One year later, we pause to pay tribute to an amazing person, a life so well lived, a life rooted in faith and community. So many folks continue to honor the life-affirming projects that Jay started with his passion for goodness. His wisdom shared as he lived, his relationship to power, love, gratitude and ultimately his invitation: the invitation for each one of us to bring our unique gifts to contribute to the greater good — working together to make change — to make the world a better place. 

We are all learning to navigate this world in which Jay lives on in memory and spirit; through his legacy.  We celebrate LIFE in marking accomplishments: studies and visits abroad, a St Olaf Christmas Fest celebrated,  one-year-old milestones of newly discovered walking and fine motor skills, family graduations, projects completed (or at least underway), the start and end of another school year…. Life moving forward.  As we carry the paradox of grief & hope around with us, the duality is softened by love & faith; community.

• One of the beautiful gifts Jay and I encountered during our journey with pancreatic cancer was the opportunity to share our experience and reflections on life- a story of the dance with cancer, and so much more —  through the generous and skilled guidance of our dear friend and podcaster MJ Murray-Vachon. This gift has recently been released as an encore presentation, a tribute to Jay…. And a gift that keeps on giving. 

Ep. 63 A Tribute to Jay Caponigro: One Year Later ( Mental Wellness & Cancer)

This past year has been full of many gifts and companions. So many who have been willing to accompany us in this world full of grace and blessings, and of course, death. 

Thank you dear friends and family. Thank you for sharing your love and support so freely. 

Fr Paul Kollman is one of those faithful companions that walked this journey so graciously with Jay, and our family.  At this anniversary he offers us all consolation and comfort in this prayer of gratitude and a call to move forward with faith and courage. 

“Mindful of the remarkable contributions that Jay made to so many, and of the ways his efforts continue to bear fruit, I offer this prayer:

Lord Jesus, who came that we might have life and have it in abundance, we thank you for the abundant life of your servant and brother Jay Caponigro. His life was abundantly full of loving relationships, marked by a wholehearted commitment to justice, and sparkled with joy, humor, and compassion. We who remember him miss him, and we know that the communities he lived in and worked within miss him, even as the fruits of his efforts continue to help create new opportunities for your people.

Send your Spirit among us to soften our sadness, sharpen our remembrance, and strengthen our willingness to learn from his example of faith and courage. Console us amid our grief at Jay’s death and remind us of the rich hope and integrity in which he lived. May he continue to inspire us to embrace your own unselfish love, which led to the cross and the resurrection that followed. 

You live and reign forever and ever. Amen.” 

In humbleness and gratitude, 

Lyn and the Caponigro/Miller  Crew