Sr. Susan Javorek SND
I can already tell that there is a strong family-feel at Church of the Resurrection. So let me introduce myself to you, my new faith-family.
I grew-up nearby in Chesterland, where my family was among the founding families of St. Anselm Parish. My five siblings and I (I am the oldest) attended grade school at St. Anselm. Free time was spent riding bikes in the neighborhood or playing in our backyard and treehouse. I went to Notre Dame Academy for high school (way before the CL of Cathedral Latin was added!) and was involved in many extra-curricular activities. While the seed of my vocation to religious life was planted in my heart by my parents, several Sisters and experiences at both schools certainly nurtured it. I entered the Community after graduation and studied at Notre Dame College to become an elementary school teacher. After twenty years in Catholic education (mostly with sixth graders), the Holy Spirit started mapping-out a new path for me. I was invited to serve as Pastoral Associate at Church of the Holy Angels in Bainbridge Township, and that is where I have served God’s People for the past twenty-four years.
In recent years, I again sensed the Holy Spirit mapping-out a new path for me. That path has led me to you, the Church of the Resurrection. And I have to say, God lined-up the stepping-stones FAR better than I ever dreamed!
On a more personal note: I enjoy walking. I have a bike which I wish I rode more often! I love sitting on my little front porch. I love baseball, sunflowers, ice-cream, and anything with peanut butter in it. Family is important to me, and I am blessed to have my immediate family and almost all my extended family living in the Cleveland area. They will meet you some day. I have learned that speaking and listening in prayer are equally important. I have learned that letting go (of many things) is quite freeing. And I am ALWAYS being surprised by God’s Providence in my life!
Let me conclude by sharing my personal mission statement, written just last summer, because it expresses who I am from within: I am a grace filled disciple of Jesus, sent to serve the Church as a Sister of Notre Dame, sharing the goodness of our Provident God. This is who I hope to be for you as we get to know each other and, as a Eucharistic people, committed to the teachings of Jesus, embrace our call to love, to serve and to build a just world. (Mission Statement for Church of the Resurrection)
