april dawn millsap resurrection mass, 8-1-2014

8/12/2019 April Dawn Millsap Resurrection Mass, 8-1-2014

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6

~f arkThoma s

Pr in te d in US

A Prayer

Saint francis Assisi

Lord make me an instrument of Your peace

Where there is hatred let me sow love

Where there is injury pardon

Where there is doubt faith

Where there is despair hope

Where there is darkness light

and where there is sadness joy

oDivine Master grant that

I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

To be understood

as to understand;

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is inpardoning

that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying

that we are born to eternal life

n ov ing

Memo r y

lyrit

Pawn

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April Dawn Millsap of Armada died Thursday, July 24,201

the age of 14years.

April was born January 2, 2000 in Wise County, Virginia.

completed the 8th grade at Armada Middle School and was rea

start her freshman year at Armada High School. April

confirmed on May 20, 2014 at St. Mary Mystical Rose Cat

Church in Armada, where she was active in the youth group

continued to grow in her faith. She loved reading, writing p

and short stories, and animals. April was a loving girl, always

to help others.

She is survived by her beloved mother, Jennifer Millsa

Armada; dear father, Bobby Millsap of Anderson, Indiana; lo

grandparents, Dennis Jackie) LeVans of Florida and Bob L

Millsap of Virginia; half sister, Amber Millsap of Virg

stepfather, David Lichtenfelt and stepmother, Shelli Toombs;

Melissa, Uncle Anthony LeVans, Uncle Michael LeVans, Aun

LeVans and Aunt Jeanne Zeitlyn; many cousins; and boyfr

Austin Albertson.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at a.m. on August 1,2

at St. Mary Mystical Rose Catholic Church, 24040 Armada R

Road, Armada with the Rev. Fr. Chris Talbot, Rev. Fr. Bra

Forintos and Rev. Fr. Peter Siliako, celebrants.

Visitation will take place on Thursday, July 31, 2014 at Tiff

Young and Hauss Funeral Home, 73919 North Avenue, Arm

from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a 7 p.m. Scripture service.

Memorial tributes would be appreciated for April s family.

wwwhaussfoneralhomes com


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Funeral homily for April Millsap

For those of you who don t know me, I am Fr. Brad Forintos, a former pastor of this church. On Sunday

evening the current pastor, Fr. Siaosi Patua, knowing my connection to this community called me and

asked if I would preside at this funeral Mass. He explained that he had to leave the following day to

return to Samoa, where he was born, in the hope of seeing one last time, his brother who is dying of

pancreatic cancer. I told him I would be honored to celebrate this Mass for April.

I ask for you to join with me in praying for Fr. Siaosi and for his dying brother. I know, even though he is

half way around the world from us here, Fr. Siaosi is praying for us as at this moment as we gather to

mourn the loss of April.

There is a Jewish saying, The person who saves one life, saves the world entire.

It is a beautiful expression of the importance and significance of every human life. Every person in

his/her own way makes an impact upon this world we live in. The large number of people gathered here

today bears testimony to the fact that April, in the brief 14 years she walked this earth, made a

profound and positive impact in the world.

I would add as an addendum to the Jewish saying I quoted, The person who takes one life,

iminish s

the world

entire,

Our lives are diminished by the loss of April. She was a beautiful loving girl who was, as her family

expressed in her obituarv, always there to help others. Testimony to what we heard proclaimed in our

second reading from St. Paul s letter to the Romans: None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for

oneself. For if we live, we live for the lord, and if we die, we die for the lord. St. Paul concludes by

stating: So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

We know April is giving a good account of herself to God. She loved all members of God s creation,

especially its four legged ones like Penny. For April, the Sacrament of Confirmation she received on May

z o

meant more to her than just going through a ceremony. For her it meant living her life in genuine

service to God through her service to others. She was looking forward to sharing the love of her faith

with the children of this parish as a catechist, beginning this Fall. She was looking forward to helping at

the parish food booth at the Armada fair, serving up food to its visitors.

Being a teenager, I am sure she had her not so generous and loving moments as well; if she was human.

I am also sure God is inclined, as we are, not to allow such moments to weigh heavily in the account she

is making before Him now.

Our lives are diminished by no longer being able to enjoy her smile and being able to read the verses of

poetry she would write, or the stories she wrote and was willing to share. Our lives are diminished

knowing there is poetry and stories that will remain unwritten.


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commend April s family for choosing.as the first reading today the passa~e from the Book of

Ecclesiastes. It is one of the few passages in the entire Bible that is true poetry. I am sure April was

guiding you in your selection.

It begins by stating: There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the

heavens.

Each verse of the poem begins with the words: A time to ... and then ~oes on to reveal contrasting

times in our lives. Times that are happy and joyful. Times that are sad and painful. And the first of these

contrasts is A time to be born, and a time to die.

We are reminded by this passage that God shares in all the times of our lives the

good

and the bad. And

God is with us at this time. Yes,we wish we could have had April with us for a much longer time but now

is the time for us to entrust her to God, who is timeless.

Yes, our lives are diminished by the loss of this one life, but a half a world away in Samoa, so too are the

lives of the people there. Because I am sure Fr. Siaosi has shared with them the story of the life and

death of April. And I am willing to bet that at this moment, in churches there, people are lighting

candles for the soul of April. They share in our sense of loss because, heloss of one life diminishes the

world entire.

At the beginning of this Mass I sprinkled holy water over April s casket. Before doing so I said, In the

waters of Baptism April died with Christ and rose with Him to new life.

That is why I wanted to share the Gospel passage from St. Mark with you. It describes the death of Jesus

on the cross. On it He cries out, liMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

On the cross Jesus truly united himself with us. Since learning a week ago today of April s death, how

many of us have asked the question, My God, why?

Jesus understands our question because, on the cross, He raised the question himself. But He trusted

that His Heavenly Father would ultimately answer it.

For the story of Jesus didn t end there at Calvary with Him left hanging with His question.

God answered in a big way.

You notice the story continues with the women going. to the tomb

expecting

to find Jesus buried there.

When they arrive they find the tomb opened and Jesus gone, and they learn that He has been raised;

He is not here.

Jesus resurrection is God s answer. Through the power of the resurrection the story of Jesus Christ

continues. Through the power of the resurrection Jesus death does not Diminish the world entire.

Instead, through it, He enhances and renews the world.


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April believed in the resurrection. April loved to write, and through the power of the resurrection is

writing her greatest work.

Because now she is being loving embraced by our Resurrected lord and Savior - Jesus Christ - who is

saying, April, come and join in my continuing story. Together let us write a new chapter in life.

april dawn millsap resurrection mass, 8-1-2014

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