The Powell family is seen in this undated photo. COURTESY OF GEORGE POWELL
Pilgrims of Hope: Finding Hope in My Darkest Hour
Editor’s note: In celebration of the Jubilee of Hope, The Western Kentucky Catholic has launched Pilgrims of Hope, a yearlong blog series inspired by Pope Francis’ Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025: “My thoughts turn to all those pilgrims of hope who will travel to Rome in order to experience the Holy Year and to all those others who, though unable to visit the City of the Apostles Peter and Paul, will celebrate it in their local Churches.” Blog reflections will be written by individuals from across the Diocese of Owensboro, sharing their unique perspectives on the virtue of hope in a world that so greatly needs it.
BY GEORGE POWELL
It has been a little over a year since our daughter, Georgia Claire Powell, entered into Heaven and the loving arms of our Lord.
Over the past year, our family has experienced many hard times as we have dealt with our grief, and to be honest, it has been very difficult. There is no right way to handle a loss like the one we were faced with, so we had to lean on our faith and have hope that this was God’s plan for her.
I’ll never forget something that Fr. John Vaughn said at our house a few hours after her passing. He said, “I don’t know how people without faith can get through things like this.” That really stuck with me and its one of the few things that I remember from that day. Were it not for our faith and the belief in eternal life, I’m not sure how we would have handled our loss.
As we continued to process what had happened, it became very clear to us that she was now in Heaven and rejoicing, with none of the worldly constraints that she had been saddled with. This belief, this hope that we would reunite with her again, is what helped us to come to terms with her passing. It is easy for the grief to take control of your thoughts and lead you to sadness and depression, so we must have faith that everything is in God’s hands.
As the days went by, the support from the Catholic community was overwhelming. There were so many people that offered help and support that it really does give you hope. It helps with the grieving process and lets you know that you are part of something bigger than just yourself. It showed us that there are so many good people in our community, and it really does give you hope for better days.
As we continue to go about our daily lives, we remember her and cling to the hope and belief that one day, we will all be together again in Heaven as we leave behind the sadness and hard times we have experienced in our time here on earth.
George Powell is the principal of Owensboro Catholic High School.
To learn more about the Diocese of Owensboro’s celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 visit https://owensborodiocese.org/jubilee-year-pilgrims-of-hope/.
