5th Sunday, Michelle Duppong - FOCUS Missionary

 

When Jesus was teaching the people from the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd kept pressing upon Him, so much so, He got into a boat, so everyone could see and hear Him. After He finished speaking, Our Lord told Peter, “Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Peter told Jesus they attempted to catch fish all night, but had caught nothing, yet He did as Jesus requested.

To the astonishment of the four disciples, Peter, his brother Andrew, James and his brother John, caught a great number of fish, so much so, the nets began to tear and the boats were filled and overflowing. They immediately understood Jesus placed the fish for them. He then said, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” They immediately began to follow Jesus as His disciples. Recall after the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles in the form of fire and wind, Peter boldly proclaimed, all needed to repent and be baptized when they had crucified Jesus. And that day, on the day of Pentecost, the apostles baptized three thousand and became fishers of men.

Our Lord used 12 apostles to establish His Church for the purpose of the salvation of souls.

At the moment of our baptism, we became a disciple of Jesus. We too are to make disciples by helping others to become followers of Jesus and to get to heaven.

When we think of missionaries, we think of Christians who go throughout the world evangelizing in places such as Africa, South America and China, where people still have not heard about Jesus.

In the United States, priest missionaries came from Ireland, to help immigrants. Spanish missionaries, such as saint Juniperra Serra came to convert American Indians in California. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was converted by French Jesuit missionaries in New York.

Today, in the United States and in other countries, many have lost the faith and others don’t even know Jesus. Missionaries are needed to evangelize our own American citizens.

There is a young adult organization called FOCUS, which gathers students on college campuses to spread the gospel message to college students through on-campus outreach, Bible studies, discipleship, mission trips, national conferences and more. FOCUS encourages young people to pursue truth and meaning in their lives, to invest in relationships with Jesus Christ and their fellow students. They help young people to share the good news to everyone they meet, bringing Christ to the world and transforming the world through Christ. Morgan Konen from our parish is a FOCUS missionary in Pennsylvania.

Michelle Duppong a FOCUS missionary died in 2015 and may become a saint. Her childhood included farm chores such as gardening, mowing, pruning, weeding, harvesting and canning. If there were extra vegetable, she and her sisters sold them in town after Mass on Saturday mornings. They also herded sheep and bottle-fed lambs. She was happy to go with her family to Catholic conferences that included speakers, Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.

After she became the director of faith formation for the diocese of Bismark, she developed a Eucharistic Conference called “Thirst Conference.”

Prior to taking that job in 2012, she was a FOCUS missionary at four college campuses to mentor college students to draw them deeper into the faith.

It was in the fall of 2014 that Michelle began experiencing sharp pains in her abdomen. Ovarian cysts was the diagnosis. Out-patient surgery was scheduled for December 29 to remove the cysts. The surgeon opened Michelle and was shocked that her abdomen was full of cancer—stage four. The doctor just gave her two months to live. Michelle began her year-long journey, fighting for her life, with multiple surgeries, while accepting God’s will every step of the way. “Michelle was not one to blame anyone for anything,” Mary Ann, her mother, said. “Her attitude was, ‘If God wants me to go through this, I will go through this.’”

Months later, when she was finally told by the doctor, there was nothing more they could do, she paused and looked at the doctor saying, “How has your day been?” She thought of him before she thought of herself.
Not only was Michelle a great witness of her deep faith, she used that time to offer her suffering for others. Her mother shared that one of her most precious gifts from Michelle is a relic medal from the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in New York. “Michelle said that she believed a time was coming when we, too, should be ready if we would be asked by Our Lord to suffer martyrdom to pass on the faith. She told her that we need to be brave by putting on the armor of faith! This she did to her very last breath. She never talked about death or dying, just about hope of what the future might bring.”
One of the Carmelite sisters who helped during her last days, revealed that Michelle had told her that she would die on Christmas Day. Somehow, Michelle knew the date of her own death. Family members took turns gathering around her bed the evening of December 25, singing, praying and expressing their love. Michelle took her last breath at 11:23 pm on Christmas night.
Her father, Ken, said, “She gave everything...her whole year of suffering, the pain was non-stop. It was hard watching. But it wasn’t just that year. Her whole life was dedicated to whatever Jesus wanted.” When she was in the hospital, he said he would pray the rosary over the phone.
He said it was typical for hospital staff to be drawn to Michelle, sometimes sharing personal problems with her. “She would be concerned about their problems, not hers,” Someone was upset that her husband had left her. “Michelle told her, ‘Forgive him and pray for him because you maybe the only one who can help him.’”  The woman came back later with joy and shared that she had finally found peace, and could move on.
According to Ken, Michelle’s attitude was that we should do everything we can while on earth to make it to heaven. She would say to the other FOCUS missionaries, ‘Give everything you’ve got because it might be the only chance to save that person’s soul; you have to show them the way.’ Lisa Gray shared that Michelle’s example has shown her how to live an amazing life in ordinary ways. “She lived her life in conformity to Christ. When I saw her taking her last breath, I was so happy for her,” Lisa explained. “I was so proud of her. I had the feeling of her running to Jesus”.
Since then, the family has heard from many people who believe they had prayers answered through Michelle’s intercession after her death. One such person wrote a letter to the bishop of Bismark, North Dakota saying, she was healed of cancer through the prayers of Michelle. This caused the bishop of Bismark to open the cause for her canonization in 2022.

My friends, each of us are called to be holy. Holiness is for everyone and holiness is needed to get to heaven.

We should have the desire to help others to know and love Jesus and to help them to get to heaven, like Michelle, and all FOCUS missionaries, including Morgan, and all the missionaries who came to the US to help plant the faith in our hearts. May we, throw out the nets for a catch as a true disciple of Jesus making fishers of men by sharing our faith. 

For a limited time, you can watch Radiating Joy on EWTN. Click on this link: RADIATING JOY - THE MICHELLE DUPPONG STORY