Dorothy Day’s Complicated Cause for Sainthood

Twenty-six years ago, John Cardinal O’Connor launched Dorothy Day’s candidacy for sainthood: “It has long been my contention that Dorothy Day is a saint—not a ‘gingerbread’ saint or a ‘holy card’ saint, but a modern day devoted daughter of the Church, a daughter who shunned personal aggrandizement and wished that her work . . . might be the hallmark of her life rather than her own self.” Cardinal O’Connor’s petition was met with support, and Day was declared a servant of God by the Vatican. In 2012, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops unanimously recommended moving forward with her canonization cause. Pope Benedict XVI spoke well of Day. There matters have rested.