Mary Grace Walsh, of Richmond, VA and South Bend, IN, died on Thursday after a long life. Born August 21, 2003, Mary Grace was the oldest of six children. She was always very close to her siblings and was a constant source of laughs or a shoulder to cry on. She grew up in Richmond, VA, where she never met a stranger. Every person Mary Grace met was a friend, and she was very in tune with people’s emotions and cared very deeply to make sure everyone was okay. A highly empathetic person, she was always there for those who needed her. Those she loved never doubted her love for them, as she expressed it in both words and actions (“Chapter 8: Jurisdiction,” from Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle, Moreau FYE Week 7, on Canvas). A confident public speaker and excellent student, she graduated from James River High School’s Leadership program in 2021. Her time at James River was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she intentionally maintained her relationships and was an anchor for both students and teachers in the tenuous time of the pandemic. After graduating, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Theology and Sociology at University of Notre Dame. During college, she fully lived out her vocation as a college student, dedicating herself to her school work, service in the South Bend Community, and her friendships (Meruelo Career Center, Moreau FYE Week 4). Although college wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, she made time to care for those around her and ensure that they were happy at school. An advocate for mental health, Mary Grace saw a therapist and took antidepressants, constantly advocating for people to do what they needed to to be healthy and happy. After graduating from Notre Dame with honors, nothing put her heart at rest, but she followed the restlessness and took the next right step, following God’s lead to pursue a Masters in Divinity, followed by a degree in art counseling (“Three Key Questions,” Father Michael Himes, Moreau FYE Week 3). This decision was inspired by the example of many of her excellent professors, including Anthony Pagliarini and Mike Hebbeler. Her choice to become an art counselor was inspired by her love for art of all kinds and her belief in the healing power of both art and Jesus. However, after getting two more degrees she realized that constantly studying wasn’t where God was calling her: she was being called to religious life. She then entered the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth, where she explored many different career paths. She finally landed on art therapy for children struggling with rare diseases, following the example she set for herself in her senior year of high school. Her patients loved seeing her, and she always helped more than the people she treated, because her love rippled outward through the community. She was content to just help one person, but at the end of her life art therapy became a nationally recognized and globally acclaimed program (“Hesburgh,” quote from Mary Berry, Moreau FYE Week 2). Even though Mary Grace struggled with never feeling like she was doing enough, she relied on her family and friends to ground her and remind her of the work she was doing, and also that she was far more than the work she did. Always seeking to help others, Mary Grace realized that she couldn’t do so without taking care of herself (Conversation with her cousin Emma, Moreau FYE Week 5). This involved not only consistent therapy, art, sometimes medication, and time with friends, but also growing in self-knowledge. Through prayer and recreation, Mary Grace took time to slow down and reflect on what meant most in life and who she was (“Why we need to slow down our lives,” Pico Iyer, Moreau FYE Week 1). Once she worked on herself, she always helped others realize how to grow in themselves too. She had an excellent balance of work, play, and prayer, and was very intentional with her time (“5 Minutes,” Aria Swarr, Moreau FYE Week 6). She loved bubbles, birthdays, hosting huge parties for all her friends, creating art, going on bike rides in the spring, the first snowfall, swimming in lakes, going on adventures, train rides, traveling internationally, celebrating her friends, and taking care of little kids and babies. She appreciated the small and large joys in life, like snuggling a new born baby, a drink from Starbucks, and a beautiful piece of art. In her last weeks of life, she thought a lot about how she wanted to be remembered in this world, and there was a quote that resonated with her from the musical Hamilton, one of many musicals she enjoyed: “Legacy. What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” While the seeds Mary Grace planted will flower and bear fruit for decades to come, she also had the privilege of seeing many of the fruits of her love and legacy. For example, her cousin Kaelin knows that she is beloved and wanted in the Catholic Church, especially important because she is queer. She knows she is beloved by God and by her family and friends because of the seeds Mary Grace planted. Dozens of young kids with medical complexities have experienced art and connection in the time of the COVID pandemic because of Mary Grace’s work and love. She put so much time into showing people that they were loved, and it paid off not only in her lifetime, but will pay off in the future as well. What she hopes you learned from her life and eulogy is that you should cherish the small things in life, but that it’s okay if you find it hard sometimes. It all will work out in the end, as long as you have faith in yourself, trust the people around you to support and love you, and invest in your relationship with God. What her life shows is that it’s okay not to know what to do or what comes next in your life, as long as you take the next step forward, laugh always, cry when you have to, and hug your friends. Even though she wasn’t perfect, that is what made her the person she is today, and that is someone she was proud of up until the last moment and hopes you can be proud of too.