Canada's highest Order returned by Madonna House

The quote on the left from the Servant of God Catherine Doherty, on the right, founder of Madonna House, is very much in harmony with today’s gospel:

At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Mt 11:25-27).

Catherine received the Order of Canada (and here) in 1976. On Tuesday 6 July representatives of Madonna House returned the Order to Governor General Michaëlle Jean after she had awarded the honour to a notorious abortionist. The press release below explains the Madonna House decision. It is followed by the letter of the Madonna House leadership to Her Excellency.

Both Catherine Doherty and Michaëlle Jean fled from their homelands, Catherine from Russia and Madam Jean from Haiti. However, the Governor General’s award of the Order of Canada to a man who has devoted his life to the ultimate from of child abuse, abortion, suggests that she has a different set of values from those that Catherine Doherty lived by.

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Order of Canada to be Returned Publicly Tuesday
Peaceful Visit to Rideau Hall for Group Representing Madonna House Founder, Catherine Doherty

OTTAWA (July 7, 2008) – Representatives from Madonna House, a Catholic community based in Combermere, Ontario, will make the journey to Ottawa Tuesday morning to return the Order of Canada medal awarded to founder, Catherine Doherty.

The move is in response to the awarding of one of Canada’s highest honours to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, as announced by the Governor General’s Office on July 1, 2008.

Catherine Doherty (August 15, 1896 – December 14, 1985) was a pioneer of social justice and an internationally acclaimed speaker. In addition to founding the community of Madonna House, she was a prolific writer and best-selling author of dozens of books. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 1976 in recognition of “a lifetime of devoted services to the underprivileged of many nationalities, both in Canada and abroad.” Her cause for canonization as a saint was opened by Bishop Brendan O’Brien, then bishop of the diocese of Pembroke, Ontario, in 2000.

Fr. David May, one of the three directors of Madonna House, commented on the decision to return the medal to the Governor General:

“Catherine Doherty was honoured to receive this award in 1976. She exemplified what the Order of Canada should be about: an individual committed to strengthening the nation by her contribution to the vulnerable and the marginalized. It is only after much prayer and consultation with our community, as well as with heavy hearts, that we are undertaking this action. The Order has been devalued in recent days, and we are confident that Catherine is spiritually present with us, affirming this gesture of love for our country and for the values which alone can sustain it. Without absolute respect for the gift of life, no society can survive.”

Members of the Madonna House community will gather at the entrance to Rideau Hall (the officail residence of the Governor General) to present in a symbolic gesture a letter to the Governor General, and will return the Order of Canada pin on Tuesday, July 8, 2008, at 11 a.m. Media are invited to attend, and representatives of the community will be available for interviews following the return of the medal.

Madonna House, founded in 1947 by Catherine Doherty and her husband, Eddie, is a community of more than 200 laymen, women, and priests dedicated to loving and serving Christ through promises of poverty, chastity and obedience. Each of the community’s missions has a distinct mandate, from offering soup kitchens to places of retreat. All operate in a spirit of prayer, openness, and fellowship. In addition to the original community in Combermere, Ontario, there are 18 field houses (missions) in seven countries around the world.

Additional resources on the life of Catherine Doherty and the Madonna House Apostolate can be found by visiting: www.madonnahouse.org or www.catherinedoherty.org
MEDIA CONTACT: Susanne Stubbs or Larry Klein—Madonna House (613) 756-3713

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July 8, 2008

Her Excellency the Governor General

The Rt. Honourable Michaelle Jean
Government House, Ottawa

Your Excellency,

Before all else we want to thank you for the work you do for us as Head of State of this country. Today we address you also as Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada. The argument we present is primarily with those who advised you to award the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler.

A word of explanation is due. “We” are the Madonna House Apostolate. We are an ecclesial community, within the Catholic Church, headquartered in Combermere, Ontario. There are 220 members of the community. We want to return the Order of Canada medal awarded to the community’s founder, Catherine de Hueck Doherty. The return is to protest the very recent award of the same honour to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, a militant abortionist cited for his upstanding contribution to the life of the nation. This is insupportable in our view. The circumstances prompt the unusual act of returning the award of a person no longer living. Catherine died in 1985.

Catherine de Hueck Doherty, was a Russian refugee of the October Revolution. Her life in Canada became a call to a gospel life in Christ lived in the world as a lay person. This call was expressed in social and spiritual works which sought to guard the dignity of the human person and to find justice for the most vulnerable. Her unique vision, affirmed by the Church, of a community — a spiritual family— of celibate laymen, lay women and priests, began in Toronto in 1930 with the work of serving the poor. It took her to New York and the struggle for racial justice, then to rural Ontario and neighbourly service. The vision of the Apostolate grew. Men, women and priests joined. Social service and prayer houses were opened around the world. In 1976 Catherine received the Order of Canada for, “a lifetime of devoted services to the underprivileged of many nationalities, both in Canada and abroad.” For her it was her greatest decoration, surpassing the Medal of St. George she once received from the Czar. The Order of Canada was an immeasurable gift to her. It meant: “Canada accepted me.”

How can we be so presumptuous as to ask the Governor General to take back this medal which meant so much to Catherine? This deserves an explanation. I quote Catherine, writing to the staff of Madonna House April 12, 1976, five days after receiving the Order of Canada from Governor General Jules Leger; “they read out what I had done before I approached the Governor General and received the medal. But as I said, beloved family, I haven’t received a medal. As far as the medal is concerned you are all in it, for there would be no Madonna House without you and perhaps none without me, but it is a joint venture as far as I am concerned.” Catherine Doherty’s treasure is a community treasure, something we were proud of.

Madonna House Apostolate is today a small community, of no great account, wealthy only in the abundance of nature which surrounds our main house in Combermere, Ontario. We live by begging and the work of our hands. Yet now, the awarding of the Order of Canada to Dr. Morgentaler compels us to protest in the most forceful, peaceful way available to us. Not only do we find his medical practice the dark side of the medical profession but his inclusion in the awards diminishes them. And an award that was meant to be a sign of unity is bringing division. Something is not right. That is the start of why we are returning the medal. “We” means the whole community. We are of one mind in this.

Dr. Morgentaler’s work, so enthusiastically listed in his citation, more likely represents the reverse side of an otherwise bright medal. In our view, through his crusade, the dignity of the person is violently transgressed, justice for the most vulnerable is trampled on, the healing arts are compromised, and little faith is shown for the future. Is this really what we want as a nation?
Catherine Doherty would not have judged Henry Morgentaler, nor should we. Like all of us, he is a poor person. Has he not been surrounded by death all his life? Yet we have to protest … simply, peacefully, unremittingly and with the tools we have at hand … the serious misdirection our country and many of its leaders, in our view, appear to be taking, as exemplified by the award and glowing citation given him for his misguided work. Catherine Doherty would shout, “Wait. Don’t you see where we are going? There is another way. I’ll show it to you.” With this act of returning the Order of Canada we are choosing to place truth before honours. It is the truth pointed to in the very motto of the Order of Canada, taken from the Bible, Hebrews 11:16— desiderantes meliorem patriam … “they desire a better homeland…”. In truth, does this verse fragment not find its full meaning in the words that rightly complete the line? They are, “they desire a better homeland, their heavenly homeland.” The verse concludes; “That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them.”

In the end, by returning the Order of Canada, we simply wish to bring, to the consideration of the people, what was and, arguably still is, a founding vision for Canada. Catherine Doherty would do the same.

Respectfully Yours,

Fr. David May, Susanne Stubbs, Mark Schlingerman
Directors General of Madonna House for all Madonna House Apostolate

A Catholic family grieves

DAVID ROSE
A needless death: Margaret Mizen at home in south-east London; her son [inset], Jimmy, who was killed minutes away from the family home last May (The Sunday Telegraph).

On 13 May I had a post,'We've got such lovely memories of Jimmy and they will have such sorrow about their son' in which Mrs Margaret Mizen spoke about her son, murdered the day after his 16th birthday. Last Sunday The Sunday Telegraph (London) published an article by Olga Craig based on an interview with Jimmy's parents, Barry and Margaret.

It's a long article but one well worth sharing with adult and teenage sons and daughters. Not only did the strong Catholic faith of the family come across but the little things special to each family that make them family.

Below are some of these 'little things' that remind me of similar happenings in my own family.

'You worry all the time when they're out of the house, of course you do,'' says Barry, his father, as he gazes out onto the garden of the family home where Jimmy played football and tended the lawn. ''You fret until you get a call to say they are on their way home. Or you hear their key turn in the door. Every parent knows that feeling.'

Barry again: 'You are never going to hug him again. Never sit in the car and sing the Sailors' Hornpipe with him. Those little standing jokes between father and son. You're never going to hear them again. And that hurts. That hurts so badly.'

In his home, too, the walls are crowded with pictures of Jimmy: as a boy sitting astride a football; in red sunglasses singing along at his sister's 21st birthday party; in a giggling, hugging huddle with his eight brothers and sisters.

Margaret Mizen, Jimmy's mother: 'Of course it's right to launch all these measures to combat knife crime,' she says, 'but it is more important that we teach our children how to show respect. We all need to think harder about the example we set. We need to instill in our youngsters respect for the law, for the rights of others… We don't want to preach, but life today is all about aspirations, material things. We live in a culture where we all, not just children, have too much. Love gets left behind in the modern world.'

What greeted Mrs Mizen when she ran to the bakery was a scene from hell. 'Jimmy was lying on the floor, covered in blood. He had been with his brother Harry, and he telephoned Tommy, their other brother. Tommy had my baby in his arms. He shouted: ''Don't come in, Mum, he's going to be all right.'" Frozen with fear, Mrs Mizen fainted. Moments later, Mr Mizen arrived. 'I saw the paramedics pull off their gloves. I knew in that instant that Jimmy was dead,' he says. 'It was as though the whole world had stood still for a moment. Everything went quiet, went still. There was this eerie calm. There was my boy, lying on the pavement, his life slipping away. Gone, like that. It was unbelievable, like a horrible dream.'

The night before was the last time both parents had been with their son. 'He came down to say goodbye before going out with his pals to celebrate his birthday,'' says Mrs Mizen. ''He was wearing a new striped shirt I had bought for him. He looked so smart. A fine young man. We hugged him and told him we were proud of him. Jimmy just laughed.

He always worked for his dad at his store on a Saturday, but he asked for the next day off, because he was celebrating his birthday. When his dad said yes, he said he still wanted to be paid. That was Jimmy: always larking. Always joking.'

'There are moments when it all overwhelms you,' Mr Mizen says. 'I paid Jimmy for his Saturday work by standing order. I bank online, so I had to cancel it using the computer. I held my finger over the delete button for a long time. I just couldn't bear to press it. To press delete somehow was to acknowledge he was gone and he was never coming back. To admit that I was never going to hear his laugh. Never hand him a tenner on a Saturday and tell him to buy lunch. Every week it was the same: he would ask what I wanted, and I would say, surprise me. Then I'd get the same sandwich and he would stock up on Coke and chocolate.

'Never hear him yelling: ''Where's my school shirt, mam?'' the way he did every morning. Never hear Margaret laugh and tell him: ''Jimmy, it's where I leave it out every morning.'' All those little things that make a family a unit, that make it a whole. And now there is a big, glaring gap. People say that somehow it must be easier, having so many other children. It isn't at all like that. Each one of them is unique.'

'We are a deeply committed Christian family,' Mrs Mizen explains. 'Our faith has supported us enormously. Of course, we feel the normal anger that our child has been killed, but we also have to think with compassion for the family of the person who has done this. At least we can hold our heads high over Jimmy's name. They can't do that. They are also in a very miserable place.

'As a family, we are proud of our faith. When we buried Jimmy, I told the congregation of youngsters that they, too, should be proud of their faith. Having Christian faith doesn't mean you are some boring stick-in-the-mud. Jimmy had faith. Some mornings he would join in our family Bible reading. He wasn't embarrassed. It was just part of his life.'

The Mizens' youngest son, George, nine, shared a bedroom with Jimmy and has been deeply affected by his death. No one who saw the teenager's funeral on television could fail to have been moved by the pale-faced boy carrying a portrait of his late, much-loved brother. 'We have explained it as best we can to George,' says his mother, 'and he believes Jimmy is in Heaven with his grandparents. But it's tough when he sees Jimmy's friends. They are all shattered. It is difficult for them, at that age, to understand the concept of being here one day and then, with one senseless act of violence, gone, for ever.'

In the family kitchen, a stack of envelopes sits on the sideboard. The Mizens launched an appeal to buy a minibus (which they will name the 'Jimmybus'), which will be used by the local Scout troop to which Jimmy once belonged and by their parish, Our Lady of Lourdes, in Lee, south London, where Jimmy was an altar boy.

To contribute to the Jimmybus fund, please send a cheque to: The Jimmy Mizen Minibus, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 45b Burnt Ash Hill, Lee, London SE12 0AE,

England, United Kingdom.

Missal for World Youth Day

The Vatican has issued the Missal that will be used during the celebration of Mass and other liturgical ceremonies during World Youth Day.

Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians

Patroness: OLSC unveiled at St Mary's

Written by Bridget Spinks
Friday, 11 July 2008

Now at St Mary's Cathedral: WYD08 Patron to officially initiate the WYD programme a stunning commissioned painting of a WYD08 Patron was unveiled this morning at St Mary's Cathedral.

Cardinal Pell and WYD08 coordinator, Bishop Fisher OP, were present with artist, Paul Newton, when the painting of 'Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians' was revealed.

Newton explained to those present the Australian aspects of the painting, noting the Southern Cross and Two Pointer stars, as well as the dry Australian landscape at the bottom.

Mary is depicted wearing a wattle garland and looking at the infant Jesus that she holds.

Newton detailed the way in which Mary is holding Jesus - not keeping Him to herself and in a way handing the child to the viewer or inviting the viewer to come to him.

One pilgrim present at the unveiling, Elise Nally, 19, says she was incredibly impressed with the piece.

"Once the veil was completely removed everyone was quiet and watched in awe," she says describing the momentous occasion.

"The painting is an amazing piece of art and I'm very excited for pilgrims to see it."

The painting will remain in St Mary's Cathedral for the rest of the WYD festivities in conjunction with the relics of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and is definately something to visit.

Image is (c) and from http://www.wyd2008.org/

Our Lady, Help of Christians, is the Patroness of Australia. The Southern Cross features on the national flag of Australia.

YSEX with Francine Pirola

http://www.ebenedict.org/ is a website connected with World Youth Day, Sydney. You can sign up for its daily email at the top right of the page here. It describes itself thus:

What is eBENEDICT?

Written by Administrator
Wednesday, 07 May 2008

eBENEDICT

WYD EVENTS & NEWS direct from Sydney!

Benedict is coming – and if you hadn’t heard already – he’s coming for World Youth Day 2008 to be held in Sydney from 15-20 July.eBENEDICT.org is an events and news website to help the pilgrims of the world prepare for World Youth Day 2008.

Hosted by TOWARDS 2008 with the support of Catholic Youth Services (Sydney) and the Catholic Weekly, eBENEDICT.org will provide daily updates specifically focused on the: i) Main WYD EVENTS in Sydney;ii) WYD Youth Festival EVENTS across Sydney; andiii) the Days in the Dioceses EVENTS across Australia.eBENEDICT.org is the second and final stage of the yBENEDICT project.

Cardinal George Pell launched the yBENEDICT news website to mark the 50 day countdown to WYD and eBENEDICT was launched 25 days prior to the event with a specific focus on WYD events and news.To get the best of eBENEDICT be sure to subscribe to eDAILY and see you in Sydney for WYD2008.

This article came in today. I'm sure they won't mind my printing it in full.

YSEX with Francine Pirola

Francine and Byron Pirola have been married for 20 years and have five children.

They are Directors of Celebrate Love, co-founders of Antioch, international speakers on the spirituality of sex and are members of the Australian Catholic Marriage and Family Council, they have a long history of working with youth and couples in the area of sexuality and intimacy.

What does the Catholic Church have to say about sex? In a word ‘WOW’. In fact the whole teaching of the Church on sex both before and after marriage only makes sense when you understand the ‘WOW’.

In our reductionist culture the biggest mistake people make when it comes to sex is that they think of it as primarily a recreational activity, and in doing so they miss its true essence - Sex is not so much something you do as something you say.

Sex is not just an activity; it’s a communication, a body language. It’s a language that speaks of total commitment; a willingness to become ‘one flesh’.

Every touch between people has meaning. When a couple makes love, something wonderful, something tremendously profound is being expressed … that’s why we still call it ‘making love’. By its very nature, making love is a body language - it says physically what a married couple say verbally on their wedding day “I freely give myself to you completely, totally… I hold nothing back”.

The Church in her wisdom understands this and holds out this vision of love to all who care to listen. The Church’s ‘problem’ with sex outside of marriage is not just that one might get pregnant or get a disease (though these are serious risks that can have life-long consequences). The real problem with sex outside marriage is what it does to a person’s ability to freely give of him/her-self through sex in marriage.

Whether we know it or not (or want to admit it or not), sex is always full of meaning; and that meaning is inherent in the very act itself. Sex is a total gift of self. If you are saying something with your body you don’t mean in your heart then there is an inherent conflict, and in that conflict everyone gets hurt. In contrast, when there is alignment with our bodies and our heart then we are genuinely making love.

Our God is love and our Church calls us to live with integrity in all aspects of our life, including our sexual expression. Sex is to simply too important to treat as just an activity; it’s a sacred body language - WOW!

At a more personal, level I still remember the day my Byron explained why he wouldn’t try to sleep with me before we married. “If I slept with you now but have not yet committed my life to you… then what do I have left to give to you when I want to say “I am yours forever?”... the same thing can’t mean two different things… WOW!

To hear more about the Church's view on Sex, and the Theology of the Body during WYD:
Francine and Byron Pirola can be found at WYD at the Love & Life Site (PMRC table), the Vocations Expo (Sex, Love & Marriage Booth) or helping out their friend, Christopher West who is regarded as one of the foremost speakers on making the Theology of the Body accessible to all.

They are also speaking at Magis 08 (Milson’s Point) on Thursday July 17, at 7pm (Sexy – Saint or Sinner?), and at 8:30pm (Mission to Love).

Columban Lay Missionaries: Come and See

Dear friends,

Mabuhay from the Lay Mission community of the Philippines!

We have heard of the many amazing stories of how God has called people sometimes in dramatic, unexpected and even funny ways. And we have also heard how our family, friends, maybe even boyfriends and girlfriends, classmates, and work mates, have played their part in God’s scheme of things. That is why we are writing you to request, enlist, solicit, ask, and plead for your help.

The Columban Lay Missionaries will hold Come and See Days – Saturday, 19th July and on Saturday, 23rd August at the Columban Lay Mission House, 34 Rosario Drive, Cubao, Quezon City. It will be an opportunity for us to get to know each other and hopefully help people discern their vocation in life.

Dear friends, we believe that you too can play a part in a vocation story that might unfold! So please share this with your friends, relatives, and workmates – let the word go forth! Or who knows that it is your own vocation story that is unfolding right at this very moment!
We are counting on you.

May the God who calls each of us by name be our guide and inspiration.

Take care.

Sincerely yours,

Rowena D. Cuanico

Coordinator

Phone: 02-722 5732 / 401 9722. Cell phone: 0927 8085120

Email: clmssc_phil@yahoo.com

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Read Rowena 'Weng' Cuanico's article about one of her many experiences in Fiji as a Columban Lay Missionary, Everyday Life With Muslims, in the current issue of Misyon here.

Above: Weng Cuanico is fourth from the right.

Elma Guia recently returned to the Philippines after three years in Taiwan as Columban Lay Missionary. She writes about here experiences in the November-December 2007 issue of Misyon.

Mass and Burial of the Unborn

From the blog of Diane from Te Deum laudamus. H/T to Fr Tim Finigan.

The photos are all from Diana's blog.

Jun 28, 2008

An Act of Mercy: Mass and Burial of the Unborn with Fr Frank Pavone and Bishop John M. Quinn at Assumption Grotto, Detroit, Michigan.

Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life.

Message from website of Priests for Life.

Dear Friends,

I am delighted to welcome you to the Priests for Life website.

As one of 35,000 people who visit this site every day, you will soon discover that Priests for Life provides assistance not only to priests, but to everyone who is interested in advancing the cause of the protection of human life.

We focus on abortion as our specific practical concern, but you will also find information on euthanasia, the other key area of our focus, and on related topics such as capital punishment and contraception. We hold to the Consistent Ethic of Life of life. As the late Cardinal Bernardin clearly taught, the consistent ethic means that when we make progress on one front in the defense of human life, all the others benefit as well. It does not mean, however, that everyone has to (or can) do everything.

Thanks to the ease of the latest web-authoring software, I am able to make it a personal task each day to update this website. I do so with your needs in mind, and therefore appreciate hearing from you. You will find my daily additions listed in one place.

The website is very large and is being constantly expanded and improved. We therefore invite you to return frequently and to refer your colleagues and friends to it. If something you need today is not available, it may well be there tomorrow!

We also maintain a website for deacons at http://www.deaconsforlife.org/, as well as one for youth and those who minister to them, at http://www.abortionaborted.org/.

Be assured of my daily prayers for all who visit us, whether they agree with us on abortion or not.

Father Don LaCuesta

Father Don graduated from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in April 2006 and was ordainedfor the Archdiocese of Detroit on June 3 rd of the same year. He obtained his B.A. degree inPhilosophy in the Philippines where he grew up and did his theological studies in Brazil.He began his first parish assignment at St. Lawrence on July 1 st, 2006. The Associate Pastorexercises a level of responsibility as designated by the Pastor for the spiritual, liturgical, social,formative, educational and administrative aspects of parish life.