A Pilgrim's Song: Mary Varick and Her Theology of Suffering

If you didn't know her, Mary Varick's theology might well have seemed nuts. After all, she insisted that God's greatest gifts included pain, denial, suffering, and sacrifice. Likely because those she served and helped bring to God were frequently blessed with these. Handicapped, Mary Varick had a great husband, four children, and a wonderful life that was threatened by a ravaging bone cancer. In the annals of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, just north of Quebec City, you can read about the miracle that sent that cancer back to the abyss on July 21, 1951. But here, you'll read about the second thirty-seven years of her life-the relentless sojourn of an unabashed pilgrim, determined to bring others, especially her disabled "God's inner circle," to joy, grace, and God.