Sister Susan’s Golden Jubilee

On Friday, September 24th, the Gwynedd faculty and students celebrated Sister Susan’s prestigious achievement of devoting herself to the Sisters of Mercy for 50 years. After mass ended, Sister Susan’s French 5 students shared a prayer and reading dedicated to Sister Susan in French. Then, her French 4 students presented her with a poster showcasing a large tree, and on the roots, there were descriptive words expressing the amazing qualities she shows when speaking to her students and colleagues. Afterwards, Ms. Kirby spoke, highlighting Sr. Susan’s accomplishments while her French 1 and 2 students held up letters spelling out “Merci Beaucoup!” which means thank you so much in French. During Ms. Kirby’s speech, she announced that there will be a tree planted in the courtyard in Sister Susan’s honor. The Gwynedd faculty and students thought this would be a wonderful gift because of her love for the environment.

In an interview with Sister Susan, when asked if she knew that the Gwynedd body would surprise her with a gift she replied, “No, absolutely not…At mass I wanted all the Sisters to renew their vows and to tell the students that it is my Golden Jubilee, but I had no idea about the tree.” Sister Susan was so grateful and excited to receive this amazing gift during the celebration. Then, Sister Susan spoke on her struggles throughout her 50 years by stating, “They are little hiccups along the way, but God takes care of that for you. Absolutely no regrets.” This shows the passion Sister Susan holds for her vocation. Additionally, in the interview, she expresses, “I kind of knew that this is where I always wanted to be.” In the end, Sister Susan’s advice to students who want to follow in her footsteps is “To always listen and pray to God. If God is calling you on mission, it’s a great thing.”