Novena for Healing

As many of you may know, especially all the wonderful moms that we have met at Mary’s Garden Party Camps, Behold Publications is a family-owned company. My son, Joe, the oldest of our ten children, and I partner together to co-own the company. We have many helpers that aid us in getting products and materials together, as well as help with the camps. Those helpers are primarily the Little Flower creator, Rachel Watkins, her daughters as well as my own daughters. We homeschool our children, so I typically work only part-time since I still have three left at home. My son, however, works full-time, and then some, to meet your needs and the needs of your groups.

Our company has been such a blessing to our family, and I hope our products have been a blessing to you. I would like to share with you and ask for your prayers for my husband, Bob, who is battling stage 4 aggressive neuroendocrine rectal cancer since July, 2018. He has had two major surgeries, three different lines of chemo and radiation and is on his fourth line of chemo (actually a targeted therapy). The cancer continues to spread aggressively and rapidly.

We were able to take a Pilgrimage to New Orleans to the Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos over his Feast Day weekend (Oct 4-6). Blessed Seelos is known for his healing intercessory powers and we were able to attend a very powerful healing Mass, where my husband received a blessing from Blessed Seelos’ first-class relic as well as the Sacrament of the Sick.

We picked up a Novena booklet in honor of Blessed Francis Seelos while in New Orleans and decided to start a novena of healing for my husband October 23 so that it will end on November 1, All Saints’ Day. If you would like to join us in this novena, we would be most appreciative! You can find the Novena prayers here: www.gloryofamerica.blogspot.com

Blessed Francis Seelos is very special to me since I wrote a book for children about him (Willy Finds Victory). If you are interested in learning more about Blessed Seelos, you can go to www.seelos.org or click on the image of the book below to take you to the children’s story about Blessed Seelos.

If you are unable to pray the entire Novena with us, any amount of prayer would be greatly appreciated. We would also ask for your patience during sometimes difficult days when I have to take Bob to the specialist an hour and a half away for his infusions, or research the best way to deal with side-effects. We have ten children, five boys and five girls, ages 33 to 11. We have been married 35 years and have run this company for about 25 of those years.

If you wish to read more about Bob’s journey and details about his specific cancer, here is a link to his Caring Bridges page.  Thank you all for your work in the vineyard and especially thank you for your prayers.

Bless you in your work for His work!  Joan Stromberg