Sister Suzan Foster ends 50 years in education, retires from St. Joseph Academy in St. Augustine

Editor’s note: Sister Suzan Foster and Margo C. Pope are “friends from the womb.” Their mothers, Hazel Foster and Angela M. Cox, neighbors on Saragossa Street, 1946-48, played tennis together regularly on the San Marco courts, including in 1947 when pregnant with their first-born daughters.

Most retirees get a plaque. Sister Suzan Foster got a street. St. Joseph Academy Catholic high school’s inner circle is now “Sister Suzan Way.”

Foster, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, ended 50 years teaching in Florida’s Catholic schools June 30. Half those years, she was St. Joseph’s assistant principal and religion teacher.

“I planned on five years at St. Joe, and the rest is history,” she said. She has taught in seven schools in six Florida cities.

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Naming the street was Principal Todd DeClemente’s idea. Foster told him: “Don’t give a plaque.”

At her retirement party, he gave her the official St. Johns County green street sign that will go up before school reopens in August.

“There is a way she approaches a task; a way she works with students, with teachers, with staff, and with parents,” he said.

He described the way they worked together, too, beginning with a 20- to 30-minute meeting before school opened to go over the day. Then, they shared their insights and observations throughout the day. “She applies practical logic to whatever she does. She has inspired so many students to be leaders. What better way to honor her than to name the circle drive “Sister Suzan Way?”

“It is almost hard to fathom her commitment to Catholic education.”

He cited her strong faith and prayer commitment, her servant leadership, her abundance of ideas, and her flexibility in evaluating situations.

“She has the capacity to be a principal or general superior.”

Retiring from her alma mater

Foster is a St. Joseph Academy alumna, graduating in 1965.

“I love the kids. I love teaching. I especially love this school, all Catholic schools for that matter,” she said.

“About 18 months ago, it dawned on me that I would have 50 years in another year, a good landmark. I will be 75, another good landmark. At that point you say, ‘OK, is God calling me to do something else?’”

Her retirement also means she is the last Sister of St. Joseph to teach at the first school the religious community founded. Bishop Agustin Verot brought eight sisters to the city in 1866 from their motherhouse in Le Puy, France, to teach newly freed slaves after the Civil War.

Though sad about being the last one at the academy, Foster said, “I know I leave the school in good hands with educators dedicated to keeping alive the mission and charism of the Sisters.”

Sister Kathleen Carr, general superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph, said, “I think of the 25 years of students whose lives Sister Suzan has impacted there, and many more through those she taught. It is sad to leave but you can also say, ‘Wow, what is God challenging us to do now?’”

What's next for Foster

Retiring, yes; slowing down, no.

Her focus will move to educational programming for the St. Joseph Neighborhood Center in the former St. Benedict the Moor School in Lincolnville, now undergoing reconstruction/renovation. The center’s mission is to provide young single mothers just above poverty level access to educational training, childcare, counseling and other necessities toward economic independence.

“Being on the SSJ Council (leadership team), I have been on the ground floor of the new neighborhood center,” she said. “I find it very intriguing.”

Her concern for others will be evident. “What she will show these young women is the face of love,” Carr said.

A sister of St. Joseph for 57 years, Foster modeled herself on her teachers, especially Sisters Jane Miller and Mary Herbert Rogero. “Sister Jane was like the Energizer bunny, and I liked that. Sister Mary Herbert, our principal (at the academy) had a presence about her and a lot of practical knowledge.”

Longtime friend Jo Ann Oliver Roberts met Foster in first grade at Cathedral Parish School.

"We were often in the care, after school, of her aunts, Edie and Gertie. In those early years, we were competitors in our writing skills and general scholastics. She won out by far on all counts! Many of us vowed to be nuns, but she was the one who stayed the course. Suzan inspired us then … and she inspires us now."

Sister Florence Bryan, general superior, 1994-98, appointed Foster assistant general superior.

“I couldn’t keep her busy enough because she is so quick," Bryan said. "Whatever I gave her to do, she was always willing to do, and she did it all well. Grass doesn’t grow under her feet.”

Among future educators Foster taught is Deacon David Yazdiya, principal of Jacksonville’s Bishop John J. Snyder High School. She was his 10th-grade religion teacher at Bishop Kenny High School, Jacksonville. He remembers her as “compassionate, solid in her faith, knowledgeable in her topic. She loved her class, and we all knew it.”

Later, he taught religion there.

“Her greatest impact on Catholic schools,” he said, “is how she combined the art of teaching, which was truly an art form when Sister taught, with the living out of the Gospel in every way.”

Community members remember her impact

Sheriff Robert Hardwick, an alumni and advisory board member, has a special bond with Foster, since meeting her in 2012 when he was coaching there.

“It was an instant relationship because of our shared Catholic faith and our support for Catholic education,” he said. “Sister Suzan is the epitome of not just a nun serving God and our Catholic faith, but of her service to our youth. She set the bar high and is the gold standard of Catholic education.”

Her first assignment in the Diocese of St. Augustine was teaching religion and English at Christ the King Catholic School, Jacksonville, 1969-71.

Most Rev. Robert Baker, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama, was a newly ordained priest teaching religion at Bishop Kenny. He remembers her students being well-prepared for high school religion classes.

“Our paths have crossed many times in Jacksonville, Gainesville and St. Augustine. She is a mentor to her students in their faith. As a Sister of St. Joseph, she has helped others by her presence to have great respect for the faith.”

Monsignor Michael Houle, Diocesan Episcopal Vicar, development and finance, was formerly president of Bishop Kenny High School and St. Joseph Academy. At a Mass in her honor at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, he paid her tribute drawing on the theme and sentiment of a birthday card he received years ago. It featured “Wizard of Oz” characters and a fitting sentiment: “Sometimes it is not always the destination but those you meet along the way that matter the most.”

“I am among those who are so very grateful to have met you along the way. Like Toto, you have cared for those closest to you. Like the Tin Man, you have helped renew hearts in many. Like the Cowardly Lion, you encouraged many, and like the Scarecrow, you have used your good intelligence in the work of Catholic education helping the young and your peers hear and embrace the truths of the Gospel.”

Diana Rodriguez, the academy’s dean of academics/college advisor, is her successor. “She’s a great lady,” Foster said. “She knows the school and the students.” Foster left her a letter in her desk.

Although her schedule will change, Foster won’t be sleeping in too much later than 4:30 a.m. “I am an early riser. I love to walk especially in the early morning, and I love reading. Relinquishing the school schedule, I am looking forward to more get-togethers with the sisters, family and friends.”

Sister Suzan Foster

Sister Suzan Foster, 75, Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Augustine. St. Augustine native, left in 1965; returned in 1994. Daughter of Hazel and Joseph Foster (both deceased). Entered the Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Augustine, Sept. 2, 1965. Final profession, July 2, 1972. Sisters at the time were given religious names. Hers was Sister Anne Michele, with one “L.”  Her mother, Hazel Foster, chose it for her because she wanted her to have a strong name, like a man’s name. When Vatican II allowed religious to return to  their baptismal name, she became Sister Suzan.

Education: St. Joseph Academy, Class of 1965; Associate of Arts, St. Joseph College, Jensen Beach, Florida; Bachelor of Arts, University of Florida, Gainesville, 1973; Master of Arts in Religious Education, St. Meinrad School of Theology, St. Meinrad, Indiana; certificate in administration/supervision, Jacksonville University.

Career: Teaching/administrative positions, seven Catholic schools in Florida, 50 years combined. Majority of assignments were in the Diocese of St. Augustine: Christ the King School, Jacksonville; St. Patrick School, Gainesville; Bishop Kenny High School, Jacksonville, 20 years including 14 years as assistant principal; and St. Joseph Academy, St. Augustine, assistant principal/religion teacher, 25 years. Other Florida teaching assignments: St. Mary’s Cathedral School, Miami; St. Juliana School, West Palm Beach; and Sacred Heart School, Lake Worth.

Leadership positions in the Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Augustine: SSJ Council leadership team: 1990-1998; 2002-2010; 2014-present; Assistant General Superior, 1994-1998.   

Community-based activities: “My main community-based activity that has been sustained is volunteering with the St. Johns County 4-H program. It is payback for my own years in 4-H (youth programs).” “I value so much my three years volunteering at the Wildflower Clinic, but scheduling needs and subsequent conflicts required my withdrawing from that service.”

What is next: Participating in the Sisters of St. Joseph new venture: St. Joseph Neighborhood Center (sjncfl.org).

What Bible verse motivates you: “There are several, but I often gravitate to Acts 3:6 when Peter cures the crippled beggar: “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you …” (“We all have something to give,” she said.)  

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: St. Joseph Academy in St. Augustine honors Sister Suzan Foster