Now that Glenda is a grandmother herself, she finds it very reassuring when one of her grandchildren says, “GG, I promise that I will pray for you.” It’s no surprise that Glenda joined the Marian Fathers’ Holy Souls Sodality. She says, “When the For Heaven’s Sake newsletter arrives, it makes me happy to see its logo with the hands held up in prayer. It reminds me that we can help souls get to Heaven. “I’m constantly adding names to the list of souls who are remembered in the daily Mass the Marian Fathers offer for the souls in Purgatory. I also keep a calendar of dates of loved ones who died, and each month I remind other family members of the anniversary of anyone who died that month. It’s a very easy way to make sure they are not forgotten.” While prayer has always been part of Glenda’s life, she admits, “Before I discovered St. Faustina and Divine Mercy, I was a half-baked Catholic. I loved the Church, but I didn’t know the Church. I started to realize that I hadn’t really put my trust in the Lord.” Learning the faith Her partner in this journey of faith was Arv, who would become her husband in 2005. “We met in 1998,” Glenda explains. “Arv was not Catholic, but he started going to church with me. Then he asked me to be his sponsor, and I attended the RCIA classes with him. It was wonderful as an adult to learn the faith like I had never known it before. “Arv entered the Church on the Easter Vigil in 2000. I’ll never forget what he said: ‘I found home and I found a mother.’ And every year on the Easter Vigil, he would say, ‘It’s my birthday!’ and grin ear to ear.” Arv’s actual birthday is October 5. “He got a real kick out of having the same birthday as St. Faustina!” Glenda says with a chuckle. They became acquainted with St. Faustina right around the time that Arv became Catholic. They heard about a special celebration for Divine Mercy Sunday at Holy Rosary Church in Baltimore, Maryland, and they attended. They discovered the pastor, Fr. Ron Pytel, had been cured of heart disease through the intercession of this humble nun, and that the miracle was presented and approved for her cause for canonization! They also learned that the parishioners had held an all-night prayer vigil, pleading for their beloved priest’s healing. Inspired by such a loving community of faith, Glenda and Arv appealed to their newly-appointed pastor to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday at their parish, St. Mark’s in Fallston. Gregorian Masses When Glenda was working on her estate plans, she naturally thought about who would be praying for the blessed repose of her soul. We discussed ideas for arranging a gift in her will or pre-arranging 30-day Gregorian Masses. Then she and her son met with her attorney. They agreed that, in her case, her son could be responsible for requesting Masses for her intentions, so it will be arranged outside of her will. Glenda is happy that she can count on her son, just like her Pop Pop counts on her. If you would like to learn about the Holy Souls Sodality visit PrayForSouls.org. Also feel free to contact me to discuss charitable gift planning or visit Marian.org/PlannedGiving. When she was just a young child, Glenda Devage’s Pop Pop used to repeatedly ask her, “Pray for me,” to the point that she remembers her grandmother Ma saying, “Leave the child alone.” Still, the pleading worked, and her Pop Pop and Ma can count on Glenda’s prayers. WHOWILL PRAY FOR ME? Outstanding Helpers Ellen Miller is director for Special Gifts. Contact her at [email protected]; (413) 298-1380; or Association of Marian Helpers, Stockbridge, MA 01263. Visit Marian.org/PlannedGiving Marian Helper • Winter 2022-23 • Marian.org 31
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