On February 3, Montrose hosted a Memorial Mass for the 10th Anniversary of Elizabeth Schickel’s passage to eternal life. Elizabeth Schickel was a member of the graduating Montrose class of 2016. When she was in ninth grade, she was diagnosed with brain cancer. After a year of treatment and valiantly fighting, Elizabeth passed away on February 12, 2014, when she was just 15 years old.
Over 250 people came to the Mass. Some were close to Elizabeth and knew her well, like her family and friends. However many people had not known Elizabeth personally and had just come to learn about her, and have since been inspired by her. 8 priests were celebrating the Mass together. The main celebrant was Fr. Peter Schirripa. He gave a beautiful homily, speaking to how Elizabeth inspired him and helped him find his vocation to the priesthood.
It’s not surprising that Elizabeth inspired Fr. Schirripa because she is a very inspirational figure. In his homily, he said when she was diagnosed with cancer instead of losing faith in God, Elizabeth thanked God for trusting her with this cross. She knew that her battle with cancer was a big cross that would challenge her to unite her sufferings to Jesus’s suffering on the cross. In doing so, she could grow in holiness and this could lead to her becoming a saint.
Fr. Schirripa mentioned Elizabeth’s grave and how in the spring it’s always covered in hundreds of tulips that her father lovingly plants each year. He compares Elizabeth’s cancer to a tulip bulb. If you look at a tulip bulb you think how can something so beautiful come out of something so ugly? It’s the same thing with her cancer. Elizabeth turned the suffering of her cancer into a way to accept her cross with joy and show her love to God, helping her become a saint. Fr. Schrippa spoke of how Elizabeth “only wanted to impress Jesus” and that we can follow her example to accept our crosses with joy.
After the Mass, there was a pasta dinner in the A&A. There was a presentation where several people spoke about who Elizabeth was, what she was like, and how she continues to inspire many. Several Montrose alums from the class of 2016, Elizabeth’s classmates and friends, spoke about Elizabeth. Sam Bowman O’Neill ‘16 said that she became a nurse because she was so moved by the amazing care of Elizabeth’s nurse, Liz, who lovingly cared for Elizabeth throughout her battle with cancer.
The Mass and dinner showed the impact Elizabeth has had on the Montrose community and beyond. People are inspired by her heroic battle with cancer and her holiness in accepting her cross with joy. Everyone at Montrose can feel so blessed and grateful that we have such an incredible example of holiness and what it means to be a saint in Elizabeth, a fellow Montrosian.
By Maria McQuade ‘30, Contributing Writer
