Dorothy's career began as a writer for radical papers during the Bohemian whirl of 1917 Greenwich Village. There was a doomed affair, an attempted suicide and an abortion; love anew, the birth of her daughter and a conversion to Catholicism. Her conversion, however, forced her to sacrifice her common-law marriage, and her quest "to build a new world in the shell of the old" cost her only child a normal life.

The film begins at the height of the Depression with Dorothy meeting the French peasant philosopher, Peter Maurin. Bound by the teachings of Christ they created the Catholic Worker, a social justice movement that persists to this day.

Dorothy's commitment to justice and peace led to several arrests for civil disobedience and to a life dedicated to helping the hungry and the homeless. In 1980 Dorothy died of heart failure at Maryhouse, a home she founded for the homeless women of New York CIty .

The Catholic Worker lives on in over 180 Houses of Hospitality and Soup Kitchens around the world and its socially critical newspaper still sells for a penny a copy.

This film is comprised of interviews with Dorothy, her intimates, Dorothy’s personal writings, and compelling images of her life and times. All of these elements serve to illustrate Dorothy’s dramatic attempt to marry her spiritual calling with her dedication to social justice.

Updates

Dorothy Day: Don’t Call Me A Saint was a huge success at New York 's 2006 Tribeca Film Festival!

The director, Claudia Larson, is currently seeking financing to develop the film’s companion media properties, which will utilize 14 years of research materials and interviews. Claudia is available for educational screenings and presentations.