by Barbara Johnson, Parishioner at Little Flower, Minot
“Take her to the grave.” This is the thought that popped into my head as I opened the August 2022 edition of the Dakota Catholic Action. On the cover was the beautiful picture of Michelle Duppong with a headline announcing that Bishop Kagan had opened the cause for Michelle’s canonization. I stared at her radiant face and prayed, “St. Michelle, pray for Joan.”
I have been praying for Joan for over a year now. Joan, a young wife and mother of two small children, had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She had been doing well with treatments until recently when cancer was discovered in her brain. I felt sad and disappointed. My prayers became desperate: “Lord, the world needs holy families to light the way. Little children need both of their parents to raise them in this crazy world. Joan needs a miracle! The world needs a miracle! Please, Lord it is so easy for You! All You have to do is will it! Say the word and it will be so. But not my will, Your will be done.”
“Take her to the grave.” Is this from You, God? I felt like Naaman’s wife’s servant girl who told Naaman to go see the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 5:1-19). Seeking guidance, I called our parish priest at St. Therese, Church of the Little Flower in Minot, Fr. Ken Phillips, to see if we should make a pilgrimage. I figured if he said no, it wasn’t from God. He first asked me to speak with Joan to get her permission. I told Joan and her husband, Gabe, of the inspiration I had received. “You need a miracle and so does Michelle. Would you be up for a little pilgrimage?” I asked. They were open to the idea, so I asked Joan if she would like to make a private pilgrimage or open it up to the parish. Her response was, “The more the merrier!”
Never did I think Joan’s response would turn out to be 100 people joining us, including three other Minot residents with cancer in need of healing. But when God has His hand on something, I have learned to hang on because it will always be beyond anything I could have imagined on my own. The Holy Spirit was moving people and I could only watch in awe! We picked Aug. 28, a date that worked for all the cancer patients who were in-between treatments, and everything was set into motion at warp speed.
After making arrangements with Michelle’s parents, Ken and Mary Ann, and obtaining use of the bus from Bishop Ryan Catholic School, the pilgrims loaded the bus after the 10 a.m. Mass. On the way, we prayed the rosary, asking our Blessed Mother’s intercession for the sick. We stopped at St. Martin’s Church in Hazen, where we met up with other pilgrims in their cars. Imagine our surprise about 45 minutes later when we came over the top of the hill on a narrow dusty road to see the cemetery filled with more pilgrims, including the University of Mary FOCUS group, who had been making a retreat that weekend in Haymarsh. Seeing so many people and experiencing the peace that filled the cemetery was amazing!
We gathered around Michelle’s grave to hear Mary Ann’s inspiring message about surrendering to God’s will, the power of redemptive suffering and the importance of striving for heaven no matter what the cost. We joined Fr. Phillips in praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and asking Michelle’s intercession for the healing of Joan, Linda, Ron and Suzanne, and strength for their family members. During the prayer service, Ken and Mary Ann graciously allowed the sick to wear the blessed brown scapular that Michelle wore prior to her death. The prayer service concluded with the sacrament of the anointing of the sick being given to the four battling cancer and a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His mercy and the acceptance of His will.
It seemed as if no one really wanted to leave this holy place filled with such faith and solidarity, but eventually, the pilgrims joined the Duppong family at their home to share stories of Michelle’s life and our Catholic faith. This pilgrimage was filled with hope and peace. We continue to ask Michelle’s intercession and wait in joyful hope that God knows best how to answer our prayers.