GCU’s McAuley Institute Offers Second University for a Day

In 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin founded the Catholic Worker Movement and Catholic Worker newspaper. In November 2012, the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops voted unanimously to support the cause of sainthood for Dorothy Day. Join Georgian Court University’s McAuley Institute for Lifelong Learning (MILL) on Saturday, April 27, for a day exploring Day’s life in faith, and the art, history, principles, and activism of the Catholic Worker Movement.

Born on November 8, 1897, in New York, New York, Dorothy Day started out as journalist, writing for several socialist and progressive publications in the 1910s and 1920s. Intrigued by the Catholic faith for years, she converted in 1927. Six years later, she co-founded The Catholic Worker, which promoted Catholic teachings and explored societal issues of the day. It also birthed the Catholic Worker Movement, which tackled issues of social justice guided by its religious principles. As part of the movement’s belief in hospitality, Day helped establish special homes to help those in need. The movement quickly spread to other cities in the United States and to Canada and the United Kingdom; more than 30 independent but affiliated CW communities had been founded by 1941. Well over 100 communities exist today around the world.

The MILL program, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the North Dining Room on the Lakewood campus, includes a buffet lunch and presentations by GCU faculty on Day and the Catholic Worker Movement. Presentations include “Dorothy Day and Catholic Workers on War and Peace,” by Scott H. Bennett, Ph.D., professor of history, “The Catholic Worker Movement: Ideals and Practices,” by Joseph Gower, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies; “The Art of the Catholic Worker,” (featuring woodcuts and drawings) by Suzanne Pilgram, associate professor of art and chair of the Department of Art and Music; and “Dorothy Day—A Biographical Sketch” by Johann Vento, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and chair of the Department of Theology, Religious Studies, and Philosophy.

The cost is $125 per MILL member and $150 per non-MILL member, and includes all academic presentations, morning refreshments, and a buffet lunch. Annual MILL membership is just $25.

The event is one of more than 25 courses and programs for adults ages 50 and above offered by the MILL program in the Spring 2013 semester. Combining social interaction and learning without tests or homework, MILL offers social events for members and courses in subjects ranging from golf, T’ai Chi Chih®, and holistic home remedies to rose cultivation, Einstein, and the Korean War.

Pre-registration is required for all courses and programs and may be done online at alumni.georgian.edu/mill. Registration forms for mailing and a complete schedule of all courses can be found at www.georgian.edu/mcauley. For more information, please contact Alice Velez, MILL program specialist, at 732.987.2201.

About the McAuley Institute for Lifelong Learning at Georgian Court University
The McAuley Institute is a community education program designed for adults, ages 50 and above, who have a passion for learning and want to foster successful aging through continued education and socialization. MILL members also attend social networking events and invitation-only activities with headline guests who appear at GCU throughout the year. MILL sponsors for the 2012–2013 academic year include the Florian J. Lombardi Foundation Inc. and Creative Financial Group of New Jersey. Learn more about the McAuley Institute for Lifelong Learning by contacting Alice Velez, MILL program specialist, at 732.987.2201 or avelez@georgian.edu. Registration forms and detailed course listings are available online at www.georgian.edu/mcauley, and online registration is available at alumni.georgian.edu/mill.