CDC Spiritual Connection January 2025 with Sister Susan Durkin

Description

Spiritual Connection
with Guest Host Sister Susan Durkin, OSU
Executive Director of The Women Religious Archives Collaborative 

Reflections on the book “Faith and Fear: Hope and Wholeness in a Fractured World” by Daniel P. Horan

As we embark on a New Year, a Jubilee year that Pope Francis has named “A Year of Hope” we do so in a world that is experiencing a post-pandemic new reality. The violence of war, climate change, political upheaval and personal challenges continue to mount. So many facets of our life and work have experienced major change. How do we find hope in these times and lean into our faith to provide a roadmap. This was a timely read for me personally and I look forward to discussing with others how we might navigate our response to fear individually and communally.

Sue has been an Ursuline Sister of Cleveland for 36 years.  Her ministries include elementary school teacher, Children’s Program Director for an HIV/AIDS Ministry, Advancement Director and most recently two terms as her congregational President.  She now serves as Executive Director of the Women Religious Archives Collaborative, one of four hub repositories seeking to provide space for the archives of vowed women religious.  She is also a part of the planning team in a national conversation to envision how these archive spaces can be networked. 

During her tenure in Advancement and Congregational Leadership, Sue helped her congregation, conduct a successful Capital Campaign and with her team oversaw the construction of a new motherhouse, relocation of their corporate offices, and initiated legacy planning for the Ursuline Sisters property.

Along with her current ministry, Sue serves as a PJP member for the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, is President of the board of the Resource Center for Religious Institutes, a board member of Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious and is a conversation partner for LCWR.  Sue facilitates various processes for religious congregations.  In her spare time, Sue likes to golf, hike and spend time with family and friends.

Sue has a passion for religious life and finds hope in the time we are living in.  

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About Spiritual Connection: On the first Friday of each month, a featured speaker will lead a 30-minute virtual discussion. Spiritual Connection provides CDC members a brief opportunity to get inspired by topics with a faith-based twist - and to decompress from your busy schedules!

The content will be spiritual in nature, but topics are not necessarily about fundraising, although they certainly may be relevant to development. They may include a current event, a devotional piece, tips about health, a passage from a book, etc.—it is really up to the speaker to decide!

Speakers will introduce a topic in which they are passionate, and lead participants through a 10-15-minute presentation or talk, followed by a facilitated discussion on their topic with the entire group.

We hope participants will feel a little sense of renewal after the 30 minutes, fresh in their thoughts, connected to this community, and looking forward to next month’s Spiritual Connection.