One Day I will be Just Like You!
The Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi By Jeanne Guillemette
On October 4th we celebrate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. A good friend of Madonna House recently offered us a beautiful wood-carved statue of St. Francis for our garden. As we discussed what place to give him in our garden, I thought about the special place that this Poverello of Assisi has in the heart of Madonna House, and in so many hearts over the centuries.
When our founder, Catherine Doherty, was a little girl, her Russian father Theodore, a diplomatic official of the Tzar, took the family to live in Ramleh, Egypt. Catherine was sent to a school run by the Sisters of Zion. One day a young Sister, standing before a statue of St. Francis, told the children his story. Little Catherine, deeply impressed, clapped her hands and cried out:
“One day I will be just like you!”
This was the beginning of a life-long friendship.
Catherine grew up in a well-to-do family. They owned a large estate in Russia with all the benefits of their social status. Catherine received an excellent education, travelled much, learned several languages and lived a life of relative ease.
But the Russian Revolution and World War I shattered all this. Catherine and her husband Boris fled for their lives, barely escaping death in Finland. The couple emigrated to North America where Catherine struggled to find employment, doing menial jobs to provide for her ailing husband and a young son. She knew what it was to be poor.
Eventually, she was discovered by a talent scout and hired by a lecture bureau. Her ability to captivate crowds with stories of Russia fascinated her audiences. She became affluent again. But a memory haunted her. When she was near death in Finland, she had promised God that if he saved her she would dedicate her life to Him in some way. This eventually led her to embrace a life of voluntary poverty to serve God in the poor. She had much in common with St. Francis. Both grew up with riches and gave them away to live a life of radical Gospel poverty. Both shared a deep love and reverence for God’s creation. Both initially experienced their call as personal, but attracted people by the evangelical simplicity of their lives and their passionate love of God. As a result of this, both founded communities.
Before discovering that Madonna House had its own unique spirituality, many of our early members chose to join ‘Third Orders’ of established communities. Catherine became a Third Order Franciscan. (In her will, Catherine asked to be buried in her Franciscan habit.) As Madonna House grew and developed, Catherine drew inspiration from many sources.
But St. Francis continued to hold a special place in her heart. Our “Little Mandate”, which sums up the essence of our spirituality, reflects that influence. The appeal of St. Francis’s life is universal. He continues to speak to our modern world. Let us ask him to intercede for us, especially for peace in the world.
Previous Months Letters from Madonna House
September 2024: The Triumph of the Cross By Rev. Kieran Kilcommons
August 2024: Jesus and the Little Girl By Carol Ann Gieske
July 2024: Dont Forget to take Jesus Home By Jeanne Guillemette
June 2024: Living Under Mary’s Mantle By Fr. Michael Weitl
May 2024: Vocation & Journey in Christ’ By Mathieu Dacquay
April 2024: Christ Lives! By Carol Ann Gieske
March 2024: Putting everything ‘on the altar’ By Jeanne Guillemette
February 2024: Finding Peace in Surrender to Christ By Mathieu Dacquay
January 2024: Celebrating Epiphany with the Christian east By Fr. Michael Weitl
December 2023: Journeying through Advent with Joseph By Carol Ann Gieske
November 2023: The Saints Are Alive By Jeanne Guillemette
October 2023: Ordinary Miracles By Mathieu Dacquay