Madonna House
Raleigh, North Carolina
What is Catherine Doherty's vision of the Madonna House Apostolate and its spirit? And how is it lived out at Madonna House in the Diocese of Raleigh? It is one of ardent zeal for the glory of God, the salvation of souls, and the restoration of all things to Christ through Mary. In other words, it is the Gospel lived with our lives.
This is the work cut out for us — and for every Christian. Catherine would say “What you do matters, but not much. Who you are matters tremendously.” The world is restored to Christ by being a servant. “Zeal for my Father's house consumes me.” So we are to be passionately, utterly and totally in love with God. We exist to serve him whom our hearts love and to extend his Kingdom.
This is the plan of God. And the miracle of that plan is that he invites us to participate in it. What is the plan? Behold, the Crucifixion — a simple cross and on it, our God and our Love.
We of Madonna House are called to build a community of love, by integrating the Gospel into our lives. We try to do it by prayer: particularly by poustinia, which restores us to Christ. Poustinia is a place of solitude, fasting and penance, in order to atone and uphold others before God, for our sins and those of the world.
Also, we build a community of love through sobornost. Sobornost is a Russian word that means an intense and constant unity with the Trinity. It is not simply unanimity. Rather, it is the life of the Trinity in the midst of the community.
In Raleigh, the special accent and way it is lived out is to be a “prayer listening house.” It is a home where hospitality of the heart welcomes everyone: to be refreshed, to chat over a cup of tea, to find an oasis in the midst of a secular, competitive world.
Two poustinias (prayer rooms) are available to come to pray in solitude, to listen to God, and to touch the hem of Christ's garment.
