ACI hosted a small group of pilgrims from the Dorothy Day Guild in the USA to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Pact of the Catacombs at the Domitilla Catacombs near Rome on Saturday 29 November 2025.
Participants include two of Dorothy Day’s granddaughters, Kate Hennessy and Martha Hennessy. Dorothy Day Guild chair, Professor Kevin Ahern and vice-chair Deirdre Connell also joined the special prayer service.
During the event, Stefan Gigacz represented ACI at the event, explaining the history of the Pact which originated with Helder Camara’s proposal for two masses for the poor and for workers and that participating bishops take a vow inspired by Cardijn’s own personal consecration of his life to young workers and the working class.
As a result, 39 bishops met to celebrate Mass at the Domitilla Catacombs on 16 November 1965 where they adopted a commitment to a church of the poor that has become known as the Pact of the Catacombs.
The following evening on 17 November 1965 another group of twenty bishops celebrated a mass for workers at St Michael Archangel Church in Pietralata, Cardijn’s titular church, where they also launched an appeal to the Church for support for the lay apostolate movements.
And the next day, Pope Paul VI and the gathered Council Fathers of Vatican II promulgated the Decree on the Lay Apostolate, Apostolicam Actuositatem, the first time in history that an Ecumenical Council devoted a specific document to the role and mission of lay people.
