| Honorific Prefix: | Servant of God |
| Michelle Duppong | |
| Birth Date: | January 25, 1984 |
| Birth Place: | Wheat Ridge, Colorado, US |
| Home Town: | Haymarsh, North Dakota |
| Death Date: | December 25, 2015 (aged 31) |
| Death Place: | Haymarsh, North Dakota, US |
Michelle Duppong (January 25, 1984December 25, 2015) was an American Catholic laywoman who served as the Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Diocese of Bismarck before dying of cancer at the age of 31.[1] [2] Previously, she worked as a campus minister with Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), a Catholic organization for college students, at various universities in the American Midwest. On November 1, 2022, the Diocese of Bismarck began her beatification process, granting her the title Servant of God.[3]
Michelle Christine Duppong was born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado[4] to a Catholic family on January 25, 1984, later moving to Haymarsh, North Dakota at the age of 1.[5] After graduating high school, Duppong enrolled in North Dakota State University, where she earned a degree in horticulture in 2006.[6]
At North Dakota State, she first encountered the Catholic campus ministry FOCUS, which led her working with the ministry post-graduation for six years, including at the University of Mary. She was known for being a mentor towards students and showing kindness to many around her, even helping influence men to join the priesthood and women to become religious sisters. Over her time in the ministry, she worked with hundreds of students at various universities.
After working with FOCUS, Michelle Duppong became the Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Diocese of Bismarck, where she coordinated various events in the diocese, including conferences and outreach events.
In 2014, Duppong was diagnosed with stage four cancer, in what was initially thought were ovarian cysts.[7] Throughout her time with cancer, she was known for being "docile to the Will of God" and being a positive presence in the hospital she was in. She died on Christmas Day, the day on which she had reportedly predicted she would die.[8]
A documentary about her life called "Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story" has been announced and will be released in 2024.
On June 16, 2022, it was announced that a formal inquiry would be started on Duppong's life.[9] On All Saints Day of that year, her cause for beatification was opened based on her reported holiness as well as miracles being granted through her intercession, including the healing of a woman with the same type of cancer as Duppong had. She was declared Servant of God by Bishop David Kagan in November 2022 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck.[10]