Invested into the Order of Canada

Sr. Susan Moran honoured for her work with the homeless

By Deborah Gyapong
May 2007

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The following Canadian Catholic News excerpt was reprinted with permission from the newsletter of the university of St. Michael's College.

At a ceremony at Rideau Hall October 6, Sr. Susan Moran became a Member of the Order of Canada for her work among the homeless and disenfranchised in the Toronto area.

"I'm here because of all the beautiful, suffering people who are now my sisters and brothers," she said in an interview following the ceremony. "It is through them that I've learned such love and compassion."

Out of the Cold started in 1988 when Sr. Susan was serving as a Chaplain at St. Michael's College High School. Students there were looking after a homeless man who was sleeping on the grass on school property. Sr. Susan helped channel that interest into the first Out of the Cold program she co-founded with Basilian Father John Murphy and the late Anglican priests Jon Erb.

"It's not a compliment that Out of the Cold is growing so much," she said. "There have to be homes for these people. There has to be an economy that is sensitive to the poor and jobs available. "Society needs to be more sensitive to the needs of the mentally ill, the mentally challenged, teenagers and the elderly, she said. She also recognized that some people will still choose to live on the grates rather than in an apartment. Those people still need care. She has gone out in the night to visit with them, bring them food, and chat with them to find out how they are doing.

Sr. Susan hopes the Out of the Cold movement will continue to offer services for the poor, whether a hot meal, a place to sleep, or a place to live.

Sr. Susan Moran now runs the Out of the Cold program in the parish hall of St. Basil's Church, St. Michael's College Campus.

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