Catherine De Hueck Doherty

Catherine De Hueck Doherty (1896 -1985)

People are often surprised to learn that one of the great mystics of the 20^th century and founder of one of the great networks of ministering to the poor and marginalized of the inner cities of North America began life as a baroness and member of the Imperial aristocracy of Czarist Russia.

Ekaterina Kolyschkine was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1896. At the outbreak of war in 1914, she served as a Red Cross nurse and witnessed firsthand the horrors of war. In 1915 she married her cousin, Baron Boris De Hueck. After the revolution broke out in Russia in 1917, Catherine (the English version of her name) and her husband fled to Finland, then to England and then on to Canada. She converted to Catholicism in 1919 and their only son, George, was born in 1921.

While trying to make ends meet, Catherine had a conversion experience while continually coming across the Scriptural passage where Christ commands the rich young man to sell all he has, give it to the poor and then come follow. She gave away all her possessions and began living and ministering among the poor of Toronto’s inner city. From there, Catherine went to Harlem and opened Friendship House on 135^th to minister exclusively to the poor African Americans and to offer material, spiritual and educational support. Through her efforts, schools and hospitals previously closed to blacks were opened to them as well as establishing scholarship funds.

In 1942, Catherine moved to Chicago to establish another Friendship House on the city’s northwest side and remained until 1946. Having annulled her marriage to her first cousin (forbidden by the Catholic Church) Catherine married journalist Eddie Doherty and took his name. They eventually moved back to Canada where Catherine died in 1985.