Questions continued to come to me regarding the core or underlying factor of the apostolate. What had drawn these men and women together, not as married people but as lay celibates? What had brought those twenty member priests and those associate bishops, priests, and deacons to follow the ideology of an ordinary woman for the rest of their lives?

What is so special about the foundress Catherine that, even after her death some twenty-two years ago, men and women in the Catholic Church continue to follow in her footsteps? Is there anything special about Combermere? These and many more questions continued to bother me as I reflected on this apostolate.

Like the apostle Thomas, I said in my heart: if I do not set my feet on that "holy ground" of Combermere and behold with my own eyes what is really happening there, I will still have my doubts.

As Nathaniel was told by Philip (cf. Jn 1:46) when he asked what good can come from Nazareth, my answer was "come and see."

In the year 2000, the Great Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church, I was invited to visit Combermere. My heart was filled with joy. This was a dream come true, and I told myself that this would be my pilgrimage for the Holy Year.

But man proposes and God disposes. I came across immigration difficulties that did not allow me to go. Humanly speaking, I was not happy about this.

One thing we forget to do in our lives as Christians is to see the hand of God in all things that happen to us. I say this because had I gone to Canada at that time, I might not have had the chance later to go to the United States as a missionary and student.

We need to wait for God’s will to be done in our lives rather being anxious to accomplish things by our own efforts. At the appointed time, the door will be opened for us, and we will cease to look at life with human eyes and begin to see with the eyes of God.

The opportunity to visit Combermere came again this year, and I thanked God through my Mother Mary that at long last my dream would be fulfilled.

When I set my feet on the soil of Combermere, the words of Psalm 122 came to mind: I rejoiced when I heard them say, let us go to God’s house. And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.

The next day, Fr. Robert Wild, the postulator for Catherine’s cause for sainthood, gave me a grand tour.

The places I cherish most are: Our Lady of the Woods Chapel, which is bi-ritual, and Catherine’s cabin. This is a simple wooden cabin with a humble bed and furniture, where she lived for almost forty years. I wondered what it was like for her during winter in that cabin.

There are also smaller cabins on the island, called "poustinias," where some of the community members live as poustiniks and others go periodically to pray and encounter their God.

One surprising thing was the graves of Catherine, her husband Eddie, my friend Irene Toupin (who was in Ghana for some time) and some of the other deceased members of the community. The wooden crosses marking their graves are so simple.

There is also the huge statue of Our Lady of Combermere with arms outstretched to reach her children. The atmosphere there is really good for praying.

There are many departments such as the farm, the gift shop, the place where they take care of donations, the museum, carpentry, auto-shop, publications, archives, kitchen etc. where members are seen busily working each day.

As for the question, what is the propelling force drawing these men and women together, the simple answer for me is the love of God and neighbor. When one sees the joy that lights up the faces of almost everyone, one would not hesitate to conclude that this is a Christian community in action. See how they live together as brothers and sisters!

With that, my curiosity and doubts gave way to faith and commitment.

The Little Mandate, a call to live a simple life and preach the Gospel with one’s life even in the marketplaces, is in the soul of everyone in Madonna House.

One fascinating thing is the way everyone seems to go about his or her duty with gladness. I did not see any arguing or complaining. When it is time for work, everyone is busy, and when prayer time comes, it is like angels descending on the "holy ground" with their melodious songs of joy. They really understand the Gospel of Christ.

Their respect for one another is another thing. When a priest arrives at the dinner table, everyone already seated at that table stands until the priest sits down. This shows how Catherine reverenced priests and instilled this reverence into members of the community. She did this because the priest is another Christ.

But it would be difficult to distinguish a priest from any other man of the community if you didn’t already know who he was.

Everyone is so simple to the core of their being. There is no discrimination between community members and guests. No Jew or Gentile, slave or free, black, red, or white (cf. 1 Cor 12:13). All are treated as one in Christ. One can see this at the farm, at mealtimes, and at liturgical activities. There is no discrimination.

One major characteristic of these people is their way of living poverty. The manner they put it into practice is a thing to write home about.

Catherine’s writings are the expression of life in Madonna House.

In a nutshell, the vision of Catherine Doherty, which she instilled in the lives of men and women, including the clergy, all over the world, is a vision of heaven lived on earth.

As we continue to pray for God’s children that they realize the truth and live it, we need also to pray that Catherine Doherty, a great visionary who fought for God and his poor children, be declared a saint in the near future. That would be a joy for all humanity.