Eternal Memory

A reader writes:

You will probably not remember me but I wrote you last November asking for prayers for my wife as she battled stomach cancer. You are and your readers responded with much kindness offering up prayers for her healing. Ellen suffered almost everyday of her illness. She endured radiation treatments, two separate regimens of chemotherapy, two major surgeries, could not eat for weeks at a time, and had to endure daily tube feedings which tethered her to a feeding machine. She endured significant pain daily. She rarely complained and saw all these sufferings more as a task to be completed and less as a horror to endure. We would offer prayers everyday for our benefactors and we would offer up all her suffering in union with Christ’s suffering for the world. After nearly a year, Ellen died on Sunday, August 18th (she was born on a Sunday) surrounded in love and prayer by her family, friends, and her parish priest.

I should mention that this past February, Ellen was received into the Church. She was especially devoted to the Rosary and she was able to attend Mass a few times while the cancer briefly remitted before returning with overwhelming speed. My heart is broken and I have this huge hole in my life but I know that she is in heaven praying for all of us. And the same Heavenly Father that led her to the Catholic faith will heal all of us. All this to say that I am most grateful for all the prayers; please know that they helped immensely. You do more good than you know.

God’s blessing you and your readers

May Ellen’s soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace through Christ our Lord. And may God our Father comfort and console this good man and all who love her with the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. Mother Mary, pray for my reader and all hurt by this loss.