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We have just celebrated August 15th, the feast of the Assumption. At Madonna House, this is a joyous feast, a glorious feast, the highlight of our summer.
Of course, there is lots of preparatory work ahead of time: the food, the decorations, the practicing of music, etc., etc., etc. The evening before the feast, I asked one of the cooks how she was doing. She said, “Well, it’s been a busy time, but now we can enter into the feast.”
And shortly after that, we did, with the beautiful Byzantine Rite Acathist, a service filled with beautiful, poetic songs of praise to our Mother.
Everything contributed to the festive atmosphere of the day: the music, the food, our festive clothes, and the decorations—especially the flowers—and of course the Byzantine liturgy.
Flowers. For us, this is a feast of flowers, for which we sacrifice some of the beauty of our gardens by bringing the flowers inside as gifts to Our Lady. Flowers surround the large icon of Our Lady in the island chapel, hang in baskets from the dining room ceiling in beautiful bouquets, and appear here and there throughout the houses.
So much is celebrated on this day, our summer feast: womanhood, Catherine’s birthday, and anniversaries: the 50th and 25th anniversary of promises, and two or three ordination anniversaries. And more. I’ll say more about the celebration of these anniversaries later.
This year we also had the blessing of an icon of Our Lady that Zoyla Grace wrote. It will replace our decoupaged one in our island chapel.
Mainly I’d say that the feast is a day of singing praise to Our Lady and rejoicing in the fact that every day, we are her beloved, well-cared for children.
And what has that everyday been like? Well, we have had a busy summer and a hot one.
So much went on on different fronts: Cana (our retreat-vacations for families), the farm, the shops, and of course, our summer program for young adults.
Our five-week summer program is a simple one—just some extra talks and activities added to their usual living our life with us that working guests experience all year round. But those extras make for a summer that is extra rich and full—for us as well as for our working guests.
The talks included teaching and witness talks by staff, Wednesday evening lectures by our priests, and Saturday evening seminars at which the visitors have an opportunity to ask our three directors general questions about the faith, Madonna House, and their own personal faith journeys .
The bishop of our diocese, Michael Mulhall, gave one of the Wednesday lectures and then he opened the floor for questions. The guests (primarily the young men) asked him questions about discernment, prayer, and the spiritual life, and he answered wisely and at length. It was a wonderful evening.
The activities included an outdoor music night, a movie night (St. Paul, Apostle of Christ), a day of recollection, a Taizé prayer service, and a picnic.
Plus, Tuesday evenings we have had garden bees, opportunities for all of us who can to participate in the so essential and life-giving work of the farm. This year, one of the joys of these bees is seeing the healthy abundant vegetable harvest coming in. For most of our crops, thanks be to God, it has been a good year.
On Sunday July 29 we held an open house picnic, which included an afternoon of visiting and games, and a bring-your-own-picnic supper. (We provided ice cream and watermelon.)
A mix of local people and friends from the Ottawa/Toronto areas showed up, including at least two families coming for a first-time encounter with Madonna House.
It rained for a short time during the picnic—including during the outside rosary before supper. People opened umbrellas and took shelter under several awnings and we carried on. We were all a bit damp, but the skies cleared by suppertime and it did not slow us down.
Two Sisters of the Italian Filippini Congregation came for an overnight “visit of gratitude” in thanksgiving for the support they receive for their missions through our gift shop. Their mandate is to care for AIDS orphans in countries including Ethiopia, India, Brazil, and the USA.
The same week we had a visit from Bishop Alwyn Barretto, the bishop of Sindhudurg (near Goa, India), who also receives support through the gift shop. He met with our directors general, toured the shops and spent some time at St. Mary’s.
Though the main anniversary of staff promises that we celebrate is the 50th, we can’t ignore those who have arrived at the awesome anniversary of 60 years in Madonna House promises.
The main house and St. Mary’s each had a special supper for their respective celebrants, and at each they were given the opportunity to “say a few words.” Their words were simple, mostly about gratitude for their vocations.
Then, on August 15th, the feast of the Assumption, we celebrated 25th and 50th anniversaries, centering on the jubiliarians.
In the evening, in a presentation, they were interviewed by Patricia Lawton. The questions, which they had been given ahead of time, included the following: What special memory or word do you have of Catherine [our foundress]?
What drew you to Madonna House? What is the same now and what is different? How did Catherine train you? What did you learn in the mission houses? Describe a painful experience that brought you life.
Needless to say, through their responses, a picture of Catherine as a person emerged and also some stories of their own vocation and struggles. Who in that audience of staff and guests could fail to have been moved by their answers and the fact that each of them has persevered in her vocation.
Needless to say, we are carrying in our hearts and praying for the Church and for all who are suffering from the sex abuse that took place within the Church—both the victims and the perpetrators.
May God give each of you, in great abundance, whatever graces you need at this time.
