‘Everything is possible to one who has faith’ Mk 9:23

Vanessa opens up today’s program with a mini monologue. Emily Jeynes and Nathen Julian share their story about the rosary. Jessica Hanna returns to share more of her story. Monsignor Daniel Trapp explains spiritual direction.

Emily Jeynes and Nathen Julien

Emily and Nathen are longtime residents of Northern MI. They enjoy hiking, swimming, and spending as much time outdoors as possible. This is where Nathen’s inspiration came from to take a piece of northern Michigan beauty and glorify Our Lady through his Petosky stone rosaries. Emily and Nathen have been taking their time to also prepare for their June 2023 wedding. 

https://www.facebook.com/Diocese-of-Lansing-Council-of-Catholic-Nurses-109158717985529

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Jessica Hanna

Jessica is a 39 year old entrepreneur, pharmacist and Catholic mother of 4. She was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer in December of 2020 when she was only 14 weeks pregnant. She denied termination and also denied the notion that her fate would be determined by anyone other than God.  Instead of fear she turned to faith and used the sacraments and prayer (especially the rosary daily) to sustain her through.  She also used her God-given medical skills to research safe options for herself and her baby.  Not knowing how the story would end and abandoning everything at the foot of the cross, she created an instagram channel just 4 days after diagnosis to allow for others to pray with her and to take them along for the uncertain journey that was being led only by Christ.  Many miracles she calls “winks from God” happened along the way. Unable to be scanned while pregnant, she had to wait 6 long months to find out if she would live or die.  Finally, after 2 surgeries and 4 rounds of chemotherapy, her son, Thomas Solanus, was born healthy. She was now finally able to be scanned and despite the grim picture painted by doctors, her scans were miraculously clear for no distant metastasis.  Cancer could not be found anywhere in her body.  She had been upgraded from “terminal” to “curable”.  Her surgeon has called her “a walking miracle” and her oncologist had said she is “extremely lucky” which she corrected to “extremely blessed”.  Today, they still cannot find cancer and her instagram page is now used to spread the good news of Christ & the Catholic Church, to pray for others and to show how suffering can be redemptive and joyful if we unite it with Christ’s Passion.  God has indeed used this trial to reform her in ways she could never imagine and also use it for His own glory…Cancer has stripped her of the frivolous things of this world and has allowed her to begin “racing for the crown” that awaits all of us in God’s kingdom.  This is why she calls herself “Blessed by cancer”.

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Monsignor Daniel Trapp

Monsignor Daniel J. Trapp was born in Detroit, Michigan to John and Barbara Trapp on January 1, 1958.  He attended Catholic and public schools in the Detroit area.  After attending the University of Michigan for two years, he enrolled in Sacred Heart Seminary, from which he graduated with a major in history in 1980.  He studied at the North American College in Rome where he received a bachelor’s degree in theology (STB) from the Gregorian University in 1984, a license in theology (STL) in sacramental theology (a specialization of dogmatic theology) from the Athenaeum Sant’Anselmo in 1987 and a doctorate (STD) in sacramental theology in 1989. 

He has taught at Sacred Heart Major Seminary’s School of Theology from 1989 until the present (in both adjunct and full time capacities).  He is currently an associate professor of theology.