Dear Members of the St. Luke’s Community,

As many of you know, Mimi March, a beloved teacher who taught at St. Luke’s for twenty years, has been battling cancer for the last 18 months. I wanted to share with you the message that her family posted on their Caring Bridge yesterday.

“Hospice will arrive tomorrow to begin the various services they will provide from here on out. They will keep mom comfortable and at home, so she won’t have to rush to the hospital with tummy issues.

We haven’t given up hope for a miracle, and we’ll keep praying (and gratefully accepting prayers), but it seems science has reached the end of its path.

As always, mom calls you her angels, and knows she wouldn’t have made it this far without you. She still loves hearing from you and looks forward to it.

I know I speak for all of the March boys when I say how proud I am of the one and only Mimi. She’s the best mom a guy could ask for, and beloved both at home and in her community. We thank you for everything, and we’ll let you know how things are going.”

When I first came to St. Luke’s, I was struck by the number of current and former parents who would come up to me to tell me that “Mimi saved my boy’s life” or “Mimi made me a better parent” or “Mimi helped me understand my child…” A school like St. Luke’s can exist only because master teachers like Mimi so delight in learning, and care so deeply for their students, not just as academic beings, but as young children with souls to nourish.

Mimi has drawn great strength and courage from the prayers that have been offered on her behalf, and I would ask all of you to hold Mimi and her family in the light at this moment. I would also ask you to remember the tender hearts of all her colleagues and friends who have shared their lives with her over these last twenty years on St. Luke’s Lane. This is a time of great sorrow for them also.

Tomorrow at our Epiphany Eucharist at 8:10am, Father Read will offer a special prayer for Mimi and her family.