The Catholic Patriotic Minute #70: Michelle Duppong
Catholics For Catholics Special Edition | November 11th, 2026
Servant of God Michelle Duppong: Witness of Evangelization Through Redemptive Suffering
In 1984, Michelle Duppong was born on January 25–the feast day of Saint Paul’s conversion. According to Michelle’s mother Mary Ann, Michelle appreciated sharing her birthday with this feast, as she admired St. Paul’s life of evangelization.
Michelle was born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, but a year later her family moved to Haymarsh, North Dakota. Her childhood revolved mostly around her Catholic faith, family, and tending to their family’s farm. Michelle and her family attended a small Catholic church, St. Clement Oratory, near their home.
Their sheep and lambs were the Duppong family’s pets. Often, Michelle was mowing, gardening, pruning, weeding, harvesting, and canning. As Mary Ann stated, Michelle always “just buckled down to get any task done.” She found joy in gathering flowers, climbing onto hay bales with her siblings, and campfire sing-alongs.
Her attention to hard work also translated to her education. Michelle graduated from Glen Ullis High School as the senior class’s valedictorian and president in 2002. She entered North Dakota State University, where she earned her degree in horticulture in 2006. At university, her relationship with God flourished by participating in the ministry of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) at St. Paul’s Newman Center.
After graduating college, Michelle became a FOCUS missionary, evangelizing and serving hundreds of young adults at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, South Dakota State University, University of South Dakota, and the University of Mary.
A fellow FOCUS missionary, Brittany Diegel, recalled Michelle as “very reverent.” Diegel noted, “I remember when she would pray, it was with such passion.… So very filled with hope, but totally resigned to God’s will.”
In 2012, Michelle filled the role of Director of Adult Faith Formation in the Diocese of Bismarck. She collaborated with Bishop David Kagan on events and programs to invite adults to encounter the Holy Eucharist more. Her idea for the Diocese of Bismarck to host a THIRST Eucharistic Conference was put into practice in 2013 and still occurs to this day.
However, Michelle’s life took a turn in 2014. First, Michelle discovered she had ovarian cysts. When the pain grew more intense, she underwent a surgery to extract the cysts in December of 2014. Michelle was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. Her doctors revealed she only had about two months to live. The various medical procedures she endured thereafter lengthened two months into one year of life left.
According to her family, Michelle surrendered herself to this cross of hers, praying for healing yet never harboring anger. Her father Ken recalled, “Her whole year of suffering, the pain was non-stop. It was hard watching. But it wasn’t just that year. Her whole life was dedicated to whatever Jesus wanted.” Even when she could barely stand up, Michelle asked to go to Mass. If she could not leave, chaplains visited her.
A sister from the Congregation of Teresian Carmelites, who participated in Michelle’s hospice care, later claimed that Michelle knew she would die on Christmas Day. On December 25, 2015, Michelle was surrounded by her family. They prayed and sang together for the last time. Michelle passed away at 11:23 P.M., right before midnight.
Her sister Lisa Gray described Michelle’s last moment on earth:
She lived her life in conformity to Christ. 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.
Monsignor James Shea–whom Michelle assisted in founding FOCUS at the University of Mary in 2012–remembered Michelle’s devotion to Mary, always interceding to her for the salvation of souls. He offered,
One of the great lessons that Michelle’s life imparts upon us was the beautiful way that she entered into the suffering of Jesus. How beautiful to have the example of someone who accepted, with serenity, both the joys and suffering of her life. Michelle never forgot about the power of redemptive suffering.
At Michelle’s funeral Mass, Monsignor Richter stated, “at the center of evangelization, redemptive suffering. That’s how Christ drew others in humanity to God, and that’s how his friends do.” Before she died, Michelle wrote a letter to Jesus, which was passed around at her funeral Mass. In her letter, she prayed, “If you take me home soon, please fill my family and friends along with the multitudes… with joy and peace knowing that your love wins in the end.”
After he had received letters documenting her witness and gifts of her intercession, Bishop Kagan of the Diocese of Bismarck began praying about opening her cause of canonization. Upon studying her life, Bishop Kagan proclaimed, “her life is a life of Christlike goodness, compassion, and the firmest faith I’ve ever encountered in any person.”
On the Solemnity of All Saints–November 1– in 2022, Bishop Kagan opened the cause of Michelle Duppong’s canonization. If she is canonized, Servant of God Michelle Duppong would become the first saint from the state of North Dakota.
For more Catholic Patriotic Minutes, visit CATHOLICUSA.COM
Save and Share This Catholic Patriotic Minute!
