellectual conversion while there; second, his report to the rector of CUA upon his return, a report in which Furfey frankly outlined the new directions in his outlook consequent to what he learned while abroad; and, third, his gravitation toward a more determinedly counter-cultural approach to social reform that was inspired, in part, by the Catholic Worker community in New York City. By 1935, Furfey was in the midst of blending these new insights into his already existing theoretical and practical frameworks for promoting social justice.



Author(s):  
Anne Klejment

This article maps the emergence of Christian anarchism in New York City through the life of Dorothy Day and the first decade of her Catholic Worker movement. As a young journalist during the World War I era, she rejected organized religion and found community among anarchists, socialists, Communists, and Wobblies. A practitioner of “advocacy journalism,” Day joined in demonstrations while researching stories for the radical press. After a conversion to Catholicism, several factors led to her leadership in building a Christian intentional community. While providing the best examples of direct action toward nonviolent revolution, secular radicalism lacked what Day considered an essential element: connection with the spiritual. She identified the Catholic church with the immigrants and workers to whom she wished to dedicate her labors. Uncertain of how to translate her faith into radical activism, she found inspiration from Peter Maurin, an eccentric Union Square orator, whose radical, but somewhat reactionary, vision of society provided her with a blueprint for a Christian intentional community.





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