Performance “Haunted by God: the Life of Dorothy Day”
Haunted by God is an acclaimed play about the co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, Dorothy Day (1897-1980), who spent 47 years caring for the poor and leading the Catholic Church to a more active concern for the needy in U.S. society. The Catholic Worker became a living movement that has been responsible for feeding and housing the homeless; and today, there are over 200 Catholic Worker houses around the world. Pope Francis praised Day in a speech to the U.S. Congress, saying, "Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.“
This dramatic portrait, featuring Still Point Founder/Artistic Director Lisa Wagner-Carollo, follows Dorothy Day from her days as a 17-year-old Greenwich Village bohemian through her later years as a tireless champion of social justice. Haunted by God: The Life of Dorothy Day has been touring the U.S. since May of 1990, and has also been presented internationally at the Pax Christi International Conference in Assisi, Italy in 1995, and at the 1999 Parliament of World Religions in Cape Town, South Africa.
Haunted by God was written by Paul Amandes, Lisa Wagner-Carollo, and Robert McClory. It was directed by Virginia Smith, with costume and set design by Daniel Ostling. Lisa Wagner-Carollo performs the play.
Reviews:
“...A wonderfully uplifting theater experience”
-Cynthia Martens, Sojourners Magazine
“It’s not easy to capture the spirit of a woman nominated for sainthood, but Wagner does it with charm, wit, and tremendous faith in the power of her words. The day is fascinating because she was so human and so holy at the same time, and Wagner and her co-writers ... are wise enough to show both sides. They skillfully balance Day’s charms, passions, mistakes, and misgivings making the point that people who are not perfect in a dogmatically religious sense are still capable of performing great acts of faith and love.”
-Maura Troester, Chicago Reader
About the Catholic Worker Movement:
On May 1, 1933, in the depths of the Great Depression, The Catholic Worker newspaper made its debut with a first issue of twenty-five hundred copies. Dorothy Day and a few others hawked the paper in Union Square for a penny a copy (still the price) to passersby.
Today 187 Catholic Worker communities remain committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the homeless, exiled, hungry, and forsaken. Catholic Workers continue to protest injustice, war, racism, and violence of all forms.
Explore the life and writings of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. Discover what Catholic Worker communities worldwide are doing today to fulfill Dorothy and Peter’s vision. It is a fascinating story.
Time: 2:30 — 4:00 pm EDT
Free!
