The Implicit Liberation Theology of Dorothy Day: A Reflection on Female Holiness in the Active Life

This paper will analyze the life of Servant of God, Dorothy Day, through the hermeneutical lens of liberation theology. Although Day was not an explicit liberation theologian, her work through the Catholic Worker Movement exemplifies liberative qualities. I will parallel the liberation between Base Ecclessial Communities in Latin America and the Houses of Hospitality in the Catholic Worker Movement, arguing that liberation for those on the margins stems from first offering safe places for the creativity of the marginalized to flourish. It is safety that thus leads to creativity - to a restoration of one’s agency and an affirmation of one’s voice and dignity - that can then lead to a stable and sustainable liberation.