Reflections from the great Catherine de Hueck Doherty's legacy, Madonna House Apostalate, still going strong 23 years after the "Servant of God's" death in 1985.
I had the privilege of joining the community, as hundreds of others do every summer, as a "working guest" from July 26 through August 6, 2008. As a veteran of many retreats (preached, private, silent, communal, singular and directed), there were many differences in this experience, the most obvious one being that you are welcomed as a "working guest". Hence, this was a very different retreat experience.
Retreat, yes, in that you are away from what you normally might be doing, and engaged in a prayerful, spiritually rich experience based on the spiritual insights of "Servant of God" Catherine Doherty. Her "Little Mandate" is loosely based on St. Francis of Assisi's doctrine of Christian brotherhood through radical poverty and, as she professed, was given to her by none other than our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Here it is, as follows:
This is the center of the Madonna House Apostolate and is lived out by its members through the Sobornost, or way to the heart. The "B", as she is fondly remembered and short for her unofficial title of Russian Baroness, liked to use Russian words from her Eastern Orthodox roots.Arise — go! Sell all you possess. Give it directly, personally to the poor. Take up My cross (their cross) and follow Me, going to the poor, being poor, being one with them, one with Me.
Little — be always little! Be simple, poor, childlike.
Preach the Gospel with your life — without compromise! Listen to the Spirit. He will lead you.
Do little things exceedingly well for love of Me.
Love... love... love, never counting the cost.
Go into the marketplace and stay with Me. Pray, fast. Pray always, fast.
Be hidden. Be a light to your neighbour’s feet. Go without fear into the depth of men’s hearts. I shall be with you.
Pray always. I will be your rest.
Sobornost is simply the unity of heart and mind. As it has been said, the longest journey we "westerners" have to make in our life is the 12 inches from our head to our heart. Unfortunately, some or most, never successfully navigate this distance while in our mortal state. This may resonate with those of us who engage the "world" and our culture on a regular basis.
The people at Madonna House are simply fabulous and, to borrow an overused term during this election year, true mavericks. The Apostolate has yet to be defined or formally approved canonically because of the nature of its community: lay and clerical living side by side in community. However the Church hierarchy, the Roman Curia, has given implicit approval to this work. The only other widely popular community, that I know of, that is similarly constructed, but vastly different in nature is the Papal Prelature Opus Dei (www.opusdei.org). However, Opus Dei was canonically approved in 1982. It differs from the Madonna House Apostalate by its nature, only some members live in community; and all members interact with society freely, bringing God to whatever they do. Whereas at Madonna House the community's mission is to the larger community as a whole, usually the poor, as apostles to the poor.
Why is it so unique? Well primarily because you have lay men, lay women (the B's canonical status) and ordained Roman and Eastern Rite priests and deacons living in community together.
How can this work? First and foremost, everyone abides by the Evangelical Counsels of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Everyone, including the "working guests" must sign off on these precepts (literally) voluntarily, that he/she will abide by this rule of life, while in the community.
Why does it work? Because it does. The B was asked if she thought Madonna House would still exist years after her death. Her answer-- IF it is God's will, that it will continue. If it is not, than no. An atitude, a personal disposition that any and all can learn from.
Specifically what is notable, is the unconditional love poured out among its members outwardly to all who they come in contact with. Love for the Church, love for the least of us, love for the community (avowed and guests) and love for simplicity in spirit (The Little Mandate). I couldn't help but feel washed over by this spirit among those I encountered while there. It was especially obvious among the avowed members (finally professed) of the community. And the "B" is very much spiritually present, this is undeniable (as many of the Saints in our great Church as participants in the Communion of Saints come to us in our daily lives).
Author Lorene Hanley Duquin wrote an official biography of Catherine, entitled They Called Her the Baroness. Ms. Duquin remarks there that when she arrived and Madonna House she expected a great deal of sexual tension, but instead found the opposite. I agree. I think it's because there is uninhibited self giving love without the opportunity for sinful companionship between the sexes that creates a emotionally safe, spiritually nourishing environment. It's a great lesson for us living celibacy and also for the advocates of abstinence.
What do you do while there? You work, pray and socialize communally. The men, women and priests live in seperate dorms at the sprawling campus located in the very rural Combermere, Ontario. While I was there I worked in an office environment doing clerical skills for a few days, on a farm for a few days (weeding the organic vegetable patches, tossing hay bails and harvesting garlic) and spent 1 day doing maintenance and preparing "Cana Colony" (a family retreat experience) for the arriving guests (5 or so families, a priest and lay member).
How is this a powerful witness to the Faith? It is, as Catherine said, living out the Gospel as life. You live prayer, instead of perhaps just saying prayers. The liturgies (Hours, Mass) are beautiful and although perfectly Roman, also have a Eastern dimension (hard to capture in words, you must witness).
Finally, I would reccomend Madonna House to anyone: the summer traveler, the vocational discerner, the aspiring sabbatical searcher and just about everyone else. If you beleive that St. Benedict was on to something with his rule of work and pray, pray and work, then you will find Madonna House as a great contemporary example of living the Gospel in this simple way.
Dennis Anthony Suglia
http://wwwtruefaith.blogspot.com/
dennis.suglia@gmail.com
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