Simon Matthew Benkovic
March 3, 1979 – March 20, 2004
Dear is the grave where son is laid,
Sad is the memory that never fades,
Sleep on, dear son, and take your rest;
God called you home, and He knows best.
Anonymous
And I will always love you, my son. Mom
You have been very near to my heart this past week Johnnette. May you be uplifted today especially with comfort, peace and joy flowing from our Lord and our Lady.
God bless you always,
Lori
My heart is breaking for you….may God give you peace during this difficult time.
A sad day for you Johnnette, I’m sure. May our Lady surround you in love, and be at peace in the Sacred Heart of Jesus!
God bless Simon and all of your family always,
Alice
I am so sorry for your loss!! Thank you for sharing your Son and his life with Us! know that we are honored for sharing this Earth with him… God Bless you and keep you! I pray for you today and always, Amen.
Praying for the repose of Simon’s soul and your consolation.
Dearest Johnnette
May the peace that passes all understanding be with you. You are an inspiration to all who have lost a dear one. I still have my son but somehow can try to understand the empty space you must carry throughout your life. I don’t know why God gave you so many crosses to bear but you have helped countless others by staying close to Him. So many others would have turned away. God bless you. You will see Simon again someday. Love to you
Cindy
Thinking of you and prayers for you and Simon!! Thank you for your beautiful ministry!!!
Hi, Johnnette!! I’m so sorry about your son’s death, although it was in 2004. I wish I could thank him for serving, and sacrificing his life for, our country.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let Perpetual Light Shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
May Simon rest in peace. We pray that he is praying together with the whole communion of saints.
God Bless
Daithí
Thnking of you and praying for you.
Dear Johnette,
I pray that St. Joseph will wrap you up today in the warmth and shelter of his cloak. That kind Joseph will guard you and your family today as your heart remembers and grieves the loss of your son Simon.
You shared with all of us at Knock this precious story of your son. Today I remember you and all your family in prayer. Little steps cover great distances Johnette. Heaven is out before all of us, keep the faith, keep going strong and may St. Joseph guide you on your way.
With lots of love and prayers,
Helen
Share your sorrow. Beautiful poem.
He is very handsome, even more so now in the blissful Eternal City. Only a mother’s heart can relate to your sorrow that lingers with a bittersweetness of only the memory of his physical presence, but, the joyful, silent, palpable, heart to heart love that cannot be touched, only pondered and embraced in the very Heart of Jesus Himself. God love you on this first day of spring.
Dear Johnnette, my heart and prayers are with you. I pray that Our Lord, the Holy Spirit – the great Comforter, and Our Blessed Lady will bring carry you through your grief.
Thank you so much, sweet Lori. As always, you remain in my prayers, too. I am so grateful to God that I have wonderful sisters and brothers in the faith that pray for me. My only desire is that my prayers on their behalf bless them as much as their prayers for me bring blessings to my soul.
Johnnette
Johnette,
Simon looks so much like your dear and handsome husband Anthony ( I remember seeing Anthony on one of your programs some years ago). We know that Simon and Anthony are looking down upon you with so much love and admiration. All your viewers love you Johnette and pray for you. God bless you a thousand times over. You are such a blessing to women!
Gloria from Pittsburgh
God bless you and your family, Johnnette, especially this week. Holding you in prayer.
My heart goes out to you Johnette both for the loss of your son Simon and your dear husband too. I send you hugs and prayers, and lift you up to Jesus for great comfort, and Mary too as she so much understands your deep loss.
I just lost my dear Mother in Nov 2011, and my heart is broken. I feel your sorrow. There is nothing that can take away the terrible loss we feel when we lose the ones we love.
So please know I am thinking of you and lifting you to Mary to hold you close to her heart, as that is where I ask her to hold me too everyday so I can be as strong as she was as she had to let her dear Son go. As I face my deep sorrow, and you continue to face your deep sorrow, know our “Mother of Sorrow ” is with you and holds you close to her heart. The sorrow never goes away, as you know, but the Hope for their life with Jesus now brings us comfort. Peace and love to you dear sweet Johnette. You are a gift to all of us from God. Much love. Sharon Stiles
I offer my tears and prayers that Simon will rest in peace and that our Lord and our Lady will console you.
Thank you dear “sister” for your profound yes to Christ, that has brought so many Graces to my life.
Johnette I’ve been praying for you and for your show. Thank you for being God’s instrument of evangelization. You are a model to follow. A year and a half ago I lost my god-daughter at 27 to cancer. You inspire me to follow strong in the faith. May our Lady of Guadalupe and our Lord Jesus Christ continue to guide you and give you the gift of fortitude. May the Holy Spirit give you the consolation your soul needs to presevere. Our hope is to see our loved ones in heaven once again. God bless you,
Lulu
Many Blessings to you Johnnette! xx
God bless you and keep you, Johnnette! May our Blessed Mother hold you close to her Immaculate Heart, today and always. May Jesus hold you close to His Sacred Heart so that you may feel His burning Love. May all the Angels and Saints intercede in whatever way you need today. You will be in my thoughts and prayers today. Stephanie
Dear Sister in Christ,
Truly a void in our being is borne upon the loss of a loved one so near and precious to our hearts and even so, God’s most awesome and inspiring Love allows through His grace for us to recognize His abundant fruits which spring forth in us as we give everything to Him Who knows best.
May our Blessed Heavenly Mother hold you closely to her.
Susan
Johnette,
My prayers are with you always. I will never forget the generosity that poured out from your heart as you addressed the ’04 WOG Conference. Your poignant account of Simon’s death, and your powerful witness to God’s mercy, have made an indelible mark on my faith.
May Your dear son, Simon, rest sweetly, with Our Lord and Our Lady, all the Angels and Saints, in Heaven.
May you, Johnette, and your family, be blessed!
Love and prayers,
A very grateful sister in Christ,
Teri Shehwen
My thoughts and prayers are with you Johnette and your family at this time. May the good Lord bless and strengthen you each day. Wishing you all God’s Blessings.
Patricia
God rest his precious soul and may you feel His comfort in your loss.
Mother Mary stay by your side always.
Liz
Respected Ma’am Johnnette,
We remembered you, your dear departed husband Anthony on 13th March (anniversary of his stroke 2005) and yesterday, your precious son, Simon and prayed for his soul during our family prayers & also when I visited Jesus during Adoration in our Cathedral. Wanted to call in but lately, especially since your clocks have been rolled back, it’s not been possible to listen to you live. Thanks for the Podcasts. Hopefully we’ll catch up on the backlog of missed shows. May God comfort you through these testing times! You are an inspiration for women and men alike. May we all become a people of grace!!
God bless… Edwin Rodrigues from India (1st to call on Silver Jubilee of W.O.G Live)
Many prayers are going up for you, Johnnette! My heart is with you at this time.
Perhaps they are not the stars,
but rather openings in heaven,
where the love of our lost ones
pours through and shines down upon us
to let us know their souls are at peace.
Eskimo Legend
Keep on going, dear Johnnette!
They are waiting for you on the other side!
Susan and the souls
Johnette, I’m only now reading this; sorry to be so late. My prayers and Masses of the rest of this week, for Simon’s soul and for your own comfort and the continued consolation of your whole family.
Respected Ma’am Johnnette,
Once again we remembered you, and your dear departed husband Anthony on 28th March, his birth anniversary. Today we pray for his soul on his 5th death anniversary. It also happens to my paternal grandfather’s 41st death anniversary. John Baptist Rodrigues passed away on Easter Sunday (11th April, 1971). So please keep him also in your precious prayers. My father has offered Holy Mass for my grandparents’ souls at 6pm Indian Standard Time. We’ll remember your husband during Holy Mass. I still haven’t been able to send in the promised token towards the Dollar-a-week campaign but I really hope and pray I do get down to it soon. Also, have been painfully irregular at listening to EWTN due to the time difference. Was blessed to get the Papal Mass on Easter and a few other live coverages on some important days. We are almost 12 hours ahead of American Time. Happy Easter Tide and thanks for the Gracelines and Divine Mercy Novena.May God richly bless you and all your near and dear ones. Warm regards to Fr Ed.
Edwin Rodrigues from India(Asia) (1st to call on Silver Jubilee of W.O.G Live)