Catherine Therese Shellabarger

Today, we come together to remember Catherine Therese, a precious life that has touched us in ways words can hardly express; our lives will never be the same. Her time here was so brief, but she will live in our hearts, our minds, and in our prayers forever. While we may not understand why her life was so short, we trust in God’s love and His promise to bring beauty out of even the hardest moments (Isa 61:1-3; Jer 29:11; Mat 5:4-6). 

As we grieve, we look to the wisdom of her patron saints, as we have many times before, for encouragement, guidance and hope. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, in contemplating the reality of death and the truth of eternal life and the communion of saints wrote, "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses." These words remind us that though Catherine Therese has gone to be with Our Lord, she is still with us in a beautiful and mysterious way. Her life is not over! It is transformed into something even greater; something we all long for in this life. The first time her eyes opened, she looked upon our Lord Jesus Christ. In Heaven, she is surrounded by God’s perfect love, and we trust that her presence, and even her prayers, will continue to bless us here on earth, like a shower of roses—a quiet, constant reminder of love and the hope of eternity with Christ. This great hope of heaven does not always relieve the grief in the face of suffering in this life, yet we know that we do not grieve as those without hope (1 Thes 4:13). 

As we prepared to leave the hospital, we were presented with her handprints and her footprints. Her right handprint caught our eyes. It made the shape of the Hebrew greeting, for “Shalom.” The word “shalom” has a very rich and deep meaning. It means, “peace.” But it also means, “wholeness, completeness, tranquility, security and wellbeing. In that moment, Catherine Therese sent her first flower to us; a reminder of these words from Scripture: “[A]nd I heard a great voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” – Rev 21:3-4 

But what of Catherine Therese’s other patron, St. Catherine of Siena? "Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring." Understanding this we turn to the Blessed Mother. Standing at the foot of the cross, Mary experienced the greatest human sorrow—the death of her Son—yet she trusted in God’s plan. So must we. How great God must be if we must suffer so much in this life to get to Him. It is not easy to carry the crosses of this life. Yet there is greatness in suffering, in enduring our crosses even when joy and purpose in suffering seem hard to find (Heb 12:2) — a greatness in loving deeply, in grieving honestly, in cleaving to the Lord, and in trusting that God holds all things in His hands. The tomb gives way to the Resurrection. Quite simply, our Lord does not ask anything of us that He Himself cannot carry us through. Jesus, I trust in you. 

We may not see the full picture now, but we hold onto hope, knowing that Catherine Therese is safe and at peace. Her life, though brief, has taught us all the more about the sacredness of every soul and the depth of God’s love for each one of us. 

Catherine Therese, we will carry your memory in our hearts forever. You are loved beyond measure, and we trust that one day, we’ll be reunited in Heaven. Until then, we’ll keep looking for the roses that you send to us.