Will we soon have another American saint? In June Bishop David Kagan of the Diocese of Bismarck, N.D., announced the opening of the investigation which could lead to the beatification and canonization of North Dakota native MICHELLE CHRISTINE DUPPONG.
At the age of 31, on Christmas Day, Michelle died from cancer while serving as the Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Diocese of Bismarck. Before that, she had served as a FOCUS missionary.
Bishop Kagan said: “Michelle’s holiness of life and love for God certainly touched us here in the Diocese of Bismarck, at the Universityof Mary, and throughout FOCUS, but hers is a witness which should also be shared with the UniversalChurch.”
Born in 1985, Michelle grew up in Haymarsh, N.D. She earned a degree in horticulture at North DakotaStateUniversityin 2006. While there, she encountered FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) and was so inspired by the apostolate that after graduation she served as a FOCUS missionary.
For six years, Michelle mentored hundreds of students at the college campuses, with her final assignment on the inaugural FOCUS team at the University of Mary.
The University of Mary was founded in 1959 by the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery. It is one of only 15 RecommendedCardinalNewmanSocietyResidentialColleges and Universities in the US, which means it is Catholic in more than just name
In 2012, Michelle became the Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Diocese of Bismarck, using her missionary zeal to bring others closer to Christ.
In late December, 2014, she was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer. She battled the disease with perseverance, patience and a cheerful spirit, dying a year later on Christmas Day.
“Michelle was a radiant, joyful woman with the heart of a true servant,” said Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary. “For the students on our campus, she was an inspiration and a treasured mentor, teaching them by her example the transformative power of friendship with God.”
A documentary, “Thirst for Souls: the Michelle Duppong Story” is set for its worldwide premiere at SEEK23, FOCUS’ national conference, being held in St. Louis January 2-6, 2023.
FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) is a Catholic apostolate whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the Gospel. FOCUS missionaries encounter people in friendship, inviting them into a personal relationship with Christ and accompanying them as they pursue lives of virtue and excellence. Through Bible studies, outreach events, mission trips and discipleship, missionaries inspire and build up others in the faith, sending them out to live out lifelong Catholic mission wherever they are. For the 2021 – 2022 academic year, nearly 800 FOCUS missionaries are serving at 205 locations, which includes 22 parish venues across the U.S.and seven international campuses. FOCUS alumni, now nearly 40,000 strong, are living and serving in parishes and communities across the country. By 2026, FOCUS expects to have more than 70,000 alumni. An important blessing of a fruitful partnership between the local campus ministry and FOCUS has been the pursuit of religious vocations. Since 1998, more than 1,000 people have entered the seminary or a religious house of formation after involvement with FOCUS on college campuses. FOCUS expects to nearly double that number in the next five years. FOCUS missionaries are typically recent college graduates who devote two or more years of their post-collegiate lives to reach out to peers on campus.
