“Catherine Doherty was the pioneer among the Catholic laity in interracial justice in North America,” said Father Paul Hanley Furfey to me a few years ago. He ought to have known: he was Catherine's spiritual director during the late 1930's and early 1940's when she lived in Harlem. He himself was a pioneer among the clergy, and a great Catholic sociologist. I pressed the point: “Do you mean the pioneer?” I asked. “Yes, THE PIONEER,” he said, even more emphatically.

This is just one of hundreds of testimonies coming in about Catherine's life since her death in 1985. We at Madonna House, and many other people around the world, believe that Catherine was one of the great Catholic women of the past century. She once simply described herself as “just a good Catholic woman.” We are now organizing her writings and gathering testimonies to help the Church determine just how good she was.

— Father Robert Wild, Postulator

As new issues of our newsletter are published, will be sharing some of the testimonials on the web page below. If you would like to submit a testimonial, please contact the Postulator.
 

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Testimonials from Catherine newsletter #14 — Fall 2007

Excerpts from a letter by Fr. Paul Watson of Graymoor to Archbishop McGuigan, August 26, 1936:

May I convey to Your Grace my own estimate of the Baroness.

It seems to me that God has given her a real apostolate to the Communists. She possesses a grasp and understanding of the red propaganda quite beyond that of the ordinary student of Bolshevism. Ever since she came to America she has been a public lecturer on the subject as well as a publicist writer, but whether she “wants undue publicity” I personally question. If she has been heretofore a “free lance,” nevertheless she had shown a disposition to be under direction and ecclesiastical control. Otherwise why should she seek to submit herself and her associates to the Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis and at the same time to seek to submit herself to a spiritual Director. Has she not, both in Toronto and in Ottawa, sought to do all things under the approval and direction of the Archbishops? Some have called her proud, but in reality I regard her as a very humble woman, not hesitating to scrub the floors and to do the most menial tasks in ministering to the poor, to spend and be spent in the service of humanity. As to the vagueness of her field, it seems to me that during the two years of her work in Toronto, she accomplished much that was very practical, particularly in reaching so large a number of boys and girls, youths and young women, drawing many of them away from Communistic influence and bringing them back into touch with our Lord in the Sacraments of Holy Church. That she had done all this, not for vain-glory and self-aggrandizement, but out of pure love for the Sacred Heart and the souls that He redeemed by His Precious Blood, I have no doubt.

 

Excerpts from an Ordination Homily by Bishop Robert Baker, July 27, 2007, Columbian Convention Center, Charleston, S.C. (Bishop Baker has recently been appointed as Bishop of Birmingham, Alabama):

I’d like also to call those being ordained to a deeper friendship with the saints of the Church, past and present. They are our big brothers and sisters in the faith who model for us the way to Jesus and help us realize that living a holy life is possible, even for ourselves. Cultivate a deep relationship with the saints. Celebrate their feast days as special days in the life of the Church and in your own life as well.

I think of the great influence the Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty had on my life, both by her writings – The Gospel Without Compromise, Poustinia, and Dear Father – as well as her letters to me and my friends. She gave us and the world a solid direction in meeting the challenges of a secular, materialistic culture separated from religious values. Her Friendship Houses and Madonna House provided spiritual oases to the cultural vacuum of western society. They still serve as beacons of light to the world of today. One of our future priests spent time at Madonna House in Combermere, Ontario, in preparation for his ordination as a priest.

I mention Catherine because she was a product of our culture and times. She experienced – as one of the members of the community has written – “the first World War, the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression in North America, the Second World War, the racial integration movement in the United States, the Second Vatican Council and its aftermath. And she did not simply read about these events: she was part of them. It is because she came through all of them with her faith flaming and her love stronger than ever that she can serve as a safe guide for others in the life of faith.”

That is what the saints do for us: They help us by serving as safe guides in the life of faith. My prayer for our new priests of the diocese of Charleston is that someone will be able to say the same about them: “They came through all the events of their service as a priest with their faith flaming and their love stronger than ever.”

Testimonial from Catherine newsletter #13 — Spring 2007

I came to New York in 1939 and shortly thereafter started going to the Monday night lectures and open-discussion meetings which were run at Friendship House in Harlem by the Russian Baroness, Catherine de Hueck. She would usually obtain the services of some good speakers on the social problem about which I knew nothing. I remember going to these meetings rather faithfully every Monday night, listening to the lectures, trying to stay out of things (since I knew so little) and yet, inevitably, being drawn into the midst of some conflict regarding the Church and the social order. I was frequently the only priest and, therefore, the Church’s last (and only) word. Catherine was usually there taking an active part in the discussion. She was a very strong woman, physically and spiritually.

Some evenings I would go to dinner with the staff members. Catherine would sit at the head of the table. A huge bowl of soup would be brought out and she would ladle a generous portion to everyone, sometimes ending with a huge bone on her soup plate. The discussion was lively and loud. There were all kinds of people there, gentle and not so gentle, happy and yet strangely serious.

Instinctively, I recognized the Baroness as a great woman, which many other people easily saw. At the same time, I think her personality was so strong that I did not want to be dominated by her. She could press a point very hard and yet did not seem to hold any grudges after the argument was over. The next time you met her, however, she would go right back to the same point again. In other words, there was some strong objectivity in her ideas and thinking.

On my visit to Combermere last summer [1963], the Baroness struck me as the same Catherine, a little gentler and less rambunctious. Her long desire to form lay people seemed to be paying off there with a group of priests, men and women who project some sort of Christian love which is truly unique in the face of our hectic world. It is warm, personal, even affectionate, and yet somehow restrained and one might say, objective. With every best wish...

— Letter to Fr. John Callahan from Fr. Francis Wendell, O.P, 1964

Testimonials from Catherine newsletter #10 — Fall 2005

So faithful and fervent daughter of the Church whose memory will remain forever as a blessing of God for the redemption of the world by fraternity and charity.
— Telegram from the (then) Apostolic Pro-Nuntio of Canada, Archbishop Angelo Palmas, on the occasion of Catherine’s death.

Perhaps it was necessary that Catherine should pass from time into eternity so that with more clarity and a more definitive way we might penetrate the mystery of her almost unfathomable personality. Because, it seems, that it is only death that perpetuates the real being of a person and sets forth the essential value of a person’s life.

For me, after Catherine of Siena and St. Teresa of Avila, no other woman has impressed me so much as Catherine de Hueck Doherty. Humble, with affectation, firm without arrogance, she was able to combine a deep sense of femininity with her definitive vocation to sanctity and thus become a perfect Christian without ever negating her womanliness. As I see it, it will be a long time before the real depth of her spirituality is unveiled to us in its real splendor.

As a prospector often has to explore the depths of the earth, so will we have to go into the depths of her spirit to discover the wonderful treasures still hidden form our eyes.
— Don Nivaldo Monte, Archbishop of Natal, Brazil

Testimonials from Catherine newsletter #9 — Summer 2005

I think Catherine’s life merits the opening of a cause. Because her life and her foundations, her spirituality, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are very important in the Church. Her life and all her actions are like those of a prophetess. She brings for the needs of today the prayer (Poustinia) and action for the poor in many countries. Her spirituality in the ordinary life is very important for people of today and she has done a lot to unite East and West.
— Most Rev. Guy Gaucher, Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux, France (an expert in the life and teaching of St. Therese of Lisieux)

Without qualification I would recommend Catherine’s cause to be opened. She captured with such grace and love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While she was Russian by birth, she very much belongs to all of us in North America. I believe if she were canonized, the dedication of her life would be extremely important for the Church today because, first of all she was a woman. Secondly, she was a lay woman. Thirdly, she was truly saintly. As a strong, dynamic woman she would provide a marvellous example of holiness at a time that the question of women’s role in the church is questioned. Catherine would personally object to this adjective, but I found her to be a most “priestly” woman.
— Fr. Ed Hayes (author of a number of books on prayer and spirituality)

I said three Masses for her soul, but all the time I was tempted to pray to her instead of for her. Actually that is what I am doing from now on. Isn’t it just great to know that someone who loves us so dearly is with Jesus and Mary! I am sure that Madonna House will have a saint canonized by the church within a few years. Not that that matters very much! The important thing is that she is a saint, our saint.
— Fr. Heber Salvador De Lima, S.J. Brazil (who wrote one of the early books on Catherine)

In many ways, the opportunities offered by life in the church open doors to many forms of leadership on the part of women, and they continue to be great spiritual guides, prophets and examples for those of us who try to live an authentic spiritual life: Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Dorothy Day (foundress of the Catholic Worker Movement), Catherine de Hueck Doherty (founder of the world-wide Madonna House community), Adrienne von Speyr (a noted intellectual and mystic), St. Edith Stein (a distinguished philosopher who converted from Judaism to Catholicism, became a Catholic nun and was killed by Nazis in a concentration camp because of her religious background). Even today, there are thousands of women, lay and religious around the world, who continue the tradition of these great leaders from our Catholic heritage. Perhaps the Church will never officially recognize them as saints, but God is certainly aware of their efforts, and their contributions do not go unnoticed.
— Fr. Murray Watson, London, Ontario

I’ve admired Catherine and her down-home, solid Slavic spirituality. Because of her love for priests, sinners and victims of injustice, I believe that she would be a powerful patron for those priests who have committed crimes of sexual abuse, as well as their victims. To that end, you may use, amending in any way, the following prayer. I only ask that you do not associate my name with it.

“O Christ our High Priest, through the prayers of your Servant Catherine Doherty, kindly come to the spiritual and temporal assistance of all fallen priests, and those who they have harmed. In suffering as a result of their own sins, may these, your fallen priests, make reparation for the severe spiritual injuries they have inflicted on others, and for the scandal they have caused. Because you are the Conqueror, not only of sin, but its effects, please hear the prayers of your servant Catherine, and countless others for the healing of all wounded priests, the victims of their sins, and of your Mystical Body, the Church. By the power of your Holy spirit, and through the intercession of your Glorious and Blessed Mother, may your church, her priests, and all her members be filled anew with the zeal they need to accomplish your will, the salvation of souls. Amen.”
— A priest friend of Madonna House

Whatever else one may say about Catherine, it is clear, very, very clear, that she was wholly in love with God. In her God’s love was able to do mighty things. Perhaps the chief fruit of her work as I have experienced it is Madonna House itself. Madonna House is a beacon of hope in the wastelands of contemporary North America, and it is that, because it is built on the “Yes” Catherine said to God.

My one and only encounter with Catherine left me disappointed. But the fruit of her life and faith, her splendid and inspiring teachings, her writings, and the writings of the community has flowed from her charism at work in her in a way that can be called saintly. I think that the difficulty of her personality is part and parcel of her way to holiness. I am sure that she suffered very much for her love. I think that she shows us that saints are sinners who are madly in love with God.

To sum up, I see in Catherine a powerful mission that God had formed and given and to which she said “yes.” That she was at times a not very pleasant person, and yes, that she remained a sinner only makes her richer, I think. What matters is the tremendous love affair with God that happened there. Not buildings or writing but a passionate love in the heart. And that is what the Church is starving for today.
— Fr. Ray Gawronski, S.J. (who did a Master’s thesis on Catherine’s spirituality)

I had never met Catherine but did receive a short letter from her in response to a question I sent her... her short letter was one of the highlights of my spiritual life.
Though there was nothing particularly profound in what she wrote, it was as though she was standing directly in front of me, talking. Through her talking the Holy Spirit spoke to me in such a way that I felt that I was in his very presence, and that he was answering my question — without words — as only he can do through one’s contemplation.

Needless to say this was a profound event in my contemplative life and one that I still vividly remember and will forever remember.
— GW, Altoona, Florida

More Testimonials...