Charlene Richard

As I was driving back to Dallas from New Orleans, I saw a sign to “the gravesite of Charlene Richard”. I had no idea who she was, but I had plenty of time, and decided to investigate. I followed the signs for about 10 miles, at which point they petered out. A little further along the road, I came across a cemetery, and stopped to see if this could be the place.

A group of people – 3 women and 2 men – were standing just inside the gate, and so I asked them if this was where Charlene Richard was buried. They said it was, and pointed out the grave to me. I asked, somewhat sheepishly, if they knew who she was. They explained that she was a young girl who had died of leukemia in 1959, but bore her suffering bravely and with great faith. To cut a long story short, she is said to be responsible for several miracles, one of which was witnessed by two of the people I was talking to. The mother and daughter had both been diagnosed with cancer on the same day. They sought intercession from Charlene Richard, and are currently both in remission. They are part of a group that is seeking canonization for her, and offered me a “prayer cloth” if it might be useful to anyone I knew.

I’m not really a religious person, but I think that my being there, at that time and in that place, was much more than a coincidence.