Michelle Duppong: Hope in the Depths of Suffering

Elizabeth Leon reviews a new book on Servant of God Michelle Duppong by Patti Maguire Armstrong and Stephanie Parks. 

Michelle Duppong: Hope in the Depths of Suffering

By Patti Maguire Armstrong and Stephanie Parks 

Published by Sophia Institute Press

After Michelle Duppong was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in December 2014 and given two months to live, she prayed that God would heal her. Thousands of people around the world prayed for a miracle, including her large Catholic family and the many who knew and loved her from her work with FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. Michelle exuded holiness and joy. She lived a life of intimacy with Jesus and dedicated all her energy to the work of evangelization. Surely, if anyone deserved a miracle, it was she.

The miracle you get is not always the miracle you pray for. Michelle died on December 25, 2015 after 12 months of radiating joy. Her life of holiness was magnified through her suffering as she offered it again and again for souls. Everyone who came in contact with her before her illness and through her treatment felt the light of Christ shining forth from this ordinary girl who loved Jesus extraordinarily well. The miracle was not her miraculous healing, but how this simple farmgirl from North Dakota has set hearts ablaze for Jesus before, through, and after her death.

Ordinary Holiness

Michelle Duppong: Hope in the Depths of Suffering (Sophia Press, 2025) was written by Patti Maguire Armstrong and Stephanie Parks to share the life of “a young woman whose joy was contagious, whose life was costly, and whose sanctity is credible” (back cover). Michelle’s story is one of ordinary Christian virtue lived heroically until death. Michelle experienced the love of Jesus reaching out to her through all aspects of her life: her rural upbringing on a farm in North Dakota, a busy family life of school and chores, and her call to be a missionary. “Michelle’s way of living companionship with Christ left a profound impact on those around her” (5).

Hope in the Depths of Suffering draws us into the ordinary miracle of Michelle’s life. Her agricultural upbringing in a large Catholic family nurtured her love for God. The rhythms of family and farm life kept her rooted in God’s love through hard work, education, and service to friend and neighbor. Her naturally vivacious personality led her to be a FOCUS missionary and then an evangelist as the Director of Adult Formation for the Diocese of Bismarck, ND. In the midst of a joy-filled and apostolically fruitful life, the Lord invited Michelle to her greatest apostolic mission: a journey of redemptive suffering that ended in eternal life.

Michelle’s triumphant story heralds the promise that we all can be saints. The authors help us experience Michelle’s humanity along with her supernatural hope, surrender, and joy. Her deep faith grew from ordinary holiness: love for the mass, prayer, and sharing the gospel. Michelle had an affinity for invitation, never missing an opportunity to include a friend or stranger in fellowship, prayer, or the sacraments. She took a genuine interest in others and even as she was dying, continued to share Jesus through her smile and generosity of spirit.

Servant of God

Michelle’s life is an example of the hidden transformation of holiness that comes from accepting God’s will at each moment. Her ordinariness became her very path to holiness. (6)

Her story reminds us that faithfulness and surrender will carry us through any trial. We may not be diagnosed with terminal cancer, but we do know suffering and uncertainty. Michelle Duppong offeres a relatable example of a modern-day Servant of God who cultivated a joyful faith through obedience to God’s will in her life.

Her cause for canonization was opened by Bishop David Kagan at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck on All Saints Day, 2022. In his remarks on that day, Bishop Kagan proclaimed Michelle’s one desire was to share with others the joy of knowing Jesus and loving him every day. Michelle was an extraordinary woman but also as ordinary as the girl next door. If she is a Servant of God on the path to sainthood, holiness is within our reach and we, too, can aspire to be saints.

Written by authors who personally knew Michelle and her family, Hope in the Depths of Suffering allows us to walk closely with the Duppongs through happiness, shock, sorrow, and joy. Excerpts from Michelle’s writing are sprinkled through the book, giving us a chance to know her more personally and to receive her encouragement as a dear friend.

Servant of God Michelle Duppong, pray for us!

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Copyright 2026 Elizabeth Leon
Images: (top) detail from cover