Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Folks,

Thanks for your generous response to the Capital Campaign as we are trying to bring it to a close. As the bulletin
goes to press mid-week, the volunteers and staff are still working to sort the pledge envelopes. Thank you, Thank
you, Thank you!
This Wednesday we also have the great Feast of All Saints which is a holy day of obligation, and Thursday is the
Feast of All Souls. There are lots of Masses for these, but sometimes folks are confused as to which feast is which.
All Saints: Imagine that your grandmother were to be canonized a saint by Pope Francis. Your friends would all
congratulate you, and you would joyfully make arrangements to go to Rome for the Mass and party. This feast
is for celebrating all the uncanonized saints in heaven. This is the Church celebrating your friends and relatives
who have gone to God forever and entered into eternal bliss beyond our imagining. We don’t have to go to Rome
for the canonization, but can all gather in our parishes to celebrate our loved ones’ union with God.
All Souls: Here we get to mercifully pray for our loved ones because the Lord doesn’t tell us which of our loved
ones are in heaven or which are in purgatory. True friends are always there to help each other. Souls who are in
purgatory can no longer merit for themselves, as their souls are set in their eternal destiny. However, what they
can’t do, we do for them when we pray to the Lord to have mercy on their souls! Every prayer, every Hail Mary,
every loving thought, is like a glass of water given to a thirsty soul, helping them get to heaven more quickly!
Don’t worry, no soul in purgatory would ever trade places with you…. because their presence in purgatory
assures them of eternal bliss in heaven, just as soon as their soul is freed from disordered attachments. But what
gratitude they have for even the smallest of our prayers.
You can do one thing to keep alive and even strengthen those bonds of love: pray for your loved ones. This is a
sign of our gratitude to those we love, and our hope for reunion with them one day. It is our love that compels us
to attend Mass and worship God for His great work in our families.

Pax,

Father John Mosimann

Folks,

Holy Cross Academy has chartered a bus to go to Sister Susan Louise’s funeral on Friday Oct 20 in Baltimore. There are roughly 20 seats available on a first come first serve basis.  There is no cost, and the bus will leave HCA at 8am arriving back around 4:30pm.  All children must be accompanied by an adult. The sign up is HERE.

Sister Susan Louise Eder, OSFS, born Susan Rose Eder, age 69, entered eternal life on Friday, October 13, 2023.  She was born in Elkton, Maryland on September 30, 1954, the daughter of the late James and Nancy (Beamer) Eder.

Sister professed vows as an Oblate Sister of St. Francis de Sales in 1974.  Following profession, Sister began her educational career as a teacher and administrator.  Sister’s long teaching ministry included Mount Aviat Academy (Childs), St. Anthony of Padua (Wilmington), and St. Bernadette School (Drexel Hill).

In 1998 Sister became the founding principal of Holy Cross Academy, Fredericksburg, VA. Under Sister’s leadership that spanned 21 years, the school earned Accreditation and was named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and a Virginia Distinguished Purple Star School. In 2019 Sister began her service as principal at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Towson, MD.

Sister saw beauty in the world around her and in the majesty of her God. Sister fulfilled her greatest joy, passionately living her Oblate vocation espoused to Christ and sharing the spirit of her spiritual Founders. Collaborating with clergy, faculty, and staff, she eagerly shared her Salesian vision for the intellectual and spiritual growth of each one, as well as  the children they were called to serve. Determined and resolute in her vision to create a school atmosphere with singular focus, she lived and shared her goal with unwavering joy: “It’s About the Children.”

This joy extended outside the classroom as she shared the Salesian spirituality of gentleness and compassion while living each moment in the presence of God.  Sister was an active member of the North American Salesian Network, and a frequent presenter, mentor, and author on Salesian Spirituality. Her life of peace and gentleness was an example that guided many to walk more deeply in their faith and to come to know their God.

Sr. Susan Louise is predeceased by her parents Nancy and Jim Eder, her sister, Elizabeth, brother, Phillip, and her stepmother, Margie.  She is survived by her brother Rusty (Joan), sisters, Sr. Anne Elizabeth, OSFS, Sr. Frances Carol, OSFS, Judy Pinder (Terry), and her nieces and nephews: Paul, Gail, Mary, Katherine, Arnold, Anna, Rebecca, and Thomas and many cousins and great nieces and nephews.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 20 at 12:00 PM at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 8501 Loch Raven Blvd., Towson, MD.  Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM.

A memorial Mass will be held in St. Joseph Hall on the grounds of the Oblate Sisters, 399 Childs Road, Childs, MD 21916, Saturday, October 21. Visitation will begin at 9:30 AM. The Christian committal will follow Mass in the Oblate Sisters’ Cemetery, Childs, MD.

Please Omit Flowers – In lieu of flowers donations can be made to:

Donations in memory of Sr. Susan Louise may be made to: Oblate Sisters   399 Childs Road, Childs, MD 21916

http://weblink.donorperfect.com/SisterSusanLouise

OR

Immaculate Heart of Mary School, 8501 Loch Raven Blvd., Towson, MD 21286