The 8th Day Center for Justice was a left-of-center ostensibly Catholic-aligned organization that promoted anti-war views, increased government control over the economy, and left-progressive views on civil rights and civil liberties. The organization held many views that contradicted traditional Catholic teachings, including outright anti-capitalism, support for left-of-center gay and transgender advocacy, and support for left-progressive feminism. ¹

The organization shut down in 2018 after it developed persistent fundraising difficulties.

Overview

The organization was founded in 1974 after a call by the left-wing Catholic organization Urban Apostolate of Sisters of Chicago for an organization devoted to peace and justice in Chicago. The call was also fueled by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, and its call for the Catholic Church to align with more left-progressive policies, particularly on war and social welfare. ²

The organization was founded by members of six Catholic religious communities: Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dominicans,  Adrian Dominicans, Sisters of Providence, and Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The name 8th Day Center for Justice was chosen from the Biblical concept of seven days of creation. The “8th Day” is a reflection that creation is still in progress and that humans have the free will and the responsibility to shape their world. ³

In the group’s first year, it focused on hunger related issues in Chicago. It helped establish the Food Stamp Hotline. ⁴

Later the organization worked to increase social welfare spending in Chicago and Illinois as a part of the Public Welfare Coalition, Illinois Hunger Coalition, Illinois Coalition to End Homelessness, Homeless on the Move for Equality and Chicago Coalition for the Homeless coalitions. ⁵

In the 1980s, it began to shift its focus towards opposing U.S. foreign policy. It opposed then-President Ronald Reagan’s revitalization of the U.S. military. It also opposed U.S. efforts to combat communism in Central America. ⁶

From the 1990s on, the organization shifted its focus to opposing U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. The organization opposed the post-September 11, 2001 War on Terror, the 1991 liberation of Kuwait from Iraq, and the 2003 war to depose Saddam Hussein’s regime. ⁷

In 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, Sister of Providence Kathleen Desautels, who worked at the organization, was arrested for entering Fort Benning Army Base in Georgia during a protest against the School of Americas, which trained soldiers and officers from Latin America. She was sentenced to six months in federal prison. ⁸

The organization has also differed from Catholic teaching on homosexuality and transgender rights. It was the fiscal sponsor for the Transformative Justice Law Project, a group that worked with transgender people to change their birth certificates. ⁹ It also partnered with the Gay Liberation Network to advance gay rights ¹⁰ and opposed a proposed ban on gay priests. ¹¹

The organization also differed from the Catholic Church’s traditional views on the roles of women in the church and feminism, supporting both the ordination of women to the priesthood and legal abortion. ¹²

In 2012, the organization organized a protest against NATO when it met in Chicago. ¹³

The organization was also anti-capitalist, ¹⁴ supporting increased welfare spending and opposing free trade because it harms the poor in foreign countries and threatens the environment. ¹⁵

It supported expansionist immigration policies and amnesty for illegal immigrants and opposed then-President Donald Trump’s travel ban. ¹⁶

The organization was the original sponsor of the annual Good Friday Walk for Justice. ¹⁷

Closing Down

In 2017, the organization made the decision to shut down. It stated that its primary mission, promoting the far-left belief of “intersectionality” that sees “oppression” as interconnected among race, class, and gender, had been achieved. ¹⁸

In addition, the organization had experienced problems raising money since the early 2000s and was no longer financially sustainable, despite being financially supported by 35 congregations. ¹⁹

Leadership

The organization did not have an executive director and or any other manager. It was governed through a non-hierarchical structure. ²⁰

One of the most high-profile members of the staff was Kathleen Desautels of the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary of The Woods. She was interviewed when members of the press did stories on the organization. ²¹

Finances

According to its final tax return in 2017, the organization had $117,886 in revenue and $650,709 in expenses. It had $37,039 in assets. ²²

Among the left-of-center organizations that received grants in the final tax return were the American Friends Service Committee, the Arab American Action Network, Arise Chicago, and Crossroads Fund. The organization also made grants to various other organizations based in Chicago. ²³

1. This Feminist Model Of Organizing Puts The Gospel In Action.” U.S. Catholic. 2018. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201801/this-feminist-model-of-organizing-puts-the-gospel-in-action/.
2.  “8th Day Center For Justice.” 8^th Day Center for Justice.  Accessed April 8, 2022. https://8thdaycenter.org/.
3. “8th Day Center For Justice.” Social Networks And Archival Context. Accessed January 24, 2022. https://snaccooperative.org/ark:/99166/w6g79m9g.
4. “8th Day Center For Justice.” Social Networks And Archival Context. Accessed January 24, 2022. https://snaccooperative.org/ark:/99166/w6g79m9g.
5. Pagosa, Dorothy. “Catholic Laity And Religious On Poverty: An Account Of How The Preferential Option For The Poor Manifests Itself In The Lives Of Some Catholics.” The Free Library. 2005. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Catholic+laity+and+religious+on+poverty:+an+account+of+how+the…-a0138811694.
6. “8th Day Center For Justice.” Social Networks And Archival Context. Accessed January 24, 2022. https://snaccooperative.org/ark:/99166/w6g79m9g.
7. “8th Day Center For Justice.” Social Networks And Archival Context. Accessed January 24, 2022. https://snaccooperative.org/ark:/99166/w6g79m9g.
8. “This Feminist Model Of Organizing Puts The Gospel In Action.” U.S. Catholic. 2018. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201801/this-feminist-model-of-organizing-puts-the-gospel-in-action/.
9. “This Feminist Model Of Organizing Puts The Gospel In Action.” U.S. Catholic. 2018. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201801/this-feminist-model-of-organizing-puts-the-gospel-in-action/.
10. Araujo-Hawkins, Dawn. “As 8th Day Center For Justice Enters Final Year, Sisters Shepherd Center’s Conclusion.” Global Sisters Report. 2017. https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry-equality/8th-day-center-justice-enters-final-year-sisters-shepherd-centers-conclusion.
11. “Statement Re Church Sexual Abuse.” 8th Day Center For Justice. Accessed January 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20060711195041/http://www.8thdaycenter.org/aboutus/statements.html#8th_DAY_STATEMENT_RE_CHURCH_SEXUAL_ABUSE.
12. Araujo-Hawkins, Dawn. “As 8th Day Center For Justice Enters Final Year, Sisters Shepherd Center’s Conclusion.” Global Sisters Report. 2017. https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry-equality/8th-day-center-justice-enters-final-year-sisters-shepherd-centers-conclusion.
13. “This Feminist Model Of Organizing Puts The Gospel In Action.” U.S. Catholic. 2018. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201801/this-feminist-model-of-organizing-puts-the-gospel-in-action/.
14. This Feminist Model Of Organizing Puts The Gospel In Action.” U.S. Catholic. 2018. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201801/this-feminist-model-of-organizing-puts-the-gospel-in-action/.
15. “Statement Re Church Sexual Abuse.” 8th Day Center For Justice. Accessed January 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20060711195041/http://www.8thdaycenter.org/aboutus/statements.html#8th_DAY_STATEMENT_RE_CHURCH_SEXUAL_ABUSE.
16. Araujo-Hawkins, Dawn. “As 8th Day Center For Justice Enters Final Year, Sisters Shepherd Center’s Conclusion.” Global Sisters Report. 2017. https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry-equality/8th-day-center-justice-enters-final-year-sisters-shepherd-centers-conclusion.
17.  Araujo-Hawkins, Dawn. “As 8th Day Center For Justice Enters Final Year, Sisters Shepherd Center’s Conclusion.” Global Sisters Report. 2017. https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry-equality/8th-day-center-justice-enters-final-year-sisters-shepherd-centers-conclusion.
18. Araujo-Hawkins, Dawn. “As 8th Day Center For Justice Enters Final Year, Sisters Shepherd Center’s Conclusion.” Global Sisters Report. 2017. https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry-equality/8th-day-center-justice-enters-final-year-sisters-shepherd-centers-conclusion.
19. “8th Day Center For Justice: Taproot To The Future.” Sisters Of Charity Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. 2018. https://www.bvmsisters.org/8th-day-center-for-justice-taproot-to-the-future/.
20. “This Feminist Model Of Organizing Puts The Gospel In Action.” U.S. Catholic. 2018. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201801/this-feminist-model-of-organizing-puts-the-gospel-in-action/.
21. “This Feminist Model Of Organizing Puts The Gospel In Action.” U.S. Catholic. 2018. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201801/this-feminist-model-of-organizing-puts-the-gospel-in-action/.
22. 8th Day Center For Justice, Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2017. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/362826825/03_2019_prefixes_35-36%2F362826825_201809_990_2019031216166478.
23. 8th Day Center For Justice, Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2017. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/362826825/03_2019_prefixes_35-36%2F362826825_201809_990_2019031216166478.