Marian Helper Fall 2015

One of the great surprises in her life was unexpectedly encountering the message of Divine Mercy while tak- ing part in a prayer group. Since then, Divine Mercy has been the source of many more unanticipated blessings. For instance, her dear friend Tami from California had a sister who was dying. Helene and Tami would pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet t ogether on the phone, aware of the promise Jesus made t o St. Faustina: “At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same” ( Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 811). Tami’s sister, Marilyn, peacefully passed to eternal life. When Helene went to her funeral, she brought a box of 1,00 0 chaplet prayercards fo r Tami. They left a bunch of them in the Adoration chapel at the John Paul the Great Catholic University. A few weeks later, Tami learned that one of the students had gone door-to-door distributing all the prayercards to stu- dents. This was more than she ever expected, and it also opened the door for her to have an even closer relationship with the university. For example, she was invited to join the students on a prolife pilgrimage during which she shared her sister’s peaceful passing that occurred thanks to the grace of Divine Mercy. Helene was delighted by the ripple effects that a little thing — a simple stack of prayercards — had had. A Divine Mercy devotee for decades now, she marvels at how God takes our small acts of faith and uses them in powerful ways to build his Kingdom. That’s why she has enrolled many loved ones in th e Association of Marian Helpers (just as a friend enrolled her 55 years ago) so that they receive the spiritual benefits of the Masses and prayers offered by the Marian Fathers for all the Marian Helpers. In grat- itude to the Marians for their work, Helene decided to create a charitable gift annuity. N ow she uses the quarterly payments to help her two granddaughters pay their college expenses. In turn, the amount the Marians will receive from the annuity supports the education of seminarians. “ Each time I give them [my granddaughters] checks to support their education,” said Helene, “I remind them that it comes from a gift that I made to support the education of future priests.” Passionate about supporting vocations, Helene has “spiritually adopted” priests and seminarians, praying for them daily. With a chuckle, she says, “It is such a gift to be a silent prayer warrior in my senior years.” Her prayers are another gift to the Church and the world, unlooked for, unexpect- ed, coming from the God of surprises! To learn more about supporting Marian vocations or to make a charitable gift annuity, please get win touch with me. H elene Cooney, a Marian Helper from New York, prays to do God’s will in all things. “I follow; he leads,” she says. Like the Blessed Mother, she often works quietly in the background and is delighted by his generosity. She, like Pope Francis, lovingly calls him “the God of surprises.” THE ‘GOD OF SURPRISES’ M arian H elper • F all 2015 • marian.org 29 Ellen Miller is director for Special Gifts. Contact her at: Association of Marian Helpers, Stockbridge, MA 01263; (413) 298-1380; o r [email protected]. Visit our website: marian.org/plannedgiving O utstanding H elpers