Coffee Talk With The Cajun Mamas
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Coffee Talk With The Cajun Mamas
Coffee Talk With The Cajun Mamas: Charlene's Journey to Sainthood
Today on Coffee Talk With The Cajun Mamas, guest Lonna Clayton discusses her niece, “The Little Cajun Saint” Charlene Marie Richard. Lonna sheds light on Charlene's impact on her family and community.
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All right, welcome to Coffee Talk with the Cajun Mamas. I'm so excited about our episode today Me too. Do you know the things that got in the way of this episode? Yeah, how many times I had to text you. Yeah, like this is the third time and we finally made it Because I wasn't letting the enemy take hold of this episode?
Speaker 2:Oh, that's exactly what you know. My daughter said yesterday Mom, the devil is trying so hard to stop you from being able to talk about it.
Speaker 1:You have to do this, we have to do this. So I'm so glad that we could get together with you today. This is Lana Clayton. She is a business owner in Church Point. I've been knowing her for years. Cole has been knowing her for years, but she is also the niece of Charlene Marie Richard. We're going to talk about the little Cajun saint on this episode and we are so excited.
Speaker 3:But first, let us thank Hal, the Cajun Lady Accent, for being our grand sponsor for this month. Y'all, hal's also a native resident of Church Point. Got a lot of good things come from church point. I'm just gonna throw that out there. Okay, how has a complete line of seasonings, cajun seasonings, different things you can make. Uh, she has dips, dry dip mixes. She has cracker mixes. She's got a cajun chili mix. That is all you gotta do is add it to your meat like girl I mean spaghetti.
Speaker 1:Yes, spaghetti mix is one of my favorites too yes, so easy.
Speaker 3:Um, they she's even got like liquid butters now. Have you tried that yet? Absolutely so. It's like a garlic butter that you can add to vegetables. You can dip your seafoods in that, your shrimp saute, that dip your pizza. That's horrible, horrible, but delicious, okay. So if you want to see all the the different things that how has to offer, go to how, h-a-l. The cajun lady, accentcom, and thank you so much, how for being our grand sponsor.
Speaker 1:Okay all right, so just a little back story. I originally wanted Lana to come and talk about Charlene, for her birthday was last month. Okay, this month, it's still this month, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3:But it's last month in podcast, in podcast world.
Speaker 1:It's last month, yes, we in February already. Okay, so this is the first. We didn't tell you that, though this is the first. We didn't tell you that, though this is the first week of February, yes, and so I've been trying to get you since last month, and it's not her, it's been sickness, it's been snowness.
Speaker 3:It's been all things A blizzard, a literal blizzard. A blizzard got in the way. Can you imagine?
Speaker 1:And heck, no, we're not letting this go by the wayside, because I needed this to happen. So I've been going to Charlene's grave since I was little with my grandma. Okay, my grandma had cancer and she told me about Charlene. That's the first I ever heard about her. Okay, charlene Richard is known as the little Cajun saint, and to Catholics if you're not Catholic, we're just going to tell you about saints real quick. In general, we don't pray to the saints or worship the saints.
Speaker 2:Intercede for them to pray for us, because they're closer to God, that's right, they have a direct connection and they were real people that went through real things and you know.
Speaker 3:If you are going through the same thing in your life. What better thing to you know? Ask for intercession of somebody who's gone through it, right.
Speaker 2:That's the whole point, and that's what's so awesome about my aunt is because she's relatable, you know, and being a Cajun, she's a real person here. She's a real person, and a lot of people whenever I tell them that you, you know, I don't go out and just say hey yeah, charlene's my aunt, yeah, you know um.
Speaker 2:So I don't see her as this big, I just see her as someone I didn't get to know that I. She's my family, you know um. So whenever I tell people that I am related to her, that she's my aunt, they're like what?
Speaker 1:She's not your great aunt, I'm like she's my daddy's big sister.
Speaker 2:They are amazed. They think that she's so old. If she was still alive she would be in her 70s. That's our time.
Speaker 3:We can't imagine that.
Speaker 2:We can't imagine a saint, because saints are old In our time, you know people think of them as other than like right, you know ancient or ancient yeah, when in truth, you know we are here on earth to become saints absolutely we are all striving to be saints, and she's just an example to follow, because she was a real person. She was a little girl who had dreams and aspirations and wanted to do good. And she was just a good girl who also was just a regular kid, went to school and had best friends and loved to dance and play basketball and just wow, kid.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about how. How did this all start? Okay, how did she start? How old was she? What happened? Give us the backstory about the little cajun saint oh okay, I'm gonna do my best, because a little bit. A little bit, because we got lots of a lot of talk, a lot to talk about, a little bit about to talk about, right.
Speaker 2:So growing up I didn't know that she was this big. You know, my dad didn't talk a whole lot about her. It was hard for him. My daddy was just five years old whenever she died and she was his big sister. She, you know, I don't know, it was hard for him. It's not as hard now but it's still you know. So my mom told us about her, and then my grandmother, whenever I would start to talk to her about it, and the way she talked about Aunt Charlene was just how much she loved her and how she missed her and that she was silly and fun and liked to dance and you know, and how she loved St.
Speaker 3:Therese, I mean just, imagine if this was one of your cousins or something in your family Like that's how you your family. Just she was a family member, so growing up I could see how you really didn't think much else of her in some grand aspects.
Speaker 2:Just that she got really sick whenever she was young. It happened really fast and you know, back then they didn't know a whole lot about cancer, about, you know, diagnosing it and what they could do to help her. There wasn't a lot of treatments or a lot that they could do. I just know that she started feeling bad and they took her to the hospital or to the doctor and they couldn't. You know, I'm at a loss because I know the story, but you know what I mean. Yeah, I'm sitting there thinking about it.
Speaker 1:Well, I started reading the book, okay, and then I was like I'm going to stop because I want to read it with my kids as our religion lesson, because I brought them for her birthday to Richard. We went to the mass and everything. And I'm focusing on her right now because, for some reason, god has me drawn to her right now with my little boy being sick. And when I say sick, I say it very loosely, because he's just outside, you can't tell you can't tell.
Speaker 2:I have the same thing. My son was diagnosed with lupus almost four years ago and whenever people see him, they would never know that he's sick. He's sick.
Speaker 1:But I just like I don't know, for some reason I'm drawn to her and so I'm like we're going to go, we're going to go, we're going to do what we can do. We put him and you know, we pray with him by her graveside and so I was like, okay, we have to have this.
Speaker 2:So when she was 12, she was diagnosed and she only had what Acute lymphatic leukemia is what she was diagnosed with, and she just lived for a couple of weeks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like two weeks to live. Why do you think? What are some events that happened that put Charlene on the way to canonization? Do you know some of the miracles that have happened?
Speaker 2:I think people just really connected with her because of the way that she died. What 12-year-old kid do you know that asks a priest who am I to suffer for today? What? Who has that capability, Mental strength At that age I don't think I would have.
Speaker 1:As an adult. I don't have an adult Sometimes.
Speaker 2:And she was never super upset or, like you know, mad or any of these things. And when Father Brennan went and talked to her and he told her that you know, she said she already knew. She knew that she wasn't going to live, she knew that our mother Mary was going to be coming to take her home. She said, I know. I know she's going to come and take me home.
Speaker 1:Isn't that like a 12-year-old, so like somebody my daughter's age, just like fully giving herself to God and being like, okay, you know, this is whatever you will is?
Speaker 3:And then I think I'm just going to stay with three songs the entire time you're here, because it won't stop.
Speaker 1:Who am I to suffer for today? I mean like.
Speaker 2:Right, and it's just an amazing thing. And that's what? When? That story of how she died came out, people just started asking for her intercession to help them. And I mean even Father Brennan and Father Floyd Colley, that's who really started telling people about Aunt Charlene. Were these two men, these two priests who were friends. And Charlene has let me tell you, if my girl likes you, she's going to make sure you know it and you know.
Speaker 1:You lost that earring, you lost your Bible. Well, let's take a second and I'm coming back to this, but let's take a second to talk about Moianne. Okay, acadia, parish Cajun Harvest Country.
Speaker 3:Yes, y'all. We in the full swing of Mardi Gras season here in South Louisiana, and if you want to stay up to date with all the parades and events happening, you need to go to AcadiaTourismcom slash Mardi Gras. This is going to be specifically for stuff happening in Acadia Parish, which is where we're from, where we live, and they even have a list on the website of all the places you can get king cakes in Acadia Parish. There's more than I thought about, more than I knew, okay. So make sure you go and check out AcadiaTourismcom slash Mardi Gras to stay up to date on all the things happening in Acadia Parish throughout this season.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right. So what are some things that she does Like, what are some things that people say they can tell Charlene's with them, maybe some little signs or something. You know, like St Therese is the roses, you know.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean playing Charlene. I'll just say that kind of like you, you know your son is sick. She was a young girl, so you just are automatically drawn to want to ask for her intercession because she's a kid. My daughter, since she was a little girl before she could even really talk, that much knew her how.
Speaker 1:Isn't that insane?
Speaker 2:You know, because we that insane, you know, because we knew who she was. Yeah, to mass in reshored and I mean we would talk about her, but not that. I thought that Julia really knew what was, you know, going on. But um, she was just a tiny little little thing and she told me. She said mama, why that girl don't want to come down and play with me? I said what girl? And she pointed at Aunt Charlene and I said what do you mean baby? She said, well, hers don't come down and play with me and my baby.
Speaker 1:Oh my.
Speaker 2:God, and that's whenever I knew that. I mean you always think your kids are special, but you know she is yeah yeah, to me she's super special. And then from then on she just had this special relationship with Aunt Charlene and I always, you know, had a special place in my heart for her, not just because she's my dad's big sister, but just something.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:It's unexplainable, and so those would be like little.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, it's unexplainable. So those would be like little.
Speaker 2:It's like you know how they say little God winks yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm like, so interested in this.
Speaker 2:It's just so crazy to hear your little girl, who is like three years old, tell you something like that. It's before I had even gotten pregnant for Tate that Julia's talking about her. That's crazy pregnant for Tate that Julia's talking about her.
Speaker 1:That's crazy. And then Tate.
Speaker 2:And then you know, julia becomes, as she got older, just obsessed with not obsessed, but in love with St Therese, who my Aunt Charlene was also just loved and looked up to and wanted to be like her and you know what?
Speaker 1:We probably should have had Julia on here too, because Julia is a great, just a great person to look up to. She sings in the church. She's like they always in church with her, you know she's so. She's such a good person, she would have probably been good to have on with you too.
Speaker 2:And you know, she's played a part in all of this in a way kind of like behind the scenes.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I feel like that Aunt Charlene does, that finds the behind the scenes person. You know she's really good friends with Father Taylor, who ended up completing all the work that needed to be done for Aunt Charlene's cause here. For it to be done properly, the right way to be sent to Rome.
Speaker 3:I can imagine the work that went into that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think it's got to be a priest, like Father Brandon, who's done all this work with her and really started it up, but then he just really came in when he met Julia you were just telling us. So tell us what has the process been like to get Charlene to become a saint and why did y'all go to Rome and what all did y'all have to do?
Speaker 2:and why did y'all go to Rome and like what all did y'all have to? Have to do and so um, the bishop had to recognize and Charlene here, first our bishop and um. So once you know they and look, I'm not the best person to be trying to explain all the inaccuracies of becoming a saint- and what's required. But the basics you know. You know there was enough talk about her and I mean has been for years. People have come from all over to her grave, to her.
Speaker 2:Well, I had to look this up because I'm so glad you did and that's the most recent I had to find it. That's the most recent.
Speaker 1:I had to find it.
Speaker 3:That's the most recent, in December. Okay, a lady from New York. Okay, she came to pray at Charlene's gravesite for her unborn baby. Okay, let's see there were signs of brain abnormalities in her unborn child. Her baby was born perfect, perfectly healthy, perfect brain activity, perfect everything After she came.
Speaker 1:After she came, they did the novena.
Speaker 2:She came and then she knelt at my Aunt Charlene's grave and they were saying the rosary and my daddy happened to be there at the same time. Oh really yes, my daddy happened to be there at the same time. Oh really yes. And whenever they asked my dad if he would say the rosary with him and he finished saying the rosary, and then they asked him if he knew of any of her family and he said well, I'm her brother.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's the pretty story.
Speaker 2:Bet she would like to lose her mind. That's another. Yeah, you know, to me sign of aunt charlene saying hey, hey, what that? Is so sweet. Yeah, my dad he was. You know, he was like I said the rosary. They asked me to finish saying the rosary with them and stuff at. Charlene's grave. I love that.
Speaker 2:And so yeah, so she came here, she came praying at Charlene's grave, went to Mass and talked with Father Corey and stuff and met my dad and I'm not sure she might have met some of my other family members. And she went back to New York and had her little girl and she was completely fine, healthy, and she named her Charlene Marie.
Speaker 1:Isn't that so good. I just love that story so much and just to think like it's real you know, and so when we went to her mass and I was like you know, me and my mom were like you know, but God does miracles, god does miracles and he just feels so drawn to her. And I'm like you know and I tell my girls I'm like you know, miracles can look a lot different for everybody. It can be a complete healing, or it could be that you know healing.
Speaker 3:Right. We or we feel like we're able to deal with it right. You know we're the right doctors, the right medicine, the right lead us in the right direction or just comfort us and make us feel at peace, yeah, about everything that's going on.
Speaker 2:I know she helped me feel that way because whenever my son got sick um, he was 15, we were terrified. We didn't know what was wrong with him.
Speaker 2:We just knew that he was very sick. His kidneys weren't functioning they didn't know why and he had to have a biopsy taken from one of his kidneys and they allowed Aunt Charlene's prayer cloth to stay on him during the surgery. And after the surgery was done and we, you know the doctor came and talked to us whenever they found out that what was going on was that he had lupus. It was, he was in stage three kidney failure and he was like stage five lupus, like his lupus was so inflamed.
Speaker 2:It was like it was very scary, and she told me that he should have had kidney damage and I attribute her for him not having any kidney damage.
Speaker 1:I didn't realize it was that bad. I remember the time yeah, I remember that time for y'all. Yeah, but I didn't.
Speaker 2:I guess I didn't realize all that you know, and lupus is not something that is ever gonna go away and so like you're saying. You know she did help in his in the process and she helps me to feel able to handle all this right, because that's hard as a mom, her and saint francis, and there's so many so many stories I have of that time, but she played a big part in it too and, um, I love that, and even my my dad like having cancer and all the stuff that he's girl.
Speaker 3:we could talk to you. There's so many things so many things that she does.
Speaker 2:It's not just for kids, yeah, it's so wide, yeah, and it's not just cancer that she helps you know, whatever struggles you're having, she is listening and willing to pray for you and to ask God to help you.
Speaker 1:I just love that you have a young kid.
Speaker 3:you know the faith of a child right yeah, so I want to talk about your trip to Rome, but first we're going to mention our petite sponsor, 87 Washes Mobile Detailing. I would like for you to give a little bit of info on this, Sarah, because you have personally used this wonderful family-owned business.
Speaker 1:I have never gotten somebody to clean my vehicle like they came out to my house and they cleaned my vehicle. 87 washes mobile detailing they out of rain, louisiana. Um, they came to my house and his name is Jorge and he got everything clean. He came to bring me a and his name is Jorge and he got everything clean. He came to bring me a little paper Like there was a contract. I was like, oh my goodness, a contract. My car's about to be clean.
Speaker 3:Because, you know, like I got a mama car Professional, we got Skittles from 100 years ago. Like whatever.
Speaker 1:So I'm like I'm sorry about what you're about to see. He just got to work and he put a little sign in my, in my, in my driveway, like this is what's going on 87 washes this year. And look, people was coming by taking pictures to see. You know, just just to.
Speaker 3:they didn't know that was available, right, I know, so he came right out.
Speaker 1:He got my car all nice and clean and I gotta say I've been keeping it up, you know, because, okay, it's hard to do that with four kids, but he did a really great job. 87washesmobildetailingcom you can find them on Facebook, instagram, google, search it, get them over to your house Interior, exterior maintenance, detailing. They have plans, they do fleets, small businesses, yeah y'all uh, give them, give them a call okay, I also want to talk one more time about acadia parish cajun harvest country.
Speaker 3:Y'all go to acadiatourismcom. Slash marty girl. You're gonna find all the things going on in our beloved acadia parish during this season. Um, and listen, marty girl, is not just for adults. Okay, I want you to know that you can bring your kids to the parades and stuff. There's something for the little ones too. Our parades are perfect for families and there's nothing like catching beads and getting treats from the floats. The atmosphere around here is going to be warm and welcoming. That's that Cajun hospitality we have y'all. So there's your invitation. Y'all come out to Acadia parish during this Mardi Gras season and you can plan your visit by visiting Acadia tourismcom.
Speaker 1:Take advantage of that website. So many people are always like what they got going on. There's one, there's a calendar that stays updated, yeah, and you can find so many things to do. Yeah, fasting through this is a perfect place. Perfect place to come do your Mardi Gras.
Speaker 3:Mardi Gras baby. Okay, so you went to Rome during the time where they were reviewing her, like the process, the whole reason for us going to Rome is because they were going to be officially opening her cause for canonization there, so she was named Servant of God before we went to Rome.
Speaker 2:The bishop here did that before, and so they had to get all her information of her life here before she died. What kind of kid she was. What kind of person she was just anybody who knew her and spent time with her.
Speaker 3:So did you have to give like an official statement type of thing?
Speaker 2:No, I didn't, because I mean, my dad was five years old.
Speaker 2:Yeah, true so my daddy talked to my aunts and uncles that you know they all went. No, not all of them, okay I wish, but a good bit of us did go. So we went there because they were going to have a ceremony at the Dicastery in Rome where they were going to officially open her cause, and they had these boxes with all her information, testimonies and, like miracles. You know everything that has happened before and after her death and that's what Father Taylor worked so hard on getting everything together, making sure that it was all in order and accurate and just. You know.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Right. So we were and it was really last minute because we didn't know like when it was going to happen. We knew we would have maybe a few weeks to get our stuff together to be able to go. And I mean, you know, you go on a roam, it's not being paid for it's a big trip, that's a big trip. And I. All I had was my passport from a couple of years back. Me and Will had taken a trip to Cancun and we needed passports.
Speaker 2:So, we, you know, I had my passport. And I was like well, aunt Charlene, I said, all I got is my passport.
Speaker 1:I need you to help with the rest.
Speaker 2:Help a girl out if you want me to go, if it's for me, you know, and it's just so crazy the way things happen. Um, I had a business here in town, a boutique, and uh, things just didn't work out like we would have wanted to and we ended up selling our place here in town and I got this is so crazy like my aunts and uncle, you know, they had gotten their tickets and set up everything and like there was like a week or two before they were leaving. Well, I got from the sale of our shop, I got the money on the Monday. I had my Aunt Earlene on the Tuesday for a color and I talked to her about it and she was talking about it, saying how they were so excited they were going, and I was like, well, you think they have room for one more. And she was like, why, baby, you want to come and come?
Speaker 2:I was like I've been wanting to go. She said will you have your passport? I said I've always had my passport. Yeah, honey, I said, but now I have some money. And she was like, oh, I'm gonna call Penny and we're gonna, uh see. So she started texting with Penny or call Penny, who is, uh, my first cousin, um, and so Penny checked everything out. I talked to Will and I was like, look, I'm not going to make this decision and just say I can go. I want to make sure that you're okay?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a big deal.
Speaker 2:That's a big trip. He was like this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. He said, of course I want you to go. Go if you want to go.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:Like it just all worked out. Bam bam bam, they had enough room for me to be with them on their trip and how they had set everything up and all the places that they were staying. I talked to Penny that night. We got a ticket, got everything situated Like. It was just crazy how it all fell into place two weeks before we were leaving all fell into place two weeks before we were leaving.
Speaker 2:And I still, whenever we were on the flights there, I was like this is unreal, huh. And the whole time I was there I kept thinking why me, why me, aunt Charlene, why you want me to be here? You know like to be here.
Speaker 1:This if you don't believe this is why Because you're sharing this, we're sharing this with so many people. We're going to share her story with so many people and so many people are going to be touched by this.
Speaker 2:I'm going to tell you the whole time that I was on the trip because I'm a very talkative person. I don't meet strangers. If you even look approachable or kind of smile at me, like us, yeah, high contact. Oh, hey, girl, I like your hair. Yes, I don't like that shirt. You know, I just talk to everybody. And they said that's how Aunt Charlene was, Like she never met a stranger.
Speaker 2:So, it's like she would tell me. It's like she was whispering in my ear while we were there Tell her about me, tell this one about me, like she would be tapping me on my shoulder. You need to tell them and I would just. It would just start up in conversation. Well, what you're doing here. And so then whenever I would start talking about it, they were like what?
Speaker 3:Really, we never heard of it, not just on vacation, yeah, what a.
Speaker 2:I've never heard of her, wow, and we even made really good friends with some ladies that we met on one of the first tours that we did in Florence, and it's so crazy how we just kept meeting up with them and and I said, okay, this like one of the last tours that we were on together. You know, I talked a bit more about her and shared with them some things and she, she was like this is so unbelievable and she said I'm gonna be praying for her to be canonized. Please let me know.
Speaker 2:Keep me updated Keep me updated and so whenever I got back home. Once we got back home then it was Aunt Charlene's anniversary mass and I got a bunch of prayer cords and prayer cloths and stuff and I mailed them to her and I would keep her updated. I got a bunch of prayer cords and prayer cloths and stuff and I mailed them to her and I would keep her updated as we were going through everything with the shortening ceremony in Rome, because by that point we had been separated.
Speaker 2:They were going away from us, whatever, but it was really cool. And just other people that you just bump into. Are you on these tours with?
Speaker 3:And they're on vacation.
Speaker 2:And so they ask well, what are you on these tours with? And they're on vacation. And and then so they ask well, what are you doing here? And so then, I'm like well, I'm actually here because you know they're gonna be opening the calls for my aunt Charlene's canonization to be a saint a saint, a saint yeah, I said that's amazing.
Speaker 3:what I mean? What?
Speaker 2:Who can? I don't know anybody else that can say that.
Speaker 1:No. Y'all, the only ones and, like you said, and I think it's a good, this is a good place for it, you know, like you know people, but like here, why here specifically?
Speaker 2:You know, and there's been so many, it's not just in Shoreline that is up for canonization here in Louisiana, even in Acadiana, like the surrounding areas, like there's quite a few really yes, that we don't know about. Yeah Well, the first ceremony that I went for was whenever they were going to start investigating her cause.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 2:And that was in 18, 2018.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Right before everything happened with the.
Speaker 1:COVID Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in fact, that's whenever me and Will got. I won a trip for this other company that I was working for at the time. I won a trip to Cancun, and that's why I had to get the passport. And I went to Aunt Charlene's the ceremony right before we left for that trip.
Speaker 3:Oh wow, I'm just realizing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, girl, all the little touches'm just realizing.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Girl Love it.
Speaker 1:All the little touches.
Speaker 3:All the pieces. Yes, she's like. You're going to need this.
Speaker 1:You're going to need this. I love that. And then, through her, god works in such mysterious and interesting ways.
Speaker 2:And another crazy thing is one of my cousins, pat, his son Tyler, who we are super close with him, and Julia really tight. That's the first time I ever met his little girlfriend Peyton, who is now his wife and is pregnant and they got married on my Aunt Charlene's birthday.
Speaker 1:Ooh, I know who you're talking about. They're so freaking cute Sweetest couple.
Speaker 2:So that's so crazy that they were there together at that first meeting.
Speaker 1:That's so sweet, just the lineup for that.
Speaker 2:She takes care of her people.
Speaker 1:There you go. There are some ways she takes care you brought some things from Rome with you.
Speaker 3:We have some like in the back right here that fan up, there is fancy, and then open that umbrella.
Speaker 2:Let me see that when we put that at okay, so this is a bag from uh pompeii, which I got to tour. I don't know if y'all know about the historical event that's like the volcano right yeah, it destroyed the whole town of pompeii, yeah, and so this is the uh umbrella that I bought there, it's hand-painted too, you can see. It was so hot that I needed something to.
Speaker 3:And this is coming from a Louisiana- girl.
Speaker 2:So if it was that hot, oh Lord Very very, very hot, so I got to tour the ruins of Pompeii, that's amazing in itself a bit, yeah, amazing. We did that tour right before before aunt charlene's uh ceremony. That was the day before we did that tour where's the rocks from?
Speaker 2:okay, so I wasn't supposed to take, but you know so. Some of these rocks are from all over in Rome, like these black rocks are from the Mediterranean Sea. Whenever I went to Passiana, I got to walk into the ocean and the sand is black there and all the rocks are black. So I grabbed me a few from the Mediterranean Sea. That's cool. This white one is like a sandstone and it lights up at night. It'll shine.
Speaker 3:It'll kind of glow like.
Speaker 2:This is from Pompeii.
Speaker 3:Oh, so that's how, whenever they would dock at the uh in, in pompeii, this kind of stone was what would lead them up.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's crazy wow, and these other rocks are from uh, just different places on your trip, yeah that's so interesting okay, I do.
Speaker 3:I'm seeing the rose and I need you to tell the story about the St Therese rose, and then we'll have to try to wrap it up because I could keep you here for four hours, okay, well, first let me show you all the.
Speaker 2:this is some of the seals that were on my Aunt Charlene's boxes for her, the ceremony whenever they uh were opening her calls for canonization, that the bishop cut these ribbons yes, okay, and um, I asked father taylor if I could take him and he said, sure, yeah. So I have a piece of her with me and that's tied on her picture right there.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:So that was very special that the bishop of the Dicastery in Rome is the one who actually blessed us all and opened her boxes. That's not a usual thing that's amazing so they are very interested in her and her cause.
Speaker 3:Yeah, great, so that's pretty awesome.
Speaker 2:So the day before Aunt Charlene's ceremony is the tour that we went to. Let's see. Let me show y'all she's got her iTunes.
Speaker 1:She has.
Speaker 2:Lemonaded too baby.
Speaker 1:We got to see.
Speaker 2:the first stop on that tour was Pompeii, and then it was I'm not going to say that right the coast on to Pasiona. Okay, and so that was an amazing trip, and before that we had went on different tours in Florence and got to see the Ufrici Museum. I got to see the Ufrici Museum, we got. I got to see the David. I got to see so many awesome, beautiful things and beautiful churches and just it's unmind-blowing home um I bet that's so unique and once in a lifetime.
Speaker 1:You will never.
Speaker 3:I want to say that well, you never know, I never see that.
Speaker 2:I'll never. I know that I would have been able to go home, yeah, you know. So all through this, it's like I was being attacked spiritually.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I'll bet.
Speaker 2:And I kept hearing things and feeling crazy things, like you know, at night night, like I was being spiritually attacked and um, I have a really bad stomach and I was so worried about going on this trip because it's hard for me to travel, because I have a lot of problems with my stomach, um. But I was like I'm not gonna let it stop me and I just prayed and prayed, and prayed and I was very, very sick almost the entire time that I was on that trip and I would just pray through it and I never stopped praying for everybody that I went there to pray for and just, it's just unreal.
Speaker 2:The night before we went on that trip to see Pompeii and stuff I was sick from 3 in the morning until we left.
Speaker 3:Girl.
Speaker 2:At 6-something in the morning. We had to be there for 7 o'clock to leave to go on this trip. So I prayed and prayed a lot and before we left I asked my Aunt Teresa. I said where is your holy water? I said because we need to all bless ourselves with it before we leave, because everybody was just kind of at each other.
Speaker 1:It was just stressful.
Speaker 2:You could feel it we're all in a different place and traveling and we're tired and it's a lot.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so I said, okay, we're going to all bless ourselves with the holy water. I said, and whenever we get there, I want us to all pray before we leave so that we can have a good day and nothing bad is going to happen to us and stuff. So on the way over there I have these two different prayers that I say every morning, that I have on my phone so I send it to everybody. And I was like yo, let's say these prayers to ward off whatever it is that is on us right now.
Speaker 2:So we get there early and I mean it's like this big square, and you know what I'm telling y'all everywhere you go there there's monuments and statues and just beautiful buildings and everything. And so they had this big, old, big building that all my aunts and stuff were walking up to go into and I was like one of the last ones to walk in. And I looked down and there's this yellow rose and I was like wow, everybody walked over this, did nobody see it. She wanted me to.
Speaker 2:So I picked it up and I sat down and I took a picture of it and I sent it to my sister-in-law, amanda, and I sent it to my daughter and stuff and I was like look what St Therese sent me.
Speaker 1:Amazing so.
Speaker 2:I walk into the building. It's not just a building.
Speaker 3:It's a church.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, beautiful old church. And what I had said before we left was that I wanted us all to pray and what we were doing we were all praying in a church.
Speaker 1:In a church.
Speaker 2:In a church and I lit candles there for quite a few people in my family and friends and just people that I knew were struggling with different things, and I prayed so hard and I always pray for my kids and you know, like I said, julia has a special relationship with St and you know, like I said, julie has a special relationship with St Therese and I always ask her to intercede for her and I feel like she was saying you need me today.
Speaker 2:And I'm sending you a rose. Ask for my help. I love it. I'm Charlene's friend.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I did and I'm so thankful that I did. Whenever I walked out of that church after praying and stuff, stuff, and I kept her rose in my hair all day, I felt like I was walking on clouds.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. Like out-of-body type, just spiritually full overflowing when you know, when you can feel the Lord's presence within you and like right now. I just feel so joyous that you're here with us today so that we can share this story. But and these stories, because there's so much to talk about, but I like it's just you know that God has anointed this time or that time, or all all the times that you can recall in your life for that specific reason.
Speaker 2:You know, you know, it just made me feel that, even though all these crazy things were happening to me, they were praying for me. Yeah, they were watching over me, even though I felt sometimes like why?
Speaker 1:me yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, and on the bus ride to Pompeii after our first stop I was feeling so sick because I had been sick all three in the morning and I prayed the whole way to that first stop, because it took like two hours to get to Pompeii from where we were.
Speaker 2:I got me a Coke and I was just sipping on the Coke and I got back on the bus and I was one of the first ones to get back on this big, huge charter bus and we were sitting in the back and they have these trays that fold down and I put my Coke in the little holder and then everybody started to come get back on the bus and my Aunt Anna, which is Charlene's sister, was sitting all the way on the other side. We were all the way in the back. As everybody started to come forward my Coke that I had sitting right here, my hands were in my lap. The Coke flew at me oh, come on, Flew at me and spilled all over in my lap. I couldn't even grab it.
Speaker 2:It was like oh, and it just I'm like, oh, that's him. He was mad because I had been praying, oh yeah, and because St Therese had sent me a flower and so I was crying. I was crying because it scared me so bad and my aunt is the one who said I saw it, you didn't touch it. What? No? Now, so I had on white shorts.
Speaker 1:Of course.
Speaker 2:Why wouldn't?
Speaker 1:you Exactly so I get off the bus.
Speaker 2:Everybody's so nice on the bus. They're all handing me like wipes and stuff and I'm trying to dry myself and I'm crying, and I'm crying. And my cousin Penny and my aunts they're like thinking that I'm crying because they thought I opened the Coke.
Speaker 3:Yeah and it just spilled.
Speaker 2:And they just didn't understand why I was so upset. So I went out the bus and I'm wiping myself and I kept saying I rebuke you in the name of the Lord, you're not going to ruin my trip. You're never going to get me to say that I don't believe in God, that I love him, and I'll never, ever say that he doesn't love me or that I don't love him and you're not going to ruin this for me, say that he doesn't love me or that I don't love him and you're not going to ruin this for me.
Speaker 2:So I pulled myself together and I got back on the bus and I continued to pray and by the time we got to Pompeii, and when I got off the bus, my shorts were dry and they were white. Stop it, no. Coke. No, like you would have never known that a whole Coke spilled in my lap.
Speaker 1:Never known that a whole Coke spilled in my lap. Oh, was you feeling better? Well, white shorts are a good stomach. I don't know, it can't have both. It can't all be together, you know.
Speaker 2:I was feeling crazy, like is this really happening to me? And so then, y'all, after that trip, the next day is whenever we had Aunt Charlene's ceremony, and right after her ceremony we were able to eat lunch and stuff, and then Father Taylor said mass, I went to confession and I received Jesus in the Eucharist, and after that it stopped.
Speaker 3:No sickness.
Speaker 2:It stopped the devil stopped.
Speaker 3:Oh, he couldn't touch me he stopped, the devil stopped. Oh, he couldn't touch me, he couldn't. He has no power.
Speaker 2:No power, he had no more power over me because I received Jesus and I went to confession and the last, my last two days in Rome were the best.
Speaker 2:Oh, I love it and I'm telling you that whole trip was so amazing but it had a lot of really hard moments and scary things, yeah, um, but after that it was just unbelievable. I got to wake up early in the morning and go hear mass again at the cat in the catacombs. At saint peter's basilica in Rome in the catacombs I got to stand in front of where he's entombed.
Speaker 3:Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:I got to see all these beautiful things. I got to climb the holy stairs you did On my knees, oh my God, with my Aunt Teresa and my cousin Penny.
Speaker 2:My Aunt Teresa couldn't stay kneeling and climbing with us as long as she wanted to, but she was in my heart and that is like the greatest thing that I, one of the greatest things that I experienced and got to experience with Penny, and I never sweated so much in my life or cried so much. I was so emotional. Whenever we finished, it was like I had climbed a mountain.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I bet Like just your body was exhausted.
Speaker 2:We had to say different prayers of the passion climbing those stairs on each step.
Speaker 3:We had to say it.
Speaker 2:And me and Penny would take turns, and whenever she was crying so much that she couldn't talk, then I would say it and vice versa. And the whole time we were climbing up I didn't even know that Father Taylor was climbing behind us. It's like I was kind of embarrassed after the fact because I was so like just in the moment and crying and just it was unbelievable.
Speaker 1:This trip was meant for you.
Speaker 2:I never imagined that I would have been able to. That was like on a bucket list that I thought I would never, oh yeah. And then to experience it with somebody who I always looked up to as a kid my cousin Penny she was a nurse and then she became a nurse practitioner and she's just fun, she's just awesome Cool as a cucumber you know who we're talking about huh, penny, penny, penny, what's her, she's. Richard, she was a Richard, but she's what's Barry's?
Speaker 1:Barry and LeVe.
Speaker 2:Miss Penny.
Speaker 1:LeVe. Oh, okay, yes, penny and Barry yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's awesome, that's amazing. She's the one who planned this whole trip for us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, lemonade, a dinner and everything. Thank you, piany.
Speaker 3:Oh man, I feel like I was there with you a few times when you were talking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when you were talking.
Speaker 2:And that's not even touching the tip of the iceberg. Yeah, golly.
Speaker 3:Well, I think we have to have you back.
Speaker 1:Oh, we might have to do a part two, because even just if we talk about the rome trip and other things, you know, yeah, there's so many different things that happen to us on these trips.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, there's. There's things that happen to so many people just in our daily lives.
Speaker 1:I'm here too, but um yeah, that we we can attribute to little god winks, you know all the time and uh, and things like. Just as you were talking, I was thinking about charlene and I'm like man now that you say that we can attribute to little God winks, you know, and things Like. Just as you were talking, I was thinking about Charlene and I'm like man now that you say that I can think of a couple of times in my life where she was probably like, hey, you probably need to stop by, probably need to stop by.
Speaker 2:You know she pushes you in. You know, because you know I'm a very sociable person.
Speaker 1:I like to visit, but public speaking, hearing myself talk being recorded.
Speaker 2:This is not an easy thing for me.
Speaker 1:She was nervous. I'm like we're going to help you out.
Speaker 2:I'm so embarrassed whenever I watch this. I probably won't even be able to watch it.
Speaker 1:No, stop that. No, it's going to be fine, it's going to be wonderful.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I just you know, I can't even really put into words what this trip meant. Yeah To you, to me, to my family.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:Yes, so my uncle, we call him Nocton. He's the oldest of the 10 children. And then it was Aunt Charlene, and then my Uncle Dean, and then my Aunt Anna, and then my daddy and then poor Gene. So we call him poor Gene because he died when he was 19.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:They were the ones who were alive whenever Aunt Charlene passed away. And then it's my Aunt Teresa, the twins, and then my Aunt Angela, so John was there, and Aunt Loretta, his wife and her daughter Melanie and their granddaughter Haley, and then it was Aunt Anna, and then Penny is her daughter, and then my Aunt Teresa and Aunt Arlene and me and Miss Mona Degel who was one of my Aunt Teresa and my Aunt Angela and they're really good friends and she's done a lot for my Aunt Charlene's cause too.
Speaker 2:They were there and my little brother was there with his wife and his three kids and his mother and father-in-law, and that was so amazing for me. I wish that I could have been with them on their trip the whole time too. I got to see bro that's what I call him, yeah um and his kids and Amanda was for the, the ceremony for my aunt Jolene. Whenever I saw him and we saw each other and we hugged.
Speaker 3:I just busted out oh yeah, because it's so powerful, emotional absolutely, and you feel like you're a part of something like so much bigger, like heavenly yeah like it, is it? This is like a little bit of heaven on earth happening and you're a part of it and that, like I, just makes me want to cry and I feel a part of it.
Speaker 1:I'm not even part of the family you know like I just feel like this was great In a small town like this. We are all family, we are all family, yeah.
Speaker 2:But that was just the best and being able to see my nephews and my little niece there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's something they'll never forget. It was just so surreal.
Speaker 2:Like just crazy, and all the beautiful things that we got to see together those last two days were just you'll never forget it. That's awesome and hopefully we'll be able to go back.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh my god, yes, which I might go all right. Let's mention, though, if you want some more information on Charlene, charlenerechardfoundationcom is where you can go. Her grave site's in Richard, louisiana, y'all, it is frequented by so many people Accessible to anyone. It's set up. You can go there say your rosary there's benches around and take your time to look up CharleneRishawFoundationcom. Look up, get you some more information.
Speaker 2:I just got my Name is Charlene the book by Father Brennan Well yeah, it's not the same one, I don't think, as what we had growing up. It's a little different. Okay, but they don't publish that one.
Speaker 1:They don't publish that one. Well, that one I got from the, the christian bookstore, but uh, that was available and so I'm going to start reading that with my girls, but thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Thank you, yeah, coming and sharing this and I'm so glad we finally were able to yes, take that devil up now and um and if, if this resonates with you, if shirlene resonates with you, if you feel like you maybe she's tapping you on the shoulder, you know. Look her up, because she has an amazing story and Koa is going to close out this with a prayer Of course you would make me do that when I'm feeling some type of way, but okay. She's so good at praying y'all, so let's pray In the name of the Father, son, holy Spirit, amen.
Speaker 3:Okay, oh Lord. Thank you so much, father, for sending people like Charlene to earth for us to relate with, for us to find hope in and ultimately find hope and faith in you, because people like her lead us to you. Thank you, lord, for our friend Lana and her family. We ask you to please send a special blessing on them to protect them from any spiritual harm. We ask you to protect everyone listening right now from any spiritual harm or attack that may come upon them for trying to deepen their faith in you and deepen their faith in you and deepen their relationship with you. Lord, we ask you just to bless everyone who is listening right now and who needs to hear these words. We feel you, lord, and we love you, and we thank you for your presence in our lives In Jesus name, amen.
Speaker 2:Amen. I want to add that everyone please continue to pray for her canonization.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes it hasn't happened yet. You're right.
Speaker 2:yes, you need to pray for it to happen, so that we can call her the little Cajun saint.
Speaker 3:Yes, she's our little Cajun saint. She's our little Cajun saint, but officially Lord, please help this to come to fruition.
Speaker 1:Yes, amen amen, I was trying to look for the. I don't want to be rude, I was just trying to look for the prayer. Okay, it's on the prayer cards. All right, let's go ahead. Thank y'all for joining us today.
Speaker 3:This was what a special episode it's been.
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