Newspaper Page Text
Page 4 • Faith Today
CHILDREN'S STORY HOUR
Janet's death
By Janaan Manternach
NC News Service
Janet Ripple lived in Carthage,
Ill., with her husband, Richard, a
judge, and their two children, Jen
ny and Brett.
Janet was full of life, loved her
family and worked hard for their
happiness. She also was full of
fun. She worked at a local college
and had many friends.
Her story is very special to me,
for I am Janet’s sister. And though
her story is about something pain
ful that happens to some people,
there is great beauty in her story
too.
Janet became ill with cancer.
She fought it almost 10 years. For
a while it looked as if she would
win out. Then one day the doc
tors told her she had only a few
months to live.
Janet was shocked. The next
Sunday at Mass her pastor, Father
Francis White, CSV, noticed how
sad Janet looked. Fie asked what
was wrong and she told him.
The next morning Father White
knocked on Janet’s door. “If you
have a cup of coffee, I have some
doughnuts to share,’’ he said with
a smile. Janet invited him in and
they shared her coffee and his
doughnuts. Most of all they shared
her pain and their faith in God.
Janet and Father White had
many breakfasts together in the
next weeks. Together they struggl
ed to believe that God, who knew
Janet’s pain, loved her and was
with her even in that pain.
Father White suggested that
Janet attempt to pray quietly
when she had to lie down to rest.
“When I close my eyes, instead of
praying,” Janet said, “I get afraid
of dying and can’t rest.”
So Father White came one mor
ning with a recorder and some
cassettes. They contained songs of
faith, popular hymns by the St.
Louis Jesuits and other groups. ’
“When you try to rest, put
these songs on quietly,” Father
White suggested.
Janet listened to the songs. She
was able to rest. And she was able
to deepen her faith. She really
believed God was with her and
that God cared.
Hidden Words
Find the words hidden in the puzzle below. They moy be
vertical, horizontal or diagonal. All the words are associated
with the beach.
A
N
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D
5
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B
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N
N
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A
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SAND, WAVES, SALTWATER, CASTLES, CRABS, SURF, FISH, SWIMMING
HOW ABOUT YOU?
□ Why do you think God wants you to do good things for people
and to care about them?
Children's Reading Corner
As pleasant things are part of our lives, so are painful things. “The
Accident,” by Carol Carrick, tells how Christopher stays home while
his parents go on an outing. Later, thinking his parents will be on
their way home, Christopher takes his dog, Badger, to meet them.
In the dark Badger accidentally gets hit by a truck. This hurts
Christopher, who doesn’t want to believe that his father can’t change
the situatioh. Gradually Christopher accepts what has happened and
does something positive about it. Read the story with your parents
and talk about it. Talk about a painful thing that has happened to you
and how you dealt with it. (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1 Beacon St., Boston,
Mass., 02107. Hardback, $7.95.)
The pain did not go away. But
her trust in God grew. She cried
when she thought of leaving her
husband and children. Yet she
found peace in the thought that
even if she were no longer with
them, God would be with them.
Her faith in those last months
drew people to her. She allowed
others to help her and in the pro
cess helped them find greater
strength and peace for their lives.
She let them love her in her need
and they came to experience a
richer love themselves.
One morning Janet died at
home with her family. Soon their
home was filled with friends,
neighbors and relatives. Her
funeral was a celebration. Even in
their sorrow, those who gathered
in her home after the funeral felt
something of the joy she radiated.
All could believe more in God
and themselves because of Janet
Ripple.
(Ms. Manternach is the author
of catechetical works, scripture
stories and original stories for
children.)
Frontier
There is a frontier ruggedness
about young men studying for the
priesthood in Alaska. They have to be
tough. After ordination, planes, boats
and snowmobiles will take them to
remote missions in Eskimo villages,
logging camps and outposts in the
Aleutian Islands.
With funding from the Catholic
Church Extension Society, they are
now able to pursue the priesthood
with intense missionary zeal. They
are part of a team that brings God’s
Word to isolated people here in the
United States. But that team can’t do
the job alone. It needs new members.
It needs you.
Join us. Become a member of the
Extension team. Although you won’t
be present in the home missions per
sonally, your impact will be felt in this-
holy effort. Together we will bring
Christ to those living in remote home
mission areas.
Write for a free subscription to
Extension magazine today and dis
cover the difference you can make.
Together, and with God’s grace, we
can achieve His missionary goals here
in our own beloved country.
The Catholic Church
EXTENSION Society
35 East Wacker Drive, Room 400F ■ Chicago, Illinois 60601