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Angie Mc
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Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,
After our children's Confirmation this past week, I had the privilege to meet Dick Zwemke. He is the father of Geoff, who is husband and father of our local Catholic homeschooling friends, the Zwemke family. Dick and I hit it off right away, spending a few minutes talking about my hope for this list to pray for him in a special way. He was so gracious and grateful and...joyful.
To summarize, Geoff has been diagnosed with cancer and been given 1 1/2 years to live. He and his family and friends are praying for miracle through the intercession of Paul Murphy. We are being asked by the family to "Please join us in asking Paul Murphy to intercede to our Lady (whom he loved dearly) and our Lord so that my dad will be healed, Paul's cause will be furthered and God may be glorified."
Thank you for your prayers! I will keep you updated regularly.
Love,
Angie Mc
For more details:
Hi Angie,
That would be great if you could post the prayer request for my dad to your other group. His name is Dick.
Thank you for your prayers.
Sincerely,
Geoff
On 1/7/06, Angie McIntyre <angmcintyre@msn.com> wrote:
Hello Geoff and Marie,
Our family's prayers are with you. I'm so sorry.
I help moderate a large prayer list at http://4real.thenetsmith.com/default.asp . Our list would be pleased to pray for this petition. If you feel it would be a blessing to your family, and not an invasion of privacy, I would be glad to post it and tend to it.
God bless,
Angie Mc in AJ
----- Original Message -----
From: Geoff Zwemke
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 3:49 PM
Subject: [shhe] PR: For my dad
Dear Friends,
My father was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer (adeno carcinoma). The primary source has not been found, but is probably the pancreas or gall bladder. It has spread to his liver and lungs.
The oncologist said it is treatable but not curable, which means it can be slowed but not stopped. A typical prognosis in his situation is about 1 1/2 years.
While this has certainly been difficult for my dad and our family, here are the positive elements we're focusing on:
--my dad is a man of faith who takes full advantage of the good graces found in the Catholic Church
--aside from the cancer, he is in excellent physical condition and not yet experiencing any symptoms
--he is currently at a leading cancer research and treatment center (MD Anderson Center in Houston) investigating an experimental chemo treatment
--finally, and perhaps most importantly, we have a special intercessor to go to for help:
We are asking Paul Murphy to intercede for my dad's healing. Paul, who's cause for canonization is being promoted by Miles Jesu and by Bishop Olmstead, has been put forward as a model for cancer patients. He died of brain cancer in Phoenix in 1976 at the age of 37.
As with any canonization not involving a martyr, a miracle must be attributed to Paul's intercession in order for him to be canonized a saint. We're hoping my dad's healing will be one of those miracles.
Please join us in asking Paul Murphy to intercede to our Lady (whom he loved dearly) and our Lord so that my dad will be healed, Paul's cause will be furthered and God may be glorified.
For more on Paul Murphy, see below.
My dad is aware of the powerful prayers of this wonderful group and is grateful, as are Marie and I.
Sincerely,
Geoff Zwemke
"It was in the crucible of his terminal illness that the heroic virtue of Paul Murphy was tried and found to be true. As gold refined in the refiner's fire is purified, so was the pure soul of Paul Murphy made more pure. He accepted his suffering and death as coming from the hand of God, whom he'd loved so long and so well."
--Steve Ryan, MJ
Paul is also being put forward as a model for the laity. Paul was a professional architect who, while remaining a layman, professed perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in Miles Jesu. He was an apostle whose witness to the Gospel was evident in his actions and conversation, as leaven in the culture of his day.
As Steve Ryan, MJ writes:
"Paul is proposed as a model according to the Second Vatican Council, because he is someone who is 'imatate-able' in our present time and circumstances, someone who is extraordinary in the ordinary, a young professional living and working in the world.
"It is an essential point...that ordinariness does not exclude holiness, as His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI made clear while still a Cardinal:
'Heroic virtue does not mean that the saint performs a type of "gymnastics" of holiness, something that normal people do not dare to do. It means rather that in the life of a person God's presence is revealed -- something man could not do by himself and through himself...Or, in other words, to be a saint is nothing other than to speak with God as a friend speaks with a friend. This is holiness.' "
For more info, go to:
http://www.milesjesu.com/vocations/vocations-paulmurphy1.htm l
--Includes the letter from Bishop Olmstead to the faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix about Paul
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Leonie
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Dear Angie,
I have added this intention to my prayers.
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Willa
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Angie,
I'll pray for him when I am praying for my dad, who is also being treated for cancer right now.
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JennGM
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Angie,
You've got prayers. I'm familiar with Miles Jesu. I didn't know they had someone's cause they were trying to promote.
Jenn
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cathhomeschool
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Praying for him here, too.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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teachingmom
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Oh my goodness, Angie, what a small world. I knew Geoff Zwemke years and years ago. I met him one summer at Steubenville and actually traveled out to AZ because I was seriously thinking about joining the Catholic campus ministry he was involved in at the time.
I am so sorry to hear about his dad. I will pray for him.
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Praying and asking Paul Murphy to intercede to our Lady and our Lord so that Dick will be healed, Paul's cause will be furthered and God may be glorified.
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Your sister in Christ,
Victoria in AZ
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Kelly
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Praying, Angie.
Kelly in FL
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Angie Mc
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Update:
I spoke with Marie, Dick's daughter-in-law, yesterday. She told me a beautiful story. Dick is currently downloading songs onto an ipod to help him through his many difficult hours. While looking for music, an inpromtu gathering of friends and family happened and the next thing Marie knew, everyone was dancing to "Stayin' Alive!" It sounded like a grace-infused evening, one that no human could have planned or produced.
Thank you for continuing to pray for Dick.
Love,
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Angie Mc
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Amazing! Don't know whether to laugh or to cry. Will keep praying. Thanks for updating us.
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Victoria in AZ
dh Mike 24 yrs; ds Kyle 18; dd Katie 12; and one funny pug
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stefoodie
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just saw this angie. i will add dick zwemke to our family's prayer list. thanks for the update.
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stef
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Angie Mc
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I talked with Dick's son on Monday. Their family all had a lovely Easter together. Dick just started some experimental treatment in Tucson and is very optimistic. Thank you for your prayers over the long haul.
Love,
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Angie Mc
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Keeping Dick in my prayers...
Taffy
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Praying here!! Thanks for the update!!
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God love you!
Donna Marie from NJ
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Praying for healing for Dick Zwemke.
God Bless,
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Angie Mc
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Sigh...
Below is an update on Dick. At this point, I would love to send a spiritual bouquet to the Zwemke family as described by Elizabeth here.. If you feel so called, please reply to this thread and I will deliver the bouquet as soon as possible.
Dear Friends,
My dad has experienced a significant decline the last 3 weeks in his struggle with cancer, and we have been told he is probably in his last days.
Your prayers have brought much grace to our family during this difficult time, and I ask again that you please pray for my dad and mom and the rest of our family, as we put our lives in God's merciful care.
My dad was able to go to confession and received the annointing of the sick at home last night, surrounded by his family. As a man of faith he is putting his trust and hope in the Lord, ready for what is to come.
Thank you for your prayers. God has blessed us in many ways through them.
Sincerely,
Geoff Zwemke
Thank you very much.
Love,
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Angie Mc
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Dear Dick,
My prayers are with you during this difficult illness. May God grant you and your family many graces to embrace His loving will and persevere in faith.
I was privileged to get you know your son, Geoff, one summer 17 years ago at graduate school at Franciscan University of Steubenville. His friendship was a blessing to me that summer. You must be a wonderful dad to have raised a son like Geoff.
With Prayers,
Irene (Kelly) Starrs
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We are praying here! We will continue to petition Paul Murphy on his behalf!
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God love you!
Donna Marie from NJ
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JennGM
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Dear Dick,
Know that we are uniting our sufferings and prayers for your behalf during this difficult time.
God bless,
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Dear Jesus, through the intercesion of Paul Murphy, please grant Dick Zwemke a miracle healing as a blessing to him and his family and to further the cause of Paul Murphy for sainthood. Amen!
Blessings,
Krisann
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4Real Forums : We Pray to the Lord
Topic: A Miracle for Dick Zwemke - Final
