The Catholic Worker was founded in New York City in 1933 by Dorothy Day (1897- 1980), a radical journalist who had converted to Catholicism, and Peter Maurin (1877-1949), an itinerant French worker/scholar with a vision of a world "where it is easier to be good." It has evolved into a faith-based,  grassroots movement for peace and social justice through nonviolent direct action, represented by more than 150 loosely affiliated " houses of hospitality" (including several in Australia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, and New Zealand) in which the poor and homeless are welcomed as guests rather than as "clients." The Catholic Worker newspaper, edited by Dorothy Day from 1933 until her death in 1980 and still published seven times a year by the New York community, remains the best known of numerous CW publications.