St. Martin de Porres Catholic Worker is hosting a Spirituality Speaker Series this upcoming May. All talks will take place at St. Francis of Assisi Church at 1439 Market Street, in the church’s basement. Learn more about each week’s talk below:
Saturday, May 3
“Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion” with Jeff Korgen
When: 9:30 AM (All are welcome to join for daily Mass at 8:00 AM @ St. Francis of Assisi, coffee and pastries to follow.)
Author Jeffry Odell Korgen will use slides of the beautiful art from Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion, a new graphic novel biography of Dorothy Day, to introduce audiences to the story of Servant of God Dorothy Day from her early life to her canonization process, which Jeff coordinated for seven years.
Jeffry Odell Korgen is a Catholic writer and comics creator with a 32-year career in pastoral ministry. From 2014-2021 he coordinated the local phase of Dorothy Day’s Cause for Canonization for Cardinal Dolan. He is the author of several books, including the newly published Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion. A native of Louisiana, Jeff is a graduate of Boston College with degrees in philosophy, pastoral ministry, and social work and holds a Graduate Certificate in Canon Law from St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. He is a Benedictine Oblate at St. Joseph’s Abbey in St. Benedict, Louisiana. He lives with his wife, sociologist Kathleen Odell Korgen, in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and has two grown daughters.
Sunday, May 11
“Prayer and Work: the Benedictine Spirituality of Dorothy Day” with Dr. Carmina Chapp
When: 3:30 PM, at St. Francis of Assisi Church basement
Dr. Carmina Chapp, a Benedictine oblate, will introduce audiences to the Benedictine spirituality of ora et labora, that is, prayer and work, that guided Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin as they founded the Catholic Worker movement.
Dr. Carmina Chapp is a Catholic theologian and Catholic Worker, living and working on the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm. She has been involved in Catholic education and seminary formation for over thirty years. She is the Dean of the School of Theological Studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Her interests include sacraments, liturgy, spirituality, and spinning wool from her sheep.
Sunday, May 18
“The Black Catholics Who Built the American Church with Nate Tinner-Williams
When: 3:30 PM, at St. Francis of Assisi Church basement
For centuries, the contributions of the U.S. Black Catholics have often been ignored in the Church and in society at large. Racism and neglect have characterized much of this history, but the past 60 years has seen a ressourcement of interest and engagement in the African roots of the American Catholic experience. Using historical and popular sources, Nate Tinner-Williams will explore the varied contributions of Black Catholics from the 16th century through the modern day in making our Church—and nation—more true to their founding ideals.
Nate Tinner-Williams is cofounder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger, an independent, nonprofit digital media publication covering stories of interest to African-American Catholics. He is a graduate of Pepperdine University, where he received a B.A. in Religion, and is currently a master’s student in theology at Xavier University of Louisiana’s Institute for Black Catholic Studies. He also freelances as a contributing writer for the Boston Globe.
Saturday, May 24
“Dorothy Day and the Works of Mercy in the Jubilee Year” with Martha Hennessy. Co-Sponsored with Pax Christi Harrisburg
When: 9:30 AM
Bishop Timothy Senior will be celebrating Mass at St. Francis of Assisi at at 8:00 AM followed by a coffee & donut hour before Ms. Hennessy’s talk. All are welcome!
Martha Hennessy will discuss the witness of her grandmother, Dorothy Day, whose life witnesses the radical transformative power of the works of mercy and offers a holy example to consider during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Martha Hennessy, seventh grandchild of Dorothy Day divides her time between the family farm in Vermont and practicing the works of mercy at Maryhouse Catholic Worker in New York City.
She is 69, a retired occupational therapist, and grandmother of nine. She has been imprisoned protesting war and nuclearpower/weapons, the use of drones, and the torture of prisoners in Guantanamo and US prisons. She has traveled to Russia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan,Korea, and Palestine to understand the impact of United States foreign military policy and the effects on countries around the world.
Questions? Please write to [email protected]