Sue Mosteller (born 1933) is a writer and teacher who lives in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, Canada.

Biography

Mosteller is a Sister of St. Joseph of Toronto. She first traveled from Ohio to board with the community and later entered the order after thriving under their supervision. She holds a degree in English from the University of Toronto and taught in schools in British Columbia and Ontario for 15 years. Since 1971, Mosteller has been a member of the L'Arche Daybreak Community which is part of an international network of faith-based communities, founded by Jean Vanier, for those with developmental difficulties. She asked to be assigned to live and work with the community after hearing Vanier speak at the University of St. Michael's College and participating in a pilgrimage to Lourdes. She described the way he spoke about people with disabilities as a "turning point in my life". In 1976 Mosteller became L'Arche Daybreak's second Community Leader (Executive Director) and in 1985, she established Dayspring, a centre for spiritual growth, with Henri Nouwen. She lived with the L'Arche Daybreak community for 40 years, leaving in 2011 to live with a small group of

sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

. Beyond living as a member of the Daybreak community, Mosteller also held a leadership role within the wider L'Arche organization. She was the first person elected to hold the role of International Coordinator after Jean Vanier. Holding the position for nine years, Mosteller traveled extensively, assisting with the birth of new L'Arche communities in multiple countries. During her time in the position the L'Arche network expanded from 30 to 65 global communities. Mosteller was a colleague and close friend of Father Henri Nouwen when he lived at L'Arche Daybreak (1986 - 1996). Nouwen credited her with being instrumental in fostering a maturity in his spirituality. As he states in his book ''The Return of the Prodigal Son'', Mosteller "opened up the third phase of my spiritual journey. ��Her words struck me like a thunderbolt." When Nouwen died in 1996, he entrusted Mosteller with his estate, making her the literary executrix of his works. She went on to oversee the founding of the Henri J.M. Archives and Research Collection at the John M. Kelly Library, University of St. Michael's College in Toronto. Mosteller works as Trustee for the Henri Nouwen Legacy and continues to be a member of L'Arche Daybreak. Additionally, Mosteller lectures and gives retreats around the world. She currently lives in Toronto. On November 5, 2011, Mosteller received an Honorary Doctorate from Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto in recognition of her "lifelong commitment to sharing the love of God with many of society's marginalized people and her significant contributions to Christian life and learning over several decades". On December 27, 2019 she was honoured in the New Year's appointments to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

as an Officer of the Order.

Books

Mosteller has written three books. Her first book, ''My Brother, My Sister'', is about Jean Vanier and

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...

. Her second book, ''Body Broken, Body Blessed'', is a collection of stories from L'Arche. Her third book, ''Light Through the Crack'', is her own story and the stories of people she has accompanied over the years. * * *

References

External links

Sue Mosteller - Penguin Random House CanadaSister Sue Mosteller - Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mosteller, Sue Canadian spiritual writers Living people 1933 births Sisters of Saint Joseph 20th-century Canadian nuns Officers of the Order of Canada 21st-century Canadian nuns Women religious writers Canadian women non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian women writers University of Toronto alumni