Catherine Doherty

Catherine Doherty CM , actually: Ekaterina Fyodorovna Kolyschkine de Hueck Doherty ( Russian Екатерина Федоровна Колышкина-Дохерти * 15 August 1896 in Nizhny Novgorod , Russian Empire ; † 14. December 1985 in the Canadian Combermere ) founder was one of the lay apostolate in the Roman Catholic Church, writer and speaker. The Madonna House Apostolate , which she founded , advocates social justice .

Life

Catherine Doherty was born Ekaterina Fyodorovna Kolyshkine (Екатерина Фёдоровна Колышкина) in Nizhni Novgorod in what was then the Russian Empire. Her parents, Fyodor and Emma Thomson Kolyshkine, belonged to the lower nobility and were devout Orthodox Christians who had their children baptized on September 15, 1896 in Saint Petersburg . She received her schooling abroad, where her father was sent by the government. In Alexandria she attended a Catholic school. In 1910 the family returned to Saint Petersburg, where Ekaterina was accepted into the famous Princess Obolensky Academy. In 1912, at the age of 15, she married her first cousin, Boris de Hueck (1889–1947).

When the First World War broke out , Catherine de Hueck became a nurse at the Red Cross at the front. When she returned to St. Petersburg, she and her husband only barely escaped the turmoil of the Russian Revolution and almost starved to death as a refugee in Finland . The couple traveled to England together , where they converted to the Catholic Church on November 27, 1919.

Soon afterwards they emigrated to Canada , where their only child, George, was born in Toronto in 1921. In order to survive, they took on all kinds of jobs. Among other things, she toured the United States and gave speeches as part of the Chautauqua movement .

Friendship House

After a while the family was wealthy again. Still, Catherine felt dissatisfied. Their longing could not be satisfied with material things. Their marriage was shattered, and Catherine began to feel a call that she felt clearly every time she opened her Bible. Each time she read: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give the money to the poor; so you will have an abiding treasure in heaven; then come and follow me ”( Mt 19:21  EÜ ). She trusted several priests and the bishop and began her apostolate.

In 1932 she sold all of her property, began living among the Toronto poor , and founded the Friendship House with a soup kitchen. She distributed food even though she hardly had anything herself, and also gave Catholic education and community. Because of her background and the nature of her work, she was considered a communist .; the Friendship House in Toronto had to close again in 1936 due to public pressure.

Catherine went to Europe and studied the activity of Catholic Action for a year . On her return she established a new Friendship House at 34 West 135th Street in Harlem . The Interracial Charity Center distributed goods to the poor and organized educational events and discussions to improve understanding between races.

In 1943, she obtained an annulment of their marriage because in the Catholic Church, marriage between cousins an impediment to marriage is therefore regarded the marriage as invalid closed. She later married Edward Doherty , a journalist she met while doing a report.

Madonna House

Among other things, because of this marriage, conflicts arose with employees of the Friendship House. Because these disputes could not be resolved, the couple moved to Combermere in the Canadian province of Ontario . On May 17, 1947, they named their new apostolate Madonna House . The result was an organization that in 2000 had more than 200 employees and 125 associated priests, deacons and bishops and had 22 missionary foundations around the world.

death

Catherine de Hueck Doherty died on December 14, 1985 in Combermere at the age of 89. In 2000, the compilation of documents to prepare for a beatification process began.

spirituality

Catherine Doherty saw the hidden life in Nazareth as the center of her calling.

The core of her spirituality is summed up in an excerpt from the gospel that she called "The Little Mandate" - words of Jesus Christ that she saw as being addressed directly to her and that determined her life. This confession is also known as "the Madonna House way of life":

"Get up - go! Sell ​​everything you have. Give it directly, personally, to the poor. Take my cross (their cross) and follow me, go to the poor, be poor, be one with them, one with me.
Small - always be small! Just be, poor, childlike.
Preach the gospel with your life - without compromise! Listen to the mind. He will guide you.
Do small tasks extremely well out of love for me.
Love ... love ... love without ever calculating the price.
Go to the marketplace and stay with me. Pray, fast, pray incessantly, fast.
Be hidden. Be a light at the feet of your neighbors. Go deep into people's hearts without fear. I will be with you. Always pray.
I will be your resting place. "

A central theme in Catherine Doherty's spirituality is the "duty of the moment"

“The duty of the moment is what you should do at all times given you, wherever God has placed you. You may not meet Christ at your door in the guise of a homeless person, but you may have a young child. When you have a young child, it may be the duty of the moment to change your diaper. So you do it. But don't just change the diaper, change it to the best of your ability, with great love for God and for the child ... There are all kinds of good Catholic doing, but whatever it is, you have to remember that it is a duty there is momentary. And it must be done because the duty of the moment is the duty that God imposes. "

Poustinia

Catherine Doherty's work Poustinia, published in 1975, became a bestseller. A poustinia is a small, sparsely furnished shelter or room that is reserved for prayer and fasting . Believers can retire there for a day in silence.

Honors

• Russian Order of St. George , for heroism at the front
• Russian Order of Saint Anne , for perseverance in service during an attack
• Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice , the papal award given by John XXIII. for "exceptional and outstanding work for the Church and for the Pope", 1960.
• Member of the Order of Canada , "for lifelong service to the underprivileged of many nationalities, both in Canada and abroad". ("For a lifetime of devoted services to the underprivileged of many nationalities, both in Canada and abroad"), 1976. In July 2008 the Madonna House Apostolate returned the Order of Canada to Rideau Hall to symbolize the protest against the admission of Henry Morgentaler express.
• Lady of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem
• Jules Favre Foundation Award, Académie française
• Woman of the Year of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations , Rome
• International Mark Twain Society
• Poverello Medal, Franciscan University of Steubenville

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Murray PP, John, "Servant of God: Catherine de Hueck Doherty," The Messenger , July 2007
2. ↑ Catherine de Heuck Doherty , Madonna House
3. ^ Terence J. Fay: History of Canadian Catholics , McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal 2002, ISBN 978-0-7735-2313-5
4. ^ Jacobs, Donna, "The Unlikely Story of Catherine de Hueck," The Ottawa Citizen ; July 9, 2007 ( Memento of the original from June 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ^ New York Times obituary, December 16, 1985
6. ↑ [1] Madonna House.org.
7. ^ Pelton, Fr. Robert. "About the Author" in Poustinia: Encountering God in Silence, Solitude and Prayer by Catherine Doherty. 3rd ed., Madonna House Publications, Combermere 2000, ISBN 0-921440-54-5 .
8. ↑ Duquin, Lorene Hanley: They Called Her the Baroness: The Life of Catherine de Hueck Doherty . Alba House, New York 1995, ISBN 0-8189-0827-0 .
9. ↑ LaPointe, Fr. Larry, "Catherine de Hueck Doherty", Connecticut College ( Memento of the original from September 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
10. ↑ Catherine Doherty: "The Little Mandate", chap. 13 in Sobornost: Experiencing Unity of Mind, Heart and Soul , 2nd ed., Madonna House Publications, Combermere 2000, ISBN 0-921440-25-1 .
11. ^ Catherine Doherty: Poustinia: Encountering God in Silence, Solitude and Prayer . 3rd ed., Madonna House Publications, Combermere 2000; ISBN 0-921440-54-5
12. ^ Order of Canada medal returned by Madonna House , Restoration (newspaper) web site. July 8, 2008. 

Web links

Wikiquote: Catherine Doherty  - Quotes

• Madonna House Apostolate
• Books by Catherine Doherty