Her life deeply reflected her love for our Lord. Her church ministry and devotion to holy mother Mary led her to become a teacher for our first holy communicants. A wife, a mother, a grandmother, a powerful convert to the Catholic faith, gifted in using her hands to make beauty come alive through her God given talents. Whether she was making quilted childrens books for her grandchildren, or making exquisite rosaries for pilgrims entering into Queen of Peace Catholic Church, you could see the extra measure of Gods grace being poured out of Mary Beth, like a libation. Her soul will go on to live forever, and today she is remembered in a special way for her love within our church community. And on the behalf of everyone within our congregation, we express our deepest love and deepest sympathy to all her living relatives and closest friends. Jesus decided to come for her in between two very special and amazing feast days. Saint Joachim and Saint Ann (the parents of Mary, our blesssed and holy mother) and Saint Sharbel a Lebanese monk, whom she held the greatest, utmost devotion towards. A few years back, I recall sending Mary Beth a picture of some of the saints relics that were traveling from the vatican in Rome to a church in Jacksonville florida. And I felt compelled to resend her the exact picture I had taken of a first class relic of Saint Sharbel just two days before Jesus came. Little did I know that it was sa divine appointment ordained by God because He was doing something extraordinary through Saint Sharbel through Mary Beth. According Mary Beth and her loved ones standing at her bed side, I was told that Saint Sharbel visited Mary Beth personally, and her arms began to bleed and as they her loved ones wiped away the blood, the blood disappeared. What does it mean? Could be a stigmata from our Lord, that she sweat blood through her arms before leaving this earth and entering into her eternal destiny? Only Mary Beth understands the answer now that she has met our Lord face to face. Today at the funeral mass we all gathered to experience our final farewell. As members of our bereavement team, my husband and I assisted this beautiful family with a lovely send off. The music from our choir echoed throughout the narthex like choirs of angels entering into the church perfuming the building with the essence of love. Our church was completely full and that was an amazing testimony to the great contributions of Mary Beth and her love for God and neighbor. The never ending line entering into the main sanctuary spoke volumes about the hearts and lives that were touched by this one sweet amazing soul! Singing with tears streaming down my face and onto my dress, I just could not control. And on the evening before when we all gathered in praying of the rosary and singing hymns together, I saw for the first time the sun touching the face of Mary during the third decade of the glorious mysteries, and upon the fourth mystery my spouse nudged me to look over at the statue of Mary illumined with the sun. Little touches of Marian love entered into the church on top of everything else that was beautiful going on. And lastly as I left the church, there on the grounds outside of the narthex a miniature fluffy white most perfect feather. After my maternal grandmother had died, I was always given a feather, and a voice that told me it was her thinking of me and she was present in my midst. I took it as a sign of Mary Beth, entering into heaven, with all those who have gone before us to receive their heavenly reward. How is it so, that one unique and precious soul could make such an indellible impression on an entire church community? She loved well. This my brothers/sisters is what we are all called to do. To live free in God, and return to him with love.
