OUR BELOVED SISTER AND FRIEND

SUSAN A. NORTH, SFO

FEBRUARY 2, 1952 – FEBRUARY 18, 2009

 

Sue was a woman of deep prayer. The expression of her prayer was lived out in the call she answered to the Secular Franciscan Order.  This Sue did to the fullest!

She was professed into the Order on October 14, 1984, almost 25 years ago, becoming a member of Living Word Fraternity in Lansdale. From the day she set her foot in the door, it was clear she was a woman of determination and desire, and she never looked back.  Although she served her Fraternity by her very presence and witness, she also held office as Vice-Minister, Secretary and Director of Formation.  Forming hearts and minds to live the Way of Life given to us by our Holy Father St. Francis was the commitment of her heart. 

In 2007, Sue was elected unanimously by the Fraternity Ministers of our Region to serve as Regional Secretary ... and serve she did!  She tackled that task with her usual style and grace and plunged herself into the business of the Region. She was content to work behind the scenes, but you always knew that once she assumed responsibility for a project there was never a need to worry whether or how it would be completed.

Sue shared with us, always unselfishly, the benefit of her wisdom, her intellect, her talent, and her heart ... her fondness for “orange air” which, for the uninitiated, is an addictive little snack also known as “cheese balls” or “cheese curls,” and red wine!  She challenged us all like she challenged herself and encouraged us to LIVESTRONG!

Sue was often comforted by the words of Henri Nouwen. She shared them with us in difficult times. Let us share with you a reflection taken from his book, Bread for the Journey:

 

“To be able to enjoy fully the many good things the world has to offer, we must be detached from them. To be detached does not mean to be indifferent or uninterested. It means to be nonpossessive. Life is a gift to be grateful for and not a property to cling to.

A nonpossessive life is a free life. But such freedom is only possible when we have a deep sense of belonging. To whom then do we belong? We belong to God, and the God to whom we belong has sent us into the world to proclaim in his Name that all of creation is created in and by love and calls us to gratitude and joy. That is what the "detached" life is all about. It is a life in which we are free to offer praise and thanksgiving.”

 

This perfectly describes our sister and friend; she was a woman without guile who lived in the world, but was not of the world. But then, what else could we expect? That's what Gospel living is all about.  Sue lived her vocation and is an example to each of us of what it means to go from Gospel to life and from life to Gospel. We will remember the way she lived and the way she embraced Sister Death, and be reminded that Sue has done what was given her by the Lord to do; we are challenged by this memory to do likewise.

 

Our lives are fuller, richer, and better because Sue North came our way and we give praise and thanks to God for the gift of Sue to our lives.