The Dorothy Day agenda

Catholic Charities said this summer that the Dorothy Day shelter in downtown St. Paul would remain open during the Republican National Convention.

But it's not going to be business as usual, it looks like.

Workers were putting up this banner on the side of the shelter facing the Xcel Energy Center this morning. It's part of a campaign that Catholic Charities is about to launch, although spokeswoman Rebecca Lentz said today that they were not quite ready to divulge all the details.

But Catholic Charities CEO Fr. John Estrem said, via email, that his organization won't just be watching the RNC from across the street. "Our political agenda--food, shelter, dignity--isn't just an election-year slogan. It's a call to action for all Minnesotans. Campaigns are the vehicle for setting public agendas. And our agenda is to move people out of poverty and uphold their dignity."

(h/t Laura Yuen for spotting the crew hard at work this morning.)