Bonus: The Catholic Worker Movement with Renée Roden

QUICK SUMMARY

In this bonus episode of Religion to Reality, Renée Roden, a freelance religion journalist and Catholic Worker community member, has an in-depth conversation about living faith in action. Renee shares her journey from theater student at Notre Dame to running a Catholic Worker house in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, while offering a thoughtful exploration of how Catholics can bridge the gap between sacramental life and works of mercy. This conversation challenges listeners to reconsider what it means to truly live out their faith beyond Sunday Mass.

IN THIS BONUS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE

[00:03:00] The Catholic Worker Movement Explained Renee provides an accessible introduction to the Catholic Worker movement, founded in the 1930s by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. She explains how Dorothy Day prayed for a way to unite her writing skills, love for the poor, and newfound Catholic faith—and the next day met Peter Maurin, who introduced her to Catholic social teaching. Within months, they launched The Catholic Worker newspaper (cleverly named to counter the communist Daily Worker), and the movement exploded from 2,500 copies to six-figure readership within three years. The movement centers on Houses of Hospitality, voluntary poverty, and practicing the corporal works of mercy.

[00:11:00] Navigating Political Division The conversation tackles how Catholics can remain faithful during politically charged times without getting distracted by national politics at the expense of local, concrete action. Renee explains Dorothy Day’s anarchism: she marched for women’s suffrage and was imprisoned for it, yet never cast a vote herself. Day believed the state always serves its own interests and those of corporations or elites. Rather than focusing on distant political figures we don’t even know personally, the Catholic Worker approach asks: “How do I care for my neighbor right now?” This localized focus prevents us from treating national political disagreements as distractions from the immediate, joyful work we can do in our own communities.

[00:15:00] Personalism as a Third Way Drawing on philosopher Emmanuel Mounier’s concept of personalism, Renee articulates how the Catholic Worker offers a political vision centered on human dignity and freedom—distinct from both individualistic capitalism and collectivist ideologies. She explains that personalism asks fundamental questions: “What causes a human person to flourish? Are our structures supporting a person’s ability to seek the good?” This approach shifts the focus from abstract national policy debates to concrete encounters with neighbors at the local level, bringing politics back to its first principles.

[00:20:00] Voluntary Poverty and True Freedom Renee wrestles honestly with the challenging concept of voluntary poverty, sharing how her partner James once told her “voluntary poverty promotes community and is freeing”—which initially baffled her. She explains how it’s not about deprivation but about answering the question: “Who do I depend on?” Rather than depending on personal wealth and self-sufficiency, voluntary poverty means bringing your needs to God and depending on community. It creates genuine relationships based on material need, not just emotional connection, making community more meaningful and human.

[00:27:00] The Eucharist and Works of Mercy Connection Father John and Renee explore the deep connection between sacramental life and active service, addressing why the discipleship study shows Catholics excelling at liturgical participation but struggling with consistent works of mercy. Renee discusses the liturgical movement’s influence on Dorothy Day, particularly the understanding that the Eucharist contains a call to “go be Eucharist in the world.” As Pope Francis teaches in The Joy of the Gospel, churches shouldn’t serve material needs while neglecting spiritual needs—and vice versa. The goal is integration: there should be no division between “helpers” and “the helped.” Father John adds that the Eucharist trains us to see beyond appearances—recognizing Christ both in consecrated bread and in the person on the street.

[00:36:00] Community Living: Ideals and Reality With refreshing honesty, Renee addresses the challenges of intentional community living, acknowledging that many Catholic Worker houses have struggled or failed. She contrasts Catholic Workers with Benedictine monks who have “a 1,300-year-old rule and two years of novitiate training”—clear structures and guardrails. Many Catholic Worker communities lack sufficient “clarification of thought” about what it means to be a Catholic Worker and what their goals are. Renee notes that the movement is thriving among families who practice hospitality in their homes, providing natural stability through marital commitment and intimacy. Her advice: start with friendship first, read Catholic Worker literature together with like-minded people, and focus on your neighborhood community rather than just who shares your household.

[00:43:00] Finding Your Catholic Worker Community Renee addresses young Catholics who discover Dorothy Day, get excited, but then feel disillusioned when they visit Catholic Worker houses that don’t reflect the sacramental, orthodox Catholicism they value. She encourages them to seek out the many Catholic Worker communities that do have “a beautiful liturgical life” and are “on fire” with energy and commitment. The Catholic Worker website makes these communities easy to find. She also explains that Catholic Worker houses practice “radical welcome,” which draws many wounded people who’ve never felt belonging elsewhere—whether rejected by church or society. This can create challenges, but also opportunities for dialogue and parish partnerships that bring new life to communities.

ABOUT RENEE RODEN

Renee Roden is a freelance religion journalist who writes for America Magazine and US Catholic. She had a book about Christian unity in Jerusalem published by Liturgical Press last June. Renee currently lives at a Catholic Worker house in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with her partner James, where they practice hospitality and community living.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• America Magazine – Catholic publication Renee writes for
• US Catholic – Another outlet for Renee’s journalism
• Liturgical Press – Who published Renee’s book
• Notre Dame Magazine – Where Renee wrote an article on the Catholic Worker
• How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell – Book discussing intentional communities and their challenges
• The Catholic Worker website – For finding Catholic Worker communities
• Rerum Novarum (Pope Leo XIII) and Quadragesimo Anno – Foundational Catholic social teaching encyclicals
• The Long Loneliness – Dorothy Day’s autobiography
• The Joy of the Gospel – Pope Francis’s teaching on integrated service

MEMORABLE QUOTES

“If we believe that we are part of the mystical body of Christ, well then, all of our institutions ought to reflect that fact that we have this great dignity as Christ’s body.”

“Politics essentially is how I treat my neighbor and how me and my neighbors work together.”

“Voluntary poverty is freeing… It shifts who you depend on—do I depend on myself and my capabilities, or do I depend on God?”

“The point of the works of mercy is we’re all supposed to be doing it for each other. We all come into this world needing to be fed.”

“How powerful would our witness be to the world if Catholics lived that way? Where it’s like, they look at that person and they see God, they see Christ.”

“Community life is hard… but you have a 1,300-year-old rule. Catholic Workers don’t have enough clarification of what it means to even be a Catholic Worker.”

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