Sister Susan Lardy, daughter of the late Peter and Elizabeth Lardy, grew up on a farm in Sentinal Butte and was the 5th child of seven boys and three girls. Her involvement with sisters began in summer

vacation school where she looked forward to being with the nuns. She didn’t realize how drawn she was to them until she finished high school. A local pastor asked her if she’d ever considered becoming a sister. She went to Bismarck to get to know the sisters of Annunciation Monastery and decided to enter the community.

Sister Susan’s first mission was to teach children. She taught elementary grades in Bismarck and Mandan and later at the University of Mary. Her next mission was as subprioress of Annunciation Monastery, followed by 12 years of service as prioress. “I didn’t see that I had the potential for that type of leadership, however, others recognized those qualities in me,” she says. Her leadership skills transferred well into a position she later accepted in Fargo as director of the University of Mary Fargo Center, an accelerated degree completion program.

Having served as Oblate Director at Annunciation Monastery for eight years, Sister Susan worked with lay women and men who desire to live out the Benedictine values in their daily lives in association with a monastic community.

Sister Susan served as Vice President of Mission Effectiveness at St. Alexius Medical Center, a role to integrate Benedictine values into the heartbeat of the medical center. This role has been assumed by Sister Mariah Dietz. “We sisters find it extremely gratifying to see the continuation of Benedictine values in the monastery’s sponsored institutions ─ St. Alexius, the University of Mary and Garrison Memorial Hospital. Each institution has adopted key values which they practice, including hospitality, respect, community, stewardship and service. These are ways we can all contribute to our world and glorify God,” explains Sister Susan.

Sister Susan Lardy served for four years as part time secretary for the prioress. She was the director of the sisters in first monastic profession. Currently, she assists with various duties at the monastery.

Sister Susan compares living as a sister in a monastic community to the commitment required in marriage. “As sisters, we must actively work to keep our relationships with God and members of the community healthy and vibrant, just as partners must recommit themselves in a marriage. I feel God’s presence in my prayer life, calling me to renew my relationship with God. I felt the call when I first became a sister and it continues day by day.”