ABSTRACT
A selected biographical sketch of Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day was presented which served to highlight the aspects in the lives of each founder that influenced their personal philosophies and later the ideological development of the Catholic Worker. Maurin’s ideology was the basis upon which the Catholic Worker movement was developed. He envisioned the renewal of society as would occur as the result of a personal obligation on the part of everyone to provide for the needs of everyone else. A historical development of the Catholic Worker movement was included in this study which served to provide an understanding of how the group evolved in its commitment to its ideology over the years. The houses of hospitality, communal farm, publication of the newspaper, clarification of thought seminars and the group’s position on war and peace issues were all undertaken with Day’s guidance until her death in 1980.
