Fr Joseph Brennen

Life seemed to be going well for Charlene, when in 1959 she suddenly fell ill and was taken to our Lady of lourdes hospital in Lafayette where she was finally diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia, Charlene "suffered a great deal" said Sister Theresita Crowley who accompanied the chaplin, Fr Joseph Brennan on his rounds at the hospital, "it's the nature of the disease, the pain is awful and there is almost constant bleeding and hemorrhage but I remember her as a cheerful patient, she never complained". Charlene was especially fearful of the painful bone marrow tests which involved inserting a long needle into the breast bone, but the brave girl bore these painful tests with remakable courage. Dr Daniel Voorhies later recalled "we were not using all the drugs then that we have today,there was very little we could do for her, today i,m sure she would have been sent to a specialist medical center but back then there was none. Dr Voorhies rememberd Charlene well, "she was a quite type of child, unassuming, shy-an exellent patient", Sister Theresita also noted that "Charlene was  a very pious little girl". When Father Brennen learned the severity of Charlene's illness and saw how much agony the young girl was enduring, he talked to her about the Christian concept of offering her pain and suffering as a prayer for the benifit for others, Charlene eagerly accepted Father Brennen's suggestion, and each day Father Brennen visited her he talked about a particular person who he felt might benefit from her prayer's, Charlene would then offer that day's pain and discomfort to God as a prayer in the name of that person. Fr Floyd Calais who was a good friend of father Brennen said "he told me about a young girl who was very ill with leukemia, I knew she was being treated by Dr Dan Voorhies a good friend of mine i remember that the doctor said she had around six weeks to live, but in fact she lived only three weeks after the diagnosis". Father brennen was very impressed with the little girl, said Fr Calais," he told me how she would wait for him each day to get his suggestion of whom she was to pray for, to offer up her sufferings for that day " Dr Voorhies went to check on Charlene at 2:30 am on the morning of August 11 "she was in considerable pain". He later recalled he was very concerned about Charlene's condition, so much so that he began his rounds earlier that morning, "when I went to her room she was alone and there was evidence of extensive bleeding, I was incensed that a nurse had left a patient alone".

Charlene died at 7:20 am on the morning of August 11 1959, approximately 13 hours after Dr Voorhies discoverd her alone and bleeding.

"She was a faith-filled little girl,I see Charlene as a witness for all people of all ages to the power of resignation and acceptance of God's will.She wasn't different in any way except that when chrsis came in he life and it came very early, she accepted it with faith,trust and love".

                                   Father Joseph Brennen.

Charlene Marie Richard was buried in St Edwards Catholic Church Cemetary In Richard, Louisania USA.