Dear Friends of St. Philomena School,
Where: Our own St. Philomena School
 “Presidents Field†1815 S. 220th
Why: Support cancer Research
‘Relay for Life’
When: Saturday, May 31st 8am – 5:15pm
What to wear:
Walking shoes
Dear St. Philomena Faculty, Staff and Families,
We want to thank you for all your love, prayers and support you have given us while we have started a foundation in our daughter’s memory. As many of you know Gloria’s Angels mission is: Lifting Burdens and Building communities so people can focus on caring for a loved one with a life threatening condition during their times of greatest need.
To this end, we want to offer all of you a chance to help us celebrate our
$60 person (price change)
You may RSVP to:
Rachel Marinos at rsmarinos@comcast.net / 206.941.7852 or
Doug Strauss at
Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions and for more info on Gloria’s Angels go to www.gloriasangels.org.
Whatever works for you Thanksgiving to all,
On a Friday, six months ago, Gloria went to heaven. On this Good Friday, please include the Strauss Family in your prayers.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR GLORIA! On Wednesday, February 20th, we had a wonderful prayer service on the field lifting up our voices in song and prayer for Gloria. THANK YOU to all of you for walking the journey of the resurrection through Gloria’s precious life. Special thank you to Michael from White Dove Release for helping us symbolically send our birthday messages up to heaven. It’s been a day filled with blessings.
The miracles continue to unfold for all of us through the blessings of Gloria. I would like to invite you to head to the two updated websites that honor Gloria’s legacy. Be inspired by the Glorious Gloria website at http://www.gloriastrauss.org/
GLORIA’S ANGELS FOUNDATION has been launched during the month of February. The Foundation is designed to support an important ministry close to Doug and Kristen’s hearts. This is a new non-profit foundation established in the state of
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
AN EVENING WITH DOUG AND KRISTEN STRAUSS:
It is with great joy, I invite our school community to join us in reflection and prayer on Thursday, February 28th at
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
The Strauss’ Thank you Prayer
All praise be to the Lord, our God, who never abandoned us. The words “thank you†seem so small in comparison to the extreme gratitude we feel in the depths of our souls for the gift that all of you have been to us, the Strauss family, during our Glorious Gloria’s life. We ask each of you to pause right now as you read this, and allow God to be present, and pray the following:
Precious Jesus, Mother Mary, and Gloria, we ask that you bring your presence to this moment and touch our friends and family with this vision every time they read this.
Close your eyes and picture our Lord and our Blessed Mother with their arms extended over you, as our family and our beautiful Gloria wrap our arms around each one of you and kiss your forehead…We love all of you! God bless you and may the glory of God that Gloria brought to each of us shine forever in your soul. Amen.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
The September 27 funeral of Gloria Strauss, the young girl whose family and friends prayed for a miracle during her long, painful battle with cancer, revealed the richness of the truth we proclaim in Jesus Christ. As we mourned her death, those of us whose faith and hope are rooted in the resurrection also celebrated her life.
The apparent contradiction in our joyful sorrow is an expression of faith that embarrasses and confounds the world in which we live. For us, Gloria’s journey provided a lesson in what it means to be truly human and deepened our understanding and appreciation for the life, death and resurrection of our Lord.
As I said in my letter to her family and friends at the funeral: “I realize you all prayed for a miracle, be that a miraculous healing or the miracle of heaven. I want you to know that I believe I have already seen that first miracle. It is in all of you. You, the parents, you the brothers and sisters, you the family and friends… are God’s first miracle flowing from Gloria’s witness to faith.â€
Modern miracles
We live in an age and time when it is reasonable to hope for miracles, and yet for so much of humanity it has become an era devoid of hope and deformed by cynicism. Miracles of modern science and technology routinely enhance, extend and save lives in ways that would have been impossible in previous periods.
These modern advances in our knowledge, however, have not been accompanied by a commensurate advance in our culture’s grasp of truth, and the growing gulf between scientific knowledge and our understanding of life is leading us to a culture of death.
Even as the miraculous potential of stem cell therapies promise previously impossible healings, this medical advance is being deformed because many in our culture refuse to acknowledge the truth about life before birth. Similarly, those who propose assisted suicide as “death with dignity†cynically reject the dignity of life by redefining it because of age or illness.
Many such gaps between knowledge and truth exist in our postmodern culture. While sufficient wealth exists to alleviate hunger and suffering, millions of our brothers and sisters endure poverty and preventable illness. While America remains a beacon of liberty that beckons those in search of a better life, we are failing as a nation to create effective pathways that grant freedom, hope and dignity to immigrants. And despite the fact that no legitimate rationale remains for executions, we continue to perpetuate the criminal penalty of death.
‘We need truth’
October is Respect Life Month, a time set aside by the bishops of the United States since 1972 for reflection and prayer. It is a time intended to renew and strengthen our resolve to bring about a culture of life. As we celebrate this tradition in the church we need to remind ourselves of the relationship between knowledge and truth.
This is the monumental challenge of our time. As Pope Benedict XVI said in his homily at Marianzell, Austria on Sept. 8: “If truth does not exist for man, then neither can he ultimately distinguish between good and evil. And then the great and wonderful discoveries of science become double-edged: they can open up significant possibilities for good, for the benefit of mankind, but also, as we see only too clearly, they can pose a terrible threat, involving the destruction of man and the world. We need truth.â€
As we in the Archdiocese of Seattle pray and reflect during the month of October, we are blessed by our memory of the life and death of Gloria Strauss. Although her life was short, she lived long enough to gain a profound wisdom. Gloria understood that life was a great gift and despite her suffering she never failed to express her gratitude for that gift.
Gloria did not live long enough to gain great knowledge, but through her faith she came to appropriate the truth. It is the truth we profess as sisters and brothers of the risen Lord. This is the truth we need. It is the truth about which the Holy Father preached. And it is the truth for which each of us should pray during this month dedicated to respect for the sacredness and dignity of all life.
==========
Catholic Progress article
Gloria Strauss, 1996 - 2007
Anthony Strauss, 5, holds his sister Gloria’s photo high as he rides on the shoulders of family friend Andrew Barfoot during Gloria’s funeral procession Thursday (09/27/07). More than 2,000 relatives, friends, students and strangers attended the funeral and celebration for Gloria, 11, whose battle against cancer was documented in a Seattle Times series.
Events were held in the gym at Kennedy High in Burien, where Gloria’s dad is a teacher and coach.
::click photo to view the Seattle Times article::
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Thank you to everyone who has prayed for and been touched by our beautiful daughter Gloria. Words cannot express how grateful we are for the love and support, which no doubt came as a result for the unselfishness and kindness and purity of Gloria’s spirit. Her 11 short years gave us a roadmap for a committed relationship with God through prayer, taught us the importance and power of community, and showered blessings over all of our family, friends, and anyone who simply knew the name Gloria Strauss. …
God bless you,
Doug and Kristen
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Rosary: 7:00 pm, Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007 - Children’s Rosary Celebration led by St. Philomena School at St. Philomena Church in Des Moines.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
The following events will be at Kennedy H.S. in Burien WA. (Map)
(Information for the Kennedy events taken from GloriaStrauss.org)
Gloria Strauss, 1996 - 2007
… Gloria wrote out a thank you note to friends and supporters of the prayer group that came to pray for her recovery from cancer.
::click photo to view the SeattleTimes slideshow::
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Cards may be sent to Doug and Kristen Strauss and Family c/o:
St. Philomena School
1815 S. 220th St.
Des Moines, WA 98198
or
Kennedy High School
140 S. 140th St.
Burien, WA 98168
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Sept. 25, 2007
Dear St. Philomena Students and Families,
This week brings us many wonderful opportunities to celebrate the life of our dear friend and 6th grader, Gloria Strauss. The Strauss family has been busy making final arrangements for a number of beautiful celebrations of Gloria’s life for Wednesday and Thursday, and on the back of this letter, you will find additional details from Kennedy High School about these two days. St. Philomena School and Kennedy High School will be closed THURSDAY, September 27th.
Wednesday and Thursday~ Every person grieves differently and our children are just beginning to learn this painful process. Many parents may choose to just attend the St. Philomena Rosary together and that might be all they can handle at this time. Children can also pray at home so there does not need to be any guilt about not being able to attend. If you do choose to attend the celebrations at Kennedy, students need to come with an adult. It is not a fieldtrip.
*Students should be in full uniform as a representative of the school.
*The school choir has been asked to sing one communion song at the funeral.
*A class representative from the 5 Strauss classrooms have been asked to carry up the Eucharistic banners with their homeroom teachers.
TRANSPORTATION: Parking will be a tremendous challenge on these two days. On Thursday only, I have secured two mini-buses to run a shuttle to and from St. Philomena School through the day. It is an option for your family or carpool to consider. You may want to have relatives drop you off at JFK and take a St. Philomena School shuttle back to the St. Philomena parking lot. The shuttle will finish at 5:30 p.m. More details and bus schedule will be in Wednesday’s newsletter.
I would like to offer an additional opportunity for the entire St. Philomena community to remember our dear friend in a very authentic way. Our St. Philomena children’s rosary for Gloria will be held TONIGHT, Tuesday evening, at 7 PM at St. Philomena Church. Before we begin our prayers, we would like to invite any St. Philomena student to come forward to bring a special item to our prayer table. This item may be something that reminds that student of Gloria or exemplifies his or her relationship with Gloria. These items could include, but are not limited to: a picture, an item of clothing, a toy, a holy memento, or anything else that your child thinks of when he or she remembers Gloria. At the beginning of the service, Mrs. Ruth will invite students who would like to, to come forward, say a few words about what they brought, and place the item on our prayer table. We will then pray the Glorious rosary together. It is meant to be an uplifting and loving remembrance of our Gloria with songs of joy and time with our dear families and parish members. I will also share any new details about Wednesday and Thursday at that time.
We hope that many of you will choose to join us in uplifting the memory of our sweet friend in heaven with smiles, laughter, prayer, and song. Our journey to the cross and through the cross begins….together.
Sincerely,
Sandy Smith and the Faculty of St. Philomena School
Dear St. Philomena Families and Faithful Friends,
God has welcomed his newest saint into the Kingdom of Heaven! Our friend, Gloria Strauss, 6th grader, passed away peacefully at Children’s Hospital surrounded and comforted by her parents, Doug and Kristen, at 6:50 a.m. on Friday.
It has been an exceptional time of grace for all who have witnessed and journeyed with the Strauss family. The life journey now becomes the everlasting life journey as we welcome our Gloria to the “Communion of Saints†in Heaven. Her spirit permeates every classroom here at St. Philomena School and she has touched the lives of thousands in her eleven short years. Since the cancer discovery in first grade, Gloria has tirelessly and faithfully pointed us all closer to God by teaching us how to live each day to the fullest and to be grateful for all that God has given us. It has been an honor to walk this journey with our pal, Gloria.
I thank you for your prayers for the Strauss family during this time of profound loss. Doug and Kristen send their love and gratitude to all who have generously lifted Gloria up through prayer and holy deeds. The Strauss siblings will need us and we will respond to the call gently, respectfully, and compassionately. The family asks that they be given the gift of privacy as they return home. Meal support is already taken care of and they would like some cherished time with their immediate family.
As a school community, we will find our strength, hope, and courage through Jesus. Now is a time to be available to our children, to listen and to be gentle, and to point them to the truth of God’s abundant love for each of us always, especially during this time of sadness. As funeral arrangements are being determined, we will post information on the school website: www.stphilomenaschool.com
Thank you for supporting the St. Philomena Faculty and Staff in your prayers. I am so honored to be a part of such an amazing circle of faith, trust, and compassion and my faculty and staff will continue to walk this journey together to support all the members of our faith community. Many resources are also available to our school community as the days, weeks, and months unfold. For now, I give great thanks for the privilege of knowing my little friend, Gloria.
Sandra Barton Smith
Principal - St. Philomena School
Preparation plans to celebrate the everlasting joy of Gloria….
♥ Tuesday, September 25th 7:00 p.m. Children’s Rosary Celebration led by St. Philomena School at St. Philomena Church in Des Moines.
“Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus.â€
– 1 Thessalonians: 16-18
Please click image above to view the slideshow and hear the audio taken at the Children’s Hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit. This was during the Monday night (08/13) prayer session. (Seattle Times website)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
For the latest updates on Gloria and the Strauss family, please visit the online journal of Seattle Times reporter Jerry Brewer, entitled, “Reporter’s journal | Jerry Brewer on covering Gloria Strauss.”
There will be a Mass at 7:00pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2007 at St. Philomena Parish in Des Moines. A rosary for Gloria will follow after the Mass.
Please click photo for a larger image
First Communion photo taken at St. Philomena Parish. Gloria can be seen on the extreme left. There were originally only nine girls in Gloria’s class. Two girls eventually moved to other schools, and one girl joined in, leaving eight girls. They are a close group.
Seattle Times article that came out on August 04, 2007.
The original Seattle Times article can be found here.
A printable PDF file can be accessed here.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
A prayer for Gloria | “We’re not out of the water”
By Jerry Brewer
Seattle Times staff columnist
The adults look at Gloria Strauss, amazed.
The 11-year-old moves in ways she could not three weeks ago. She can walk, sometimes gingerly, but she can walk. She can roll over on her swollen body. She has more energy. More life.
“I think we finally got her medicine caught up to her cancer,” a hospice nurse tells Gloria’s father, Doug Strauss.
“No,” Doug retorts.
He prefers a divine explanation.
::click photo for larger image::
“I don’t believe it was a magic amount of pain medicine,” Doug says. “You saw how she was. Look at her now. It’s so dramatic.” “OK,” the nurse hedges. “Something has to be happening.”
“That’s better,” Doug says.
KOMO TV news that came out on August 02, 2007.
The original KOMO TV article can be found here.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
::click photo to watch the story::
This is the first time in a long time Gloria Strauss is feeling good. Some days she’s in so much pain the 11-year-old can’t even walk.
“It’s not easy,” she said. Not easy when your cancer has spread to your bones, into your liver. Not easy when your doctor tells you you might not survive the summer.
Seattle Times article that came out on July 21, 2007.
The original Seattle Times article can be found here.
A printable PDF file can be accessed here.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
A prayer for Gloria | “You’re God. You can do anything.”
By Jerry Brewer
Seattle Times staff columnist
Asleep in the family den, tucked in a hospital bed, Gloria Strauss dreams she can walk again.
She does not need a wheelchair. She does not need her parents to guide her to the bathroom. She is herself once more — 11 years old, chipper and liberated.
::click photo for larger image::
She awakens in the middle of the night, excited and motivated. She tries to rise on her own. She gets to the edge of the bed, legs dangling, but then she pauses. The pain is too much. The cancer is too strong.
Gloria cries for her parents.
Seattle Times article that came out on July 10, 2007.
The original Seattle Times article can be found here.
A printable PDF file can be accessed here.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
“You know I’ve been down. … Forgive me.”
By Jerry Brewer
Seattle Times staff columnist
She is not going. No way. More than anything, Gloria Strauss wants control right now, and because she cannot govern her cancer, she settles for ruling her social calendar.
When her parents ask if she wishes to attend a prayer session at the Fantozzis’ house, Gloria responds with a word she never used to say: “No.” She is tired. She is angry. She is dejected. The cancer has spread to Gloria’s spirit.
::click photo for larger image::
“It’s never been like this before,” says her mother, Kristen Strauss. “It’s always been hard, but it’s never been like this.”
Seattle Times article that came out on June 16, 2007.
The original Seattle Times article can be found here.
A printable PDF file can be accessed here.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
“She’s my best friend … but sometimes it’s complicated”
By Jerry Brewer
Seattle Times staff columnist
While coloring a picture of a bird, Maria Strauss recounts the previous day’s most stressful event.
“Yesterday, we had a biiiiiiiig problem,” the 9-year-old says. Maria’s sister, Gloria, missed a dose of pain medication, and cancer blitzed her body. Gloria cried. Mom and Dad gasped. Eventually, Gloria swallowed eight pills, and the drugs soothed the 11-year-old’s discomfort.
::click photo for larger image::
Then came the big problem.
Seattle Times article that came out on June 2, 2007.
The original Seattle Times article can be found here.
A printable PDF file can be accessed here.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
“I’m going to make it”
By Jerry Brewer
Seattle Times staff columnist
Gloria Strauss is ready for her miracle. God will heal her. Mom said so.
The 11-year-old has spent four years dueling with cancer. Seven bouts of chemotherapy. A stem-cell transplant. Radiation. Experimental drugs that belong in a spelling bee: fenretinide, cefixime, irinotecan and temozolomide. Still, the disease slithers on, impervious. Neuroblastoma, this rare and vexing childhood illness, rests in her liver, lymph nodes, bones and bone marrow. In late April, Gloria learned her life could be ticking to its final weeks. Enough, Gloria and her parents say. No more cancer treatments.
Let go. Let God.
Drop her so she can be caught.
Gloria does not want chemo to batter her body or destroy her blond hair again. She has been relying on drugs with no history of healing, so it is time to abandon cancer medicine.
::click photo for larger image::
STEVE RINGMAN /
THE SEATTLE TIMES
Kennedy High boys basketball coach Doug Strauss, right, and his wife Kristen, left, lay hands on daughter Gloria during a nightly prayer session for their child. Friends have been showing up each night in greater numbers to support Gloria, who has a form of cancer called neuroblastoma.
“This is it,” says her mother, Kristen. “I always knew it would come to this.”
KOMO TV news that came out on June 29, 2007.
The original KOMO TV article can be found here.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
::click photo to watch the story::
FEDERAL WAY - A thief at the Wild Waves Water Park broke into a family’s parked van and stole a stash of irreplaceable items.
Kristen Strauss can live without the stolen purses, credit cards, makeup and cash. She can even forget about the the breast pump and digital camera taken from her family’s van.
It’s the home videos that hurt the most.
“Just a pit in my stomach,” she said.
The yard clean grew beyond our wildest hopes.. St. Vincent’s joined up with St. Philomena and friends to create an amazing transition of not only the yard but the inside of the house…more is coming also… TV’s and a new paint job is planned in the future. Everyone was so generous with their time and donations. The yard was cleaned and cleared. The trampoline was fixed, statues of Mary and St. Francis were placed in the yard, the deck was added on to and flowers were planted. The Strauss family received a new oven, dishwasher, microwave and lots of furniture. Murals were painted in the children’s rooms and family photos were hung on the walls.
Thank you for all your dedication and keep praying for Gloria!
(from Jennifer Vertetis)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
To view photos from this event, please click here.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
The students and their sweet families are welcome to write notes of love and support to Gloria and her family. We have a spiritual bouquet basket filling with love. We will deliver the basket every Friday so Gloria can feel our love and support while she is at home.
(Please send these to the St. Philomena school office)
Lisa Tran’s song “A Prayer for Gloria” from YouTube.com.
this is a piece i wrote for my teacher’s 12 year old daughter, her name is Gloria. she has nuroblastoma (sp?) **it’s a cancer that has no cure right now** i wanted to do something as a get well soon present… i hope you like it!
An article came out on May 6, 2007 in the Seattle Times sports section about the Strauss family.
The original Seattle Times article can be found here.
A printable PDF file can be accessed here.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
A prayer for Gloria: Coach’s daughter fights cancer
By Jerry Brewer
Seattle Times staff columnist
The coach’s daughter lives to entertain. She often asks her mother how an 11-year-old can become an actress. She combs through her closet, pieces together the most extraordinary outfits and tells her sisters, “This is what people in Hollywood are wearing.”
STEVE RINGMAN /
THE SEATTLE TIMES
Kennedy High boys basketball coach Doug Strauss, right, and his wife Kristen, left, lay hands on daughter Gloria during a nightly prayer session for their child. Friends have been showing up each night in greater numbers to support Gloria, who has a form of cancer called neuroblastoma.
Gloria Strauss sings and dances, too. She mastered all of Michael Jackson’s pet moves during one extended hospital stay four years ago. Cancer is not going to reduce her to an opening act. Four years later, as doctors forecast her life dripping to its final weeks, she is still performing, planning song selections in case she makes it on “American Idol.”
The family, friends and school/parish community who love and cherish the amazing person of our pal, Gloria Strauss, ask the faithful for daily prayers of love, support, trust, and comfort. We have been notified that the cancer is moving aggressively and our Gloria continues in her journey.
Gloria teaches us each day how to love and serve the Lord, and we ask you to be generous in your prayers and pray as a family as we support and love the entire Strauss family. The link on the right side is the devotional prayer that we have held onto very tightly over the past three years.
As Gloria’s journey unfolds, we are blessed, grateful, and humbled to know how we are privileged to witness such a glorious example of the human spirit alive in Christ.
With love, Sandy Smith and the teachers of St. Philomena.
Thank you for visiting Gloria’s new blog. We desperately need your prayers. Please click on the “Glorious Prayers for Gloria” link on the right side.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
