Center for Catholic Education at UD

By Lindsey Bronder

On September 10th, the UD community gathered together for an evening of coffee and conversation on faith and life at the first Agape Latte event of the school year. The CCE’s own Professor Susan Ferguson, Director of the CCE, shared about her faith and vocational journey. Called “Present to Joy,” her talk focused on the overall theme of joy and three key questions. Below are some key quotes and takeaways from Ferguson’s talk and the Q&A session afterwards that may serve as good food for thought.

Faith Formators: Who helped shape your faith?

Ferguson described how her father and grandmother were her faith formators. Her father was a man of faith who valued family and integrity. He often said “If you can’t say something good about someone, don’t say it at all.” This spoke to how he strived to not judge as well as be open and present to others. Her grandmother was a warm, welcoming, and joy-filled woman who was always happy to see people. Originally from Poland, her grandmother had a devotion to Our Lady of Czestochowa and would also crochet and say the Rosary at the same time. Together, Ferguson’s father and grandmother laid the foundation and strengthened her faith, especially her love of Mary and her being present to others.  

Holy Spirit Moments: What are life experiences where you felt the Holy Spirit that are significant to better understanding who God calls you to be?

Significant moments in Ferguson’s adult life include her encounter with many Marianists during her college years and afterwards during her husband’s and her own employment at UD. The “Characteristics of Marianist Education” document created in the ‘90s  became a life guide and a way for her to integrate her faith and professional journey as she taught at UD. Becoming a Marianist Educational Associate (MEA), Ferguson became more comfortable and felt empowered in sharing her faith, nurturing the faith of others, and creating a sense of family in the classroom. 

Like her grandmother, she is devoted to Mary and often likes to talk with Mary because she can relate to her as a mother. Her love for Mary Seat of Wisdom has grown since the image shows an older Mary like her. Her participation in the Saragossa retreat and contemplation on Mary has led her to understand her role in the Marianist community and her call to be like Mary and bring Christ to the world. 

Ferguson explained how faith shapes life shapes faith and that the Holy Spirit has been working in her life from the beginning but often could not see it until looking back. She shared the story of how her son and daughter-in-law found out they were pregnant with her youngest grandson, Oliver, after she asked a friend to pray for them in Bethlehem while on a pilgrimage. This story has helped her see how God works in mysterious ways and how God is present always and everywhere. 

Gifts: What gifts have you been given to share with the community? How can you express gratitude and respect for the gifts of others?

Ferguson shared how what this faith journey has brought her is joy. Going back to her faith formators, she has found joy in seeing others like her grandmother and has tried to be present to others like her father was. She went on to describe how she has been given so many gifts and had the privilege to hear so many students’ stories. She shared how her advice for students who are discerning is to seek others to talk with since sometimes it takes someone else to see our gifts. What she will miss most about UD when she retires in June is having one-on-one conversations with students. After she retires, she will continue to share her faith and nurture the faith of others as she studies to be a spiritual director. 

Thank you to Professor Ferguson for sharing her story and bringing such joy to this campus. She will be missed when she retires, but we look forward to seeing what comes next. As a student said in the Q&A, one day she is “gonna be a mean interceder.”