Meet Our Missioners

Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Path to FMS: I believe I heard the call to mission or religious work as early as my adolescent years. As a teen and young adult, I followed that call in my work  as a youth leader and community volunteer.  However, a series of events took place that led to my disillusionment as a Catholic. I felt a great loss of trust, and so I kept my faith to myself and religiously “went my own way.” I sought worship in many Protestant churches, but never felt at home. By the age of 24, I stopped attending church altogether.

Almost 40 years had passed since I left the Catholic church before an awakening occurred. It began when COVID first hit our nation. To see the streets vacant, schools closed, skies empty of planes…there was such a silence, and I truly believe that silence allowed me to finally hear God again. I felt a great compulsion to listen and I would often find that I listened best on long walks. We (God and I) would walk together for hours, like best friends getting reacquainted. There were lots of tears and regrets, but also lots of joy. At some point I recommitted myself to God and went to confession (in a drive through car confession - LOL). Since that moment, God has directed so much of what I do. I applied to several service organizations, but FMS seemed to stand out for some reason. I feel such peace and gratitude in having this opportunity. I know there are many ways we can serve God, but if this is where God wants me, then who am I to say no?

Scripture passage meaningful to mission: John 14:6 - “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. There are so many passages I love, but this is a verse I say every day. With this verse, I don’t have to worry about the brokenness of man. I can put all of that messiness, pain, and tragedy in His loving and merciful hands, and have confidence that he will guide me to walk in his light.

Catholic role model: I pray all the time for the Holy Spirit to help me know how to love those who are strangers to me or who are difficult to love. Most times, the image of St. Teresa of Calcutta appears in my mind. She found God in the darkest of moments. Mother Teresa is a model of how to love as God loves, to love boundlessly and without prejudice. Here are a couple of worthy quotes:

• “I never judge anyone because it doesn't allow me the time to love them.”
• "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."

Social Justice areas of interest: The dignity and value of human life. It is so easy to prejudge people just by an initial impression, but there is a story behind each and every one of us, and those stories are worth hearing and knowing.

Favorite Saint: Of course, it is St. Teresa of Calcutta! To be honest, I have a posse of saints I pray to for intercession. So I would include St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Bernadette of Lourdes. Above all, I love our Mother of Saints, Mary.

Lend your support for Susan using our online form.

Read Susan's blogs.