CV NEWS FEED // A documentary titled “Radiating Joy” about Servant of God Michelle Duppong, a Bismarck native who passed away from cancer at age 31, is set to hit theaters on November 12.
CatholicVote previously reported that Duppong, born in 1984, served as a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) missionary for six years, sharing the Gospel with hundreds of students. After this, she worked as Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Diocese of Bismarck.
In December 2014, she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in her abdomen. Though doctors estimated she had two months to live, she spent the next twelve months battling the cancer.
According to CatholicVote, Duppong’s mother, Mary Ann, said her daughter touched many lives during her year-long battle with cancer and offered her suffering for the sake of others.
Michelle Duppong passed away on Christmas Day, 2015.
In June 2022, Bishop David Kagan of the Diocese of Bismark announced that an investigation for Duppong’s canonization was beginning, and in November of the same year, she received the title Servant of God.
The trailer for the documentary about her life, “Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story” can be found here.
The communication company eCatholic is partnering with Fathom Events and FOCUS, which is producing the documentary, and supporting FOCUS through pre-promotion of the documentary.
eCatholic recently held a webinar conversation featuring friends of Duppong and the executive producer of the film about her life.
The full webinar conversation can be accessed here.
Abbey Nagel, now an employee of eCatholic, knew Duppong both when she was a missionary and later when Nagel was working in the Diocese of Bismark.
“Her life communicated love,” Nagel said of Duppong in a recent email press release from eCatholic. “She was an intentional and faithful friend and always made time for those that God placed in her path.”
Another eCatholic employee, Product Manager Matthew Kurtz, also knew Duppong when they worked at the Diocese of Bismark together.
He recalled her “boldness and thirst for souls,” noting that every day, she invited him to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.
“She was remarkably intentional with her words, her actions, and her invitations,” Kurtz said, according to the press release. “She was always so ‘locked in’ during prayer, clearly drawing directly from channels of divine grace.”
“To think that a couple of us here at eCatholic had the incredible blessing of knowing, working with, and praying with Michelle is a beautiful reminder that sanctity is attainable for all of us,” Kurtz said. “We can all build a relationship with Christ as intimately as Michelle did, and we, too, can inspire others with our words, actions, and outreach.”
Nagel also said of Duppong, “I am deeply moved by her life and witness and I believe the upcoming film about her will show the Church how to be holy in ordinary life.”
In July this year at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana, Duppong’s parents Ken and Mary Ann spoke about their prayer and family life, noting their devotion to Our Lady and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.