Le Sillon

Le Sillon was a French progressive Catholic group interested in political and social issues. The account presents it as one stage in Peter Maurin’s path toward a program of Christian action, and as part of the background to his later work with Dorothy Day.

Character and Aims

Le Sillon is described briefly as a progressive Catholic group with interests extending beyond religious life into political and social questions. The account does not specify its organization or particular campaigns; its significance here rests on Maurin’s membership and the place the group occupies in his personal history.

Peter Maurin’s Association

Before his later work in North America, Maurin had belonged to the Christian Brothers and then joined Le Sillon. He eventually moved to Canada, where he worked as a laborer, and later went to New York. There he spent time reading in the New York Public Library and talking with people at Union Square. The narrative thus places Le Sillon within a sequence of religious and social commitments that preceded his emergence as an advocate of Christian action.

Connection to Dorothy Day’s Work

In New York, Maurin developed a philosophy of radicalism based on Christian action and sought someone able to present his ideas to a wider audience. An editor at Commonweal suggested that he contact Dorothy Day. Their meeting led Maurin to help develop Day’s Catholic intellectual background and to work with her on The Catholic Worker, a newspaper promoting social action based on Catholic teaching. The account connects this later work to Maurin’s broader religious and social concerns, but does not claim that Le Sillon itself directed or organized the newspaper.