Meet Servant of God Michelle Duppong through the lens of those who knew and worked with her and then see Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story in theaters on Nov. 12.
Matthew Kurtz, is a product manager at eCatholic. He worked with Michelle Duppong whose life is being considered for sainthood and is the subject of a new movie “Radiating Joy” in theaters November 12 only. Matthew and eCatholic colleague Abbey Nagel share about their unique friendship with a possible saint-to-be. First, let’s hear from Matthew.
Matthew Shares About Michelle Duppong
Ring, ring. Ring, ring.
I glanced at the clock. Sure enough, it was 3 pm, the beginning of what is traditionally known among Catholics as the “Hour of Mercy.”
Once again, I had lost track of the day, consumed by my work as Director of Communications at the Diocese of Bismarck.
I picked up the phone sitting on my office desk, knowing exactly who was on the other end – as well as her request.
“Hi Matthew!” You could always hear the brightness in Michelle’s voice. “I was wondering if you’d like to pray today?”
I’ll admit, some days I didn’t want to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with Michelle, who at the time was my coworker, serving as Director of Adult Faith Formation for the diocese. There was always a reasonable excuse to skip, whether it be a deadline for the diocesan newspaper or the seemingly inconvenient disruption to the work day.
However, it was nearly impossible to say “No” to an invitation from Michelle. Throughout her years as a college campus missionary, Michelle had perfected the art of the invite. Whether “the ask” was to join her Bible study, to make a trip out to her childhood home (“The Shire,” as she liked to call it) for a birthday celebration, or to join her for her daily 3 pm recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, there was never any pushiness, nor any underlying guilt that forced you to say yes.
But when Michelle extended an invitation, you knew that saying “Yes” would be best for your soul; that Michelle’s invitation was the fruit of her desire to share the joy and peace she experienced through her relationship with Christ with you personally.
Now, a decade after our shared daily recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, I can still vividly picture Michelle praying: eyes closed, fingers clutching the beads, her hushed voice pleading with a soft intensity. She was always “locked in.”
Our daily chaplet is just one example of Michelle’s heroic virtue. Her life, as illustrated in the documentary Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story, was a testament to the calling each of us is invited to pursue: A life of extraordinarily ordinary holiness.
She held no advanced degrees in Theology or Philosophy (most of us don’t). She wasn’t a well-known Catholic ‘influencer’ with thousands of social media followers (most of us aren’t). Instead, Michelle would strive each day to make simple choices that cultivated a relationship with Christ and a life of prayer. And she prioritized sharing Christ with others.
It’s a simple formula that can easily be repeated by anyone: 1) Pray the chaplet every day at 3 pm. 2) Invite somebody to join.
The struggle, of course, is executing the seemingly simple task. And this is where Michelle excelled. Despite my frequent failure at keeping this particular habit alive today, Michelle’s example shows us that holiness and sanctity are not particularly complicated. As she wrote in 2015, in the heart of her battle with cancer:
“God is giving each of us the grace we need to be holy in the everyday, ordinary tasks of our lives. Not all of us are called to move to China to be missionaries. … But, all Christians are called to be missionaries where we are at and to share God’s love with the people He puts in our path each day.”
In her earthly life, Michelle often (in my case, daily) provided the nudge needed to zap you from your complacency. Today, others can capture the same inspiration by learning about her life, suffering, and death in Radiating Joy.
Abbey’s Story: Friendship Is A Witness
Abbey Nagel, eCatholic employee, was also a friend of Michelle Duppong. Imagine a friend circle with a possible future saint? Here is what she had to share about her final days with Michelle.
The words that come to mind when I think of Michelle Duppong are joyful faithfulness, confidence, and intentionality. These are some of the everyday virtues that she exemplified that led her to become an everyday saint. I had the experience of knowing Michelle through her work on my college campus, through being in faith groups with her, and working with her at the Diocese of Bismarck. She became a dear friend and her friendship and example still inspires me today.
Her path to sanctity was really highlighted during her final year. She made the intentional decision to concern herself with others rather than turn in on herself during this time, which would have been easy to do. She joined the ranks of the great saints who did similarly, following Jesus’ example on the cross.
As her illness progressed, her appearance changed significantly. I remember going to see her when she got back to Bismarck after she had been away for some time. She was concerned for me seeing her look so different and so sick – her genuine love and care for me in the midst of such struggle and sickness, knowing she was in her final weeks, was overwhelming. She was comforting me in my tears, rather than the other way around.
The last time I saw Michelle before her death was at her farm in Haymarsh. She was sleeping most of the time and hardly opened her eyes. But when she opened them after readjusting and battling a surge of pain, she saw me and was sure to greet me. Seeing her muster the strength to speak to me like that was an example of the way she radiated Christ’s presence, even on her deathbed.
Michelle, in my experience of her, was never preachy about her faith. Instead she led by example and she showed Christ’s love by loving you as a person, no strings attached. Her faith was often something you felt, rather than something you were told. In this way her evangelization was so organic and authentic.
This faith in Christ was so clearly where she drew all her strength. I saw her attend Mass each day and spend much time after Mass in thanksgiving for the Eucharist she just received. It was moving to see her spend long amounts of time with her head to the ground, deep in worship and communion with her Lord. Her strength was so clearly from her union with Christ in the Eucharist each day.
The movie “Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story” does a beautiful job sharing the story of Michelle’s life and love. It has the power to inspire and spark a flame in its viewers, and I hope all who have the opportunity to view the movie do so.
Michelle’s example is special because it’s attainable to everyone. All of us are meant to open ourselves to the love of Christ and show love to the person in front of us. Michelle was who she was created to be – and she’s a saint because of it. May we all strive to do the same.
About the Authors:
Matthew Kurz and Abbey Nagel are life-long Catholics and write from their posts at eCatholic, a partner with FOCUS and Fathom Events on behalf of the new documentary on Michelle’s life called “Radiating Joy” in theaters for one-night only on November 12. Visit FathomEvents.com for more.
