Servant of God

With the smash of a bottle of ceremonial champagne over the stern of Stanten Island’s newest ferry, The Dorothy Day, the vessel was commissioned to carry on the legacy of Servant of God Dorothy Day, revered activist in New York history and the Catholic Church. The vessel will shuttle people across New York Harbor in one of the world’s busiest passenger-only systems.

The Dorothy Day has its own Gulf Coast connections. It was the last of a series of three Ollis-class Stanten Island ferries built by the Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Port St. Joe, Florida. The building of the ship is said to have revived the ship building business and created a stir in having a Stanten Island ferry parked in the Gulf Coast.

After the completion of the “cutting edge” 4,500 passenger boat, in September it was towed on a 14-day trek to New York City for final detailing, testing and inspection.

On November 4, Day’s granddaughter, Martha Hennessy, herself an activist, did the honors of christening the boat. Hennessy said Day loved the Stanten Island Ferry. Religious and civic leaders alike spoke about Day’s numerous contributions to the betterment of the community. According to reports, during the commissioning New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Day “represents what is great about New Yorkers and New York City.” She was hailed by attendees for her fight for peace and against hunger.

Day was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1897. Her family moved from New York to San Francisco then to Chicago, where she was baptized in the Episcopal Church. When she attended college at the University of Illinois in Urbana she became involved in social justice issues. In 1916 she moved to New York City and worked as a journalist and participated in protest movements. In her 20s she also experienced failed love affairs, a marriage, a suicide attempt and an abortion.

Yet, her love for the Catholic Church grew as a “church for the poor” and she underwent a conversion following the birth of her daughter Tamar. She joined the Catholic Church in 1927.

While covering the 1932 Hunger March in Washington, D.C., she met Peter Maurin, a French immigrant Catholic Socialist worker. Together they founded the Catholic Worker newspaper and Catholic Social Movement in 1933, which was dedicated to helping the impoverished.

Day died on Nov. 29, 1980 in Manhattan. The Archdiocese of New York opened her canonization process in 2000 with approval of Pope John Paul II. She has been given the title Servant of God.

On Dec. 8, 2021, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrated a Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in New York City to formally “sendoff” to the Vatican 17 sealed boxes containing evidence in support of the advancement of Day’s sainthood cause.