Charlene Richard’s Offering

Servant of God Charlene Richard

In May 1959, twelve-year-old Charlene Richard read about Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Afterward, she asked her grandmother whether she, too, could become a saint by praying like the Little Flower. Within a few months, her short life would end. But that simple question would remain part of her story.

Born on January 13, 1947, Charlene grew up in the rural Cajun community of Richard, Louisiana. She was the second oldest of ten children born to Joseph Elvin and Mary Alice Richard. Her mother remembered an active girl who enjoyed sports, attended church, and prayed her rosary. Faith belonged to the ordinary rhythm of her childhood.

That summer, Charlene was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia and admitted to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Lafayette. At her family’s request, Father Joseph Brennan, the newly ordained hospital chaplain, told her that she was going to die.

Father Brennan explained redemptive suffering, the Catholic understanding that suffering can be offered to God in union with Christ for others. Charlene accepted this teaching. Although her illness was painful, she remained cheerful and offered her suffering in prayer. The young priest returned to visit her daily, deeply moved by her faith.

During those final days, Charlene prayed for the healing of sick people and for others to enter the Catholic Church. Sister Theresita Crowley, the hospital’s director of pediatrics, also witnessed her peaceful acceptance and concern for others.

Charlene died on August 11, 1959. She was twelve. Father Brennan and Sister Theresita later reported healings and conversions among those for whom she had prayed. Her story spread, and visitors began coming to her grave to pray.

On January 11, 2020, the Diocese of Lafayette opened her cause for canonization, and Charlene received the title Servant of God. Her grave at Saint Edward Catholic Church remains a place of pilgrimage, where people remember a child who, even while dying, continued to pray for others.

For your own image of Servant of God Charlene Richard: Maryvale Catholic Press