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Order of Canada to be Returned Publicly - Madonna House Returns Founder's Award

"Catherine Doherty was honoured to receive this award in 1976"

OTTAWA, July 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - 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 its 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 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. The community said that 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: http://www.madonnahouse.org or http://www.catherinedoherty.org

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