Video Screengrab by FOCUS / YouTube
CV NEWS FEED // A documentary about Servant of God Michelle Duppong, a former FOCUS missionary who passed away in 2015 from cancer, is set to show next week at the National Eucharistic Congress to a crowd of 500.
The University of Mary and the college ministry apostolate Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) announced a showing of the documentary, “Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story,” in a recent email news release. The showing had an attendance limited to 500 that was filled to capacity in less than 24 hours.
The National Catholic Register previously reported that the 75-minute documentary, which first premiered in January of this year, includes heartfelt footage from Michelle’s life and interviews with missionaries, family members, and others who knew her.
Michelle Christine Duppong was born in 1984 in Weathridge, Colorado, and grew up in North Dakota with her five siblings, and her parents, Ken and Mary Ann Duppong.
According to a June 2022 news release from FOCUS, Michelle later attended North Dakota State University and graduated with a degree in horticulture in 2006. Having met FOCUS missionaries at her own university, Michelle was then inspired to serve as one herself after graduating. She spent the next six years serving hundreds of college students, according to the news release.
FOCUS missionaries share the Gospel with students. They often host regular Bible studies, mentor interested students to lead their own Bible studies, host social events, and assist in their respective colleges’ campus ministries.
Michelle’s final college assignment as a missionary was at the University of Mary in North Dakota.
“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,” stated Monsignor James Shea, the University’s president, in the news release.
In 2012, she then became the Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Diocese of Bismarck.
According to a website dedicated to Michelle’s life and cause for canonization, in fall 2014, Michelle began experiencing sharp abdomen pains and was diagnosed with ovarian cysts. On December 29, after the pain worsened, she underwent surgery to have the cysts removed.
That day, however, the surgeon found that Michelle had stage 4 cancer in her abdomen, and doctors told Mary Ann, her mother, that Michelle had two months to live.
However, Michelle underwent more surgeries and hospital visits. She spent the following 12 months battling the cancer.
According to her mother, Michelle’s response to the suffering was trustful surrender to God.
“Michelle was not one to blame anyone for anything,” Mary Ann said, according to the website. “Her attitude was, ‘If God wants me to go through this, I will go through this.’”
Mary Ann also said Michelle touched many lives during her year-long battle with cancer and offered her suffering for the sake of others.
Her father Ken said that Michelle’s “whole life was dedicated to whatever Jesus wanted.”
Michelle passed away at 31 years old on Christmas Day, 2015, surrounded by her family.
According to the website, Michelle’s sister Lisa Gray shared, “When I saw her taking her last breath, I was so happy for her. I was so proud of her. I had the feeling of her running to Jesus. It was not just the tragedy of the cancer story; people knew that Michelle was marked; it was just part of her journey. I had a heart of knowledge that she was going to heaven on Christmas night.”
Bishop David Kagan of the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, announced in June 2022 that the Diocese was opening an investigation into the cause for Michelle’s canonization. She received the title Servant of God in November 2022.
Curtis Martin, the founder of FOCUS, stated in the June 2022 news release, “Michelle was a missionary of joy, and that joy is continuing to change lives.”
Martin added that Michelle exhibited obedience and conformity to God’s will on a daily basis.
“She lived everyday faithfulness extraordinarily well, and her authentic witness to the Gospel shows us all what it means to be transformed in, with, and through Christ,” he said.
“Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story” will be shown at 3:30 p.m. on July 19 at Hyatt Regency Indianapolis during the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana. The documentary will show in theaters this November.
