I have wanted to be married since I was eight years old. My dream as a young girl was to be just like my mom, married at 19 and a mom at 20. I wanted to be a homemaker and a mom of four. Looking back now, I am very happy that I did not marry at 19 years old because my then-boyfriend was definitely not the one! I am glad I went to college and experienced my independence but secretly I wanted my “Mrs.” degree. At the ripe old age of 22, I found myself lost and confused about what God wanted me to do.

On January 22, 1949, Leo John Hopcroft walked into Tri-State Monument Co. on East Texas St. to order a tombstone. Mr. Hopcroft informed the salesperson of the critical details including the name, birth date, and death date to be engraved. He then requested that the stone be taken to St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery and placed on a plot between Block 7 and Block 8 near the historic Calvary Monument. When he completed his order and left, the salesperson seemed mystified; upset even. Explaining his queasiness to his co-workers, he explained that his customer had ordered the stone for himself. Mr. Hopcroft had just predicted his death and five years later, it turns out he was only 11 hours short of that prediction.

Being a board member or officer of Catholic Charities of North Louisiana’s Board of Directors comes with a hefty responsibility. The board is not only charged with maintaining the fiscal health of the nonprofit, but also with guiding the organization to fulfillment of its mission and vision.

Gabriel’s Closet, a family strengthening program of Catholic Charities of North Louisiana, is a merit-based program offering education and resources to low-income families that are either expecting a baby, have a newborn, or have children ages 4 or younger.