(GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, September 1, 2004) -

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Fool for Christ: The Story of Dorothy Day will be performed on Monday, September 20 at 7 p.m., in the Wege Student Center Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public. The one-act play is the result of collaboration between well-known actress Sarah Melici and playwright Donald Yonker. Aquinas College's Campus Ministry, Jane Hibbard Idema Women's Studies Center and Social Action Committee, along with Monsignor Charles W. Popell Theologian in Residence Program and the Secretariat for Social Justice of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, are sponsoring the event. In the spirit of Dorothy Day, a simple soup and bread supper will be served from 6 to 6:45 p.m. For reservations, please call (616) 632-2486. Donations will be accepted at the door.

Day, one of the most influential figures in the history of American Catholicism, was a journalist who converted to Catholicism and devoted her life to helping the poor and the homeless. Her pursuit of peace and social justice also led her to co-found The Catholic Worker Newspaper (which still sells for a penny a copy) with Peter Maurin in 1933, a publication which helped them to launch the Catholic Worker Movement. The Catholic Worker became a national movement, and by 1936, there were 33 Catholic Worker houses spread across the country. Because of her efforts, religious groups have pushed for her canonization in recent years.

Sarah Melici is an actress based out of New Jersey who has performed with several theatre companies and appeared in television programs including "Law & Order" and "The Golden Years." She also appeared in Woody Allen's film "Stardust Memories." Since 1998, Melici has exclusively performed in Fool for Christ.