Will the People of God raise up a cause for the R.C. Church to recognize the holiness of Maureen Rodrigues Marolly, who died in the fragrance of holiness on May 31st, 2022?

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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Maureen Rodrigues Marolly 1944-2022 

Hello. You may have come across this post by accident, or you may have been conducting an Internet search. I am a retired R.C. priest of Montreal QC Canada reflecting on the above question. It was no doubt Divine Providence that brought me to the home of Maureen and her husband Clayton. Parishioners at St. Thomas à Becket had been telling me about the phenomenon of statues exuding fragrant oily liquid in the presence of people praying in a private home in D.D.O. So, trying to be a good pastor, I went to see.

Maureen and her husband, when they witnessed my interest through repeated visits, asked me their advice about managing the flow of "pilgrims" and "supernatural sign seekers". I agreed to accompany them and encouraged them to feel free to "put order" in the manner in which they opened their home in hospitality to all who phoned, knocked, or intruded on their family life. In time, they asked me for spiritual accopaniment, which I was glad to offer them. There is nothing confidential revealed in this.

During the years between 1994, when "the phenomenon" began until 2022 when Maureen died, many gave witness to the holiness of Maureen's life, her dedication to serve all who came, and her devoted life of prayer, penance, and adoration. To all appearances, her husband accompanied her in this way of life, and they were both exemplary parents and grand parents. At the time of Maureen's death, there seemed a consensus that she was now with God; that she had lived a holy and virtuous life. Some asked me about the process by which the R.C. Church recognizes the holiness of someone's life. It's like this.

First, there needs to be some evidence that the person did indeed live a holy life. Second, there needs to be a "ground swell" of prayer and support for this process to get under way. Third, there needs to be a person dedicated to put in place all that needs to happen in order for the process to begin and continue. 

From the beginning, given that I was a priest who had accompanied this couple for 28 years or so; it made sense for me to offer to receive any testimonies people would want to send me. That summer, I only received a few such testimonies by email. I myself wrote a few reports over the years. I also have some pictures the couple shared with me; including the trips to India and other places where they were called upon or requested in advance to give their testimony of faith and a report on the phenomenon. 

I received a few more testimonies in jpf and in pdf, some scans of the notebook logs kept by this couple in their home. Visitors were invited to write in notebooks their experiences of grace received through the prayers of Maureen and through their prayerful use of the mysterious fragrant oily liquid. Close to the beginning of the phenomenon, Clayton devised a large metal pan upon which all the statues were placed from which exuded the oil. The pan had a spout from which he would drain some liquid into small bottles for people to take away; always with the instruction to pray and use the oil with faith.

For this cause to go forward, it needs a promoter of the cause: someone with time and energy and also devotion to apply to the tasks at hand. I regret that this task has been beyond my ability to undertake. 

I have uploaded the folder containing all these files to One Drive and it may be opened from this link: 

Cause Maureen Rodrigues Marolly 

Funeral Mass – Maureen Rodrigues Marolly – 220603

St. Thomas à Becket Parish, Pierrefonds QC Canada

Presider and Homilist: Fr. Gilles

Welcome at the doors and sprinkling: Fr. Peter, Pastor

Adrian: Words of thanksgiving to God – called forward by Fr. Gilles

Brittany: Reading 1: A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles   p. 17 (10:34-43)

Lynn, Kathy, Adamo, & Cedric: Psalm 63

Fiona: Reading 2: A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans p. 21 (8:14-23)

Gospel: (to be selected by Fr. Gilles) Fr. Peter          Homily: Fr. Gilles

Brittany: Final words and announcement

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles             (10:34-43)                  

 Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ - he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.  

We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

(PAUSE A MOMENT)                        The Word of the Lord

Psalm 63

Reader:            For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God.                      (Response.)

O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Response.)

 So, I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. (Response.)

So, I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips. (Response.)

You have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings, I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (Response.)

 

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans             (8:14-23)

 

All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ-- if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

(PAUSE A MOMENT)                                    The Word of the Lord

Alleluia. Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom. Alleluia.

 

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew                             (11:25-30)

 At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." The Gospel of the Lord.

Intentions:

Anthony: We pray for our Nana who always showered us with love and attention. May her soul rest in eternal peace. We pray to the Lord.

Jessica: We pray for the deceased members of the Rodrigues family; her beloved parents Bento & Annie, her sister Jeanette, her brother-in-law Anthony and her brother Diego. We pray to the Lord

Noah: We pray for the deceased members of the Marolly family; her in-laws Desmond & Alice, her brother-in-law David & her sister-in-law Carol. We pray to the Lord.

Maya: We pray for the differently abled that they live, grow and thrive with the confidence that they are welcomed, protected and encouraged. We pray to the Lord.

Matthew: We pray for those who suffer that they may find the people capable of hearing them, caring for them and loving them. We pray to the Lord.

Angelina: We pray for families going through hard times with sickness, unemployment or death, may they keep the flame of hope burning in their hearts and may your love and the love that unites them give them the strength to push forward. We pray to the Lord.

Mika: We thank you Jesus for the gift of faith that he bestowed upon our Nana, which she shared with all of us. She also shared her faith with all those who requested prayers and those who came to pray as well. We pray to the Lord.

Live homily recording and text 

Homily Prepared Notes         (published here but not used at the funeral Mass)

 We are here today to celebrate Maureen’s passing from this life into eternity because Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary and Son of God, died and rose again from the dead. Otherwise, we probably would have gathered in a Hindu temple or in some other sacred place of worship and prayer.

Maureen has brought us here and gathered us together in this place of prayer and worship to the living God, the Holy Trinity. So, we are here for Maureen, to pray for her soul, to support her in this awesome step through the thin veil separating our mortal human life from eternity, the realm of the Most Holy Trinity, and the House of the Father. Jesus declared that He has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us there.

We are also here for ourselves and for each other. Where Maureen has gone, we will also one day go. It is essential that we realize how important it is for us to pay close attention to the way in which we are moving towards that final moment of our last breath on Earth.

We live in a society and culture that has abandoned God. People who live without God are floating in a bubble of illusion that they have unlimited power over all things. Those who believe in God understand that God alone has unlimited power over all things. When we reject God or ignore God, then inescapably we are sucked into the vacuum left by the absence of God, and even without realizing it, we step into God’s shoes and believe the illusion that we have unlimited power over all things.

That is why in our time governments have passed laws authorizing “medical aid in dying”, clinical terms for the act of euthanasia, the giving of death to oneself or to another. The illusion is that to do this thing can be an act of mercy, and people believe this because they misunderstand the nature and meaning of suffering. Our society and our culture have become allergic to any and all forms of suffering, which is unfortunate because suffering is an integral part of the human condition, and fully integrated with our capacity to live.

Women who give birth to their children understand the purpose of their labour pains and are glad to give them meaning and purpose in their desire to bring a human being into this world. Their child is bone of their bones and flesh of their flesh; as Adam declared when he first looked upon Eve, the woman given to him by God our Creator as his companion in life. Mothers retain a visceral bond to the children of their womb. Mothers are able to understand more intimately the love God our Creator has for all of his children.

Only a cruel god would allow human beings to endure suffering that has no value or purpose. Anything we suffer in this life is merely an opportunity for us to discover, unfold, and develop our hidden capacity for love, beauty, goodness, truth, and endurance. All manner of suffering is an opportunity for us to freely decide to invest this suffering with the meaning and purpose we choose to give to our life our whole life long.

On October 7^th, 1994 Maureen chose to rescue a little statue of Our Lady of Lourdes from the garbage when a neighbour offered it to her, declaring they no longer believed in this nonsense; having become what is called a born-again Christian. All those who believe in Jesus Christ as the only Son of God and our only Saviour are born again. The Holy Spirit witnesses to the truth of Jesus and empowers us to become children of God and live as children of God in this world. They are truly children of God who actually follow Jesus in their life.

Maureen and her devoted husband Clayton were indeed born-again Christians in the Roman Catholic tradition and in the culture of Catholic Goa. Daily in deep faith in God they prayed the Holy Rosary with their family. On that day of their 22^nd wedding anniversary, October 7^th, 1994, in the presence of the little rescued statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, as they prayed their family Rosary, the statue began to ooze a fragrant oily liquid. Clayton put a bowl underneath it, and in a short time, people were drawn from all over to come witness this unusual phenomenon. In their faith in God, and docility to the mysterious actions of the Holy Spirit, Maureen and Clayton opened their home to all those who came knocking, people searching for meaning in their lives, looking for God, looking for relief from all manner of suffering.

The Christian faith to which Maureen and Clayton have given witness is the faith Jesus asks of all those who would follow Him: “Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.’” Matthew 16:24-25 

Of course, as one might expect, there have been those who came looking for signs and wonders. Maureen and Clayton systematically called on these people too to put aside their curiosity and pay attention to the living God who loves every human being. They relentlessly called on people to get serious and pray.

Jesus warned his disciples, as He also warns us, that those who follow Him can expect to be treated no better than He himself was. In other words, we can expect to be rejected, ridiculed, and even persecuted. Both Maureen and Clayton have had the privilege of suffering in these ways for their love of God, for their love of family and people, and for the glory of God.

Now that the Lord has received Maureen’s soul into his divine presence, we don’t know what will become of the phenomenon now in its 28^th year. It may continue or it may come to an end. Time will tell.

The real question before all of us today is this: “Where is my life going?” Maureen always knew and believed, from the time she was a little girl, that she was on a life-long journey to God, to the eternal life with God that began at her Baptism. She recognized the intimate relationship of love being offered to her by God the Father in Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and she was determined to say “Yes!” every day as Mary said to the Archangel Gabriel, and as Joseph also said in reply to the dreams God gave to guide him.

God our Father loves each and every one of us; we are all his children. At every moment of every day, in every situation, in every relationship, in our studies and in our work, in our quiet time and in our play, outside and in our homes, everywhere and at all times God the Most Holy Trinity is present to us. All that remains, at every moment, is for us to decide to welcome God into the secret places of our minds, hearts, and souls.

Praying is visiting with God. True prayer is simply a decision to visit with God, to open the doors of our mind, heart, and soul to God who is always present. Faith is simply accepting God for who He is and making room for Him in our lives.

Maureen did her best, as Clayton continues to do, to give vibrant witness to the unfathomable love of God for us, and to encourage us to waste no more time in life, but to throw wide open the doors of our lives to the living God, the Creator from whom we have come into existence, and the eternal Father to whom we are day by day returning. The Lord Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life”, and the Holy Spirit is the Consoler, the Advocate, the Defender, the Lord and Giver of life, who fills us with the vitality and love which is in God.

In spiritual communion with Maureen and with all the saints now in the presence of God in eternity, with the intercession and help of our Blessed Mother Mary and her Beloved Spouse Saint Joseph, I invite all those who would like to do so to pray in your hearts with me as I offer these words of prayer.

“Father in Heaven, You who pour into us moment by moment life and vitality, You whose very breath gives breath to our bodies as we breathe in and out, You who like to play “hide and seek” with us – remaining invisible and leaving us free to decide to seek You – we thank you today for the life of Maureen, our wife, our mother, our Nana, our sister, our neighbour and friend. We thank You for the countless ways in which You have blessed us through Maureen, through her humanity, and through her faith in You and in Jesus, your Son, our Lord. Her journey through life is now accomplished, as Jesus’ life was also accomplished as He hung upon the cross for us. Father, grant us to remain in spiritual communion with Maureen, now that she is in your House, and grant us the grace to do as she did: to welcome your presence and your love into our lives, to open ourselves to You every day and often during the day in prayer. Grant us the resolve to worship You with all our brothers and sisters in Jesus every Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Fill us anew with your Holy Spirit, that we may be aware of our sinful failures to love. We confess to You now, Father, the many times we have refused to be loved by You and have failed to love You in our family, in our neighbour, and in our enemies. We decide here and now to renew our faith in You, Father, and in Jesus your Son, our Lord. Fill us anew with your Holy Spirit, that we may no longer struggle through life alone, but may live in the joy of your peace and love, in Jesus your Son, our Lord. Amen.” 

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My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2025 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2025 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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