Nick read every spiritual book he could get his hands on, including the mystics, like St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila, remembers Lenora Grimaud his longtime Spiritual Director.
Gonzalo Jimenez, the CMFP Facilitator for Indio, shared with me that Nick would walk into the parish around 5:30 p.m. every Monday when he had classes. He would help set up the tables, put the coffee on and then walk to Church because he wanted to go and “talk with his Lord.” Nick was a great believer in Divine Providence. He knew this because he experienced the total giving of himself to God. He knew God would not let him down.
Nick was a parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He served as a lector, Sacristan, Eucharistic Minister and helped in bereavement ministry. Nick was pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree while also in the CMFP program.
When I went to Nick’s funeral on a Monday morning, June 22, I was surprised to see the church practically full. As time passed, I watched in surprise as more people came to the parish. Nick was loved by the people of the parish and they came to pay their respects.
After Mass during lunch, I learned that those people who came were all touched in some wonderful way by Nick and his faith. Some were fallen away Catholics who returned to the parish, others were converts who came into the parish because of his witness.
When he became ill with cancer, he never complained about the pain. When he had been absent from CMFP classes for a month in April I asked him about it. “Sister, I could not come, I am undergoing chemotherapy and I just could not get up,” he told me. Nick attended every single remaining class and even turned in a perfect final exam.
Nick had two kinds of cancer—one that destroyed his body, and another that tried to destroy his life and soul. But he kept his faith, and when he turned to the Lord for help, Jesus came to his rescue and set him free. It took a lot of courage and fortitude to start his life over again—with no home, no car, no money, no job, poor health and loss of his dignity, but he persevered and did not give up.
It is often easy to have compassion for someone with cancer, but very few have compassion for the alcoholic and drug addict. This disease attacks their body, mind, emotions, feelings, and their brain. Worst of all, it attacks their spirit. Without a lot of help, they cannot recover. Nick did—with the grace of God, AA, and support from his family. Nick was a miracle of grace! Nick, please pray for us!
Sr. Rebecca Zapien is a CMFP Coordinator in the Ministry Formation Institute of the Diocese of San Bernardino.