Alumna to Discuss Catholic Worker Movement and Meeting Dorothy Day
Rosalie Riegle '59Media Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary’s College
(574) 284-4579
September 30, 2014 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Career Crossings Office, the Department of Communication Studies, and the Cushwa-Leighton Library will welcome alumna Rosalie Riegle ’59 to Saint Mary’s College as a 2014 Collegiate Speakers Series lecturer. In her talk, "Matching Insides and Outsides: A Journey to the Catholic Worker," Riegle will explore her life and career experiences and her passion for working with the Catholic Worker movement. The movement, founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933, is committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the homeless, exiled, hungry, and forsaken. The lecture, which is free and open to the community, will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7 on the second floor mezzanine of the library. The event is free an open to the public. Click for a campus map.
As a peace activist during the Vietnam War, Riegle briefly met Day and the encounter changed her life. After collecting and publishing an oral history of the Catholic Worker movement, Riegle co-founded two Catholic Worker houses of hospitality in Saginaw, Mich. In total, more than 200 Catholic Worker communities exist today. Riegle wrote “Dorothy Day: Portraits of Those Who Knew Her” and recently published two other oral histories of Catholic Worker and other nonviolent faith-based war resisters.
Director of the Career Crossings Office Stacie Jeffirs said the impact of the Catholic Worker on contemporary society will come alive in Riegle’s lecture. “Rosalie’s talk provides a look into the inspirational life of Day, how it deeply impacted her own calling in life, and how dedicating your life to help those in need and taking on a nonviolence stance is still very relevant to this day in the Catholic Church and beyond.” Jeffirs said.
After graduating from Saint Mary’s with a degree in business administration, Riegle received her doctorate from the University of Michigan and taught English at Saginaw Valley State University for 33 years.
Anyone with questions about the event should contact Jeffirs at sjeffirs@saintmarys.edu.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. The College’s single-gender environment has been proven, in study after study, to foster confidence, ethical leadership, and strong academic success. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2015 published by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College’s mission is to educate women and prepare them for postgraduate success whether it’s a first job, graduate school, or postgraduate service.
Press release composed by media relations intern Haleigh Ehmsen ’16, a communication studies and English writing double major.