By Father William J. Byron SJ | Catholic News Service

At the memorial Mass for Susan DeConcini at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the Georgetown section of Washington on May 20, copies of her favorite book were distributed to all who gathered to remember her (she died at age 79 in late April).

The book is Corrie ten Boom's "The Hiding Place," a true story of how a Dutch watchmaker and her family risked their lives during World War II to help Jews escape Nazi persecution. Corrie ten Boom was an unmarried woman in her early 50s who, together with her father, brother and sisters, sheltered Jews in a special hiding place built into their small home in Haarlem, the Netherlands.

According to Susie DeConcini's daughter Christina, her mother, whom she also regarded as her best friend, treasured this book. She considered it a practical translation of the Christian Gospel and turned to it in times of deep spiritual need. Susie's friends were encouraged to take and keep the book "in loving memory of Susan Margaret Hurley DeConcini," which, of course, everyone did and they are now so much the richer to have it.

Corrie ten Boom learned from her father the importance of living the Gospel. She learned that "love is larger than the walls which shut us in." She recognized that "worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength."

Hence, by her daughter Christina's account, Susie DeConcini, adopting this wisdom principle, posted in two different parts of her house the following words: "Don't be afraid of tomorrow. God is already there."

Susie requested that I be present on the altar at her funeral. I had been her pastor at Holy Trinity years ago and when I served as president of The Catholic University of America (from 1982 until 1992). Susie, an alumna of CUA, was on the board of trustees. We became friends and I was with her through some of the ups and downs of her very active life. At the reception after the Memorial Mass, I was asked to offer a personal reflection.

The first words that came to mind were from Matthew's Gospel, the first beatitude, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Mt 5:3). Jesus was teaching a healthy detachment here, urging those who would follow him not to be possessed by their possessions, to fix their hearts on higher things and not get caught in the trappings of wealth.

Susie DeConcini certainly caught that lesson. She was extraordinarily generous, often anonymously, and displayed both a love of the poor and a deep commitment to the promotion of justice. She asked before she died that memorial contributions be made to the Flight 93 National Memorial Fund honoring those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, in the hijacked passenger plane that went down in Pennsylvania.

Corrie ten Boom's book is not an easy read. Susie DeConcini's life was not easy either, but it is now a treasured memory.

Jesuit Father Byron is a professor of business and society at St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia. Email: [email protected].