Matushka Suzanne Scratch

Matushka Suzanne Scratch (born Park) (1946-1998)

— Edited from the article by Mother Sophia (Zion), Editor of the "Canadian Orthodox Messenger"

Early life of Helen Suzanne Park

On 24 April, 1946, Helen Suzanne Park was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Andrew Murray Park and Jean Alice Kindl. Suzanne was born into a family which lived in the Rosedale district of Toronto, a family with adequate financial resources to provide a comfortable living and a good education for the children. Her siblings were Stewart, Carl and Jean.

Suzanne was an intelligent and lively child, and she acquired a wide experience in appreciating musical and theatrical culture as she grew up. One of her near relatives was the famous operatic tenor Jon Vickers. Albeit that her family was not at all churched, it is known that Suzanne had a deep sense of Christian spirituality (for want of a better word). When she was about 15 years old, as a Christmas gift to her family, she read the account of the Nativity of Christ from the Gospel according to Luke (Luke 1:26-2:21). She, herself, did not yet understand the context or full meaning of this passage. Throughout her life, Suzanne was known for what she, herself called a “wacky” sense of humour.

By the time she was 20 years old, Suzanne had met her future husband, Clare Scratch, at Bishops University in Lennoxville, near (now part of) Sherbrooke, Québec, where they were both studying. He had been previously living in an Anglican Church monastic community in an attempt to determine whether he would continue in that life. His meeting Suzanne clarified his sense of direction. She had fallen in love with him.

While they were dating, Clare took Suzanne to the “high-church” Saint Mary Magdalene’s Anglican Church in Toronto. After attending the service, she told Clare that during this service she had seen angels rejoicing above the altar. This was still before she had much awareness of what all these things meant, but it did prepare her.

One may say that Suzanne came to understand her spiritual experiences, and to know the love of Jesus Christ through her future husband.

Marriage ; wife of a cleric, 1967

Suzanne Park was married to Clare Scratch in 1967 in Toronto, Ontario.

Suzanne remained with Clare in the Eastern Townships, at Bishops University in Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, Québec.

After completing his preparatory education, Clare was ordained to be an priest in 1969. During these years, their first children (Gregory and Jeremy) were born.

Their following years of service were in the area of Blanc Sablon, Québec (near the border with Labrador, and near the entrance of the Strait of Belle Isle), and these years were extremely difficult, economically. As did all their parishioners and neighbours, the family lived in a subsistence manner. This included fishing. It was at this time that their next 2 children (Sebastian and Lydia) were born.

From there, they moved to Bracebridge, Ontario, where they were helping the aging Anglican monks of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. The Scratches lived near them, and Father Clare helped them with some services in the monastery itself, and he also helped them to care for their dependent nearby churches in the Muskoka district. It was there that their next 2 children (John and Mary) were born.

From Bracebridge, they were transferred to Ottawa, Ontario, nd to an urban parish. During many of these years, because of her family’s resources, Suzanne’s family was able to spend time at a cottage at Georgian Bay for very many summers. Even in deep poverty, they managed to visit this cottage until Suzanne’s illnesses prevented such distant summer travel.

Move towards the Orthodox Christian Church, 1978, 1979

Her husband said that by the time they had settled in Ottawa, Suzanne had become convinced through her reading and personal encounters that the Orthodox Christian Church was where they really belonged. She seemed to have a natural, almost instinctive understanding of the Church's spirituality at a very deep level. However, she waited until her husband and family were ready to enter it with her. They had serious conversations with the rector of Saint Nicholas’ Russian Orthodox Church in Ottawa, the Mitred Archpriest Oleg Boldireff. These conversations, together with meeting the parishioners, helped them to make a final decision.

When the conversion to the Orthodox Church had been accomplished in the spring of 1979, Clare was given the name John. Then, later in 1979, her husband was ordained to the Holy Diaconate and then to the Holy Priesthood by Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns). Father John subsequently became beloved of the Ottawa parishes, each of which he served at one time or another throughout the 1980s. Because of the material sacrifice which embracing the Orthodox Christian Faith entailed for the family, Matushka Suzanne had to find employment outside the home for their support. The work available to her husband could not by itself sustain the family. Therefore, from 1979 until 1987, she worked for the federal government of Canada.

Holy Tranfiguration Mission, Ottawa

During these years, Matushka Suzanne helped in the founding and organising of the new English-language Mission of the Holy Transfiguration in Ottawa, and she was a primary leader of the singing in the services.

Father John and Matushka Suzanne at the Holy Transfiguration Mission

During this time, partly because of an inheritance, the family was able to purchase a modest home in a hamlet near Spencerville, about 45 minutes south of Ottawa. From here, both Father John and Matushka Suzanne commuted to Ottawa for work and for services.

Holy Transfiguration Mission, Ottawa, 1987

An aneurism and stroke, 1987

When Matushka Suzanne suffered her first catastrophic stroke on 14 February, 1987, followed by a cascade of smaller strokes during the next week (during which a cerebral aneurism was diagnosed), her life hung in the balance. It seemed almost certain that she would not survive. It was clear to all who observed her that although her sense of humour was not suppressed, she was nevertheless mentally tormented, too, as one would expect from the pressure of an aneurism. So difficult and unstable was Matushka's condition, that many days elapsed in the intensive care unit of the hospital before she could receive the needed operation to clip the aneurism and halt the bleeding.

Later, she told Father John that during this time, she had looked into the gates of hell, and that it was horrible there. At this time, Father John anointed her with oil mixed with earth from the grave of Saint Herman of Alaska, which he had just received. The needed surgery became possible only after this anointing. Immediately, her condition had stabilised. Not to be overlooked is the fact also that throughout the diocese, prayers were constantly offered on her behalf.

Intervention of the Theotokos and of Saint Herman

Of course, Matushka Suzanne suffered paralysis of her left side from these cerebral events. One evening, when Father John came into her hospital ward to help with feeding her (she remained in the ICU), he found that she had already eaten, and that the tray-table had been pushed all the way back to the wall. He assumed that the nurses had fed her. He soon discovered, however, that they thought that he had fed her. She certainly could not have fed herself under the circumstances at the time. Therefore, when she was asked about this, she replied that the “Lady in blue” had helped her to eat. She said that this “nurse” in blue (all the ICU staffers wore green) was very beautiful, and that she had asked the “nurse” if she had ever seen Jesus. “Yes, I look on His Face, and it is exquisitely beautiful and loving”, was the Lady’s reply. It was clearly understood by her husband that the Holy Theotokos (Mother of God) had visited her.

From that time on, Matushka was very peaceful and calm in mind, and she asked only that God grant her time to repent. Her surgeon, however, had warned Father John that even if she survived the surgery, in the best-case scenario, she would be left aware but non-verbal, and in the worst-case scenario, in a “vegetative” state. Thanks to the tender mercy of God, and to the prayers of Saint Herman of Alaska, neither scenario developed. Instead, Matushka Suzanne came out of the surgery both aware and verbal, although she did require some time for re-training in speech, and she continued to be paralysed on her left side for the remainder of her life. During her time of intensive care, her siblings and family visited her constantly. There are many family anecdotes about Matushka’s unstoppable sense of humour throughout her time of hospitalisation and rehabilitation therapy. Added to her suffering over the next decade were several bouts with cancer and other illnesses.

For 11 years, Matushka Suzanne persisted in her life of repentance and forgiveness, mothering countless young people, many of whom were what the world terms “losers”, but whom she loved with a tender heart. She attempted to live in love and reconciliation with everyone, but especially with the most difficult persons in her life. She put great labour into prayer for hundreds of people for whom she had been asked to pray. Indeed, deep, heart-felt prayer for many, many people seemed to be her true vocation and charism. She would spend hours and hours over each name, and she would sometimes be left quite exhausted from this work.

In the last few months of her life, even though she had survived many “close calls” and might have been expected to take it for granted that she would survive again, it was clear that now she knew her end was approaching, which in itself is an extraordinary gift from God. Her occasional writings indicate this foreknowledge, and she began to put tremendous effort into making various final gifts for family and friends. “Working with only one hand, she turned out gift after gift and card after card”, Father John says, “and she almost drove us crazy insisting that everything be packaged up and sent as promptly as possible !” In the last week before her repose, she asked for the bishop, that he might come and hear her last confession. The bishop did visit her as she had asked.

January, 1998, ice-storm

This last confession came in the context of her sojourn in a convalescent hospital after the unprecedented and severe ice-storms of January, 1998. These storms wreaked havoc in eastern Ontario, and many thousands of persons were without electricity for several weeks. In the countryside, the lack of electricity means the lack of heat in the houses, and the lack of electricity means the lack of water (because the water comes from wells through pumps operated by electricity).

By this time, Matushka Suzanne was constantly in need of an oxygen supplement, which was produced by a home-generator. The generator requires electricity. Even if it was not yet extremely cold, the temperature began to drop in the home. Father John worked quickly to make sure that he could find a place where Suzanne could be safe in Ottawa. That safe place was Saint Vincent’s Convalescent Hospital. However, this took several days to achieve. By this time, the cold had had time to affect Matushka’s health more seriously than was at first thought. The results of the disastrous ice-storm were still being felt, and they posed difficulties.

Throughout all her time of suffering, Matushka Suzanne never lost her liveliness and her sense of humour. Indeed, this unique sense of humour never left her. It also sustained her through her long struggle in repentance, and also in her “mothering” of very many persons.

Because her repentance was so sincere, deep and complete, she knew “the joy of His faithful ones” (see Matthew 25:21) ; and that joy and peace had a deep effect on many people who experienced her motherly care and concern, and who give thanks for her life and her faithful witness. Matushka Suzanne had been given the blessing of one of her deepest desires : to see her “children’s children” (see Psalm 127:6, and the Marriage Service) before her end. With thanksgiving, Suzanne had lived to see the marriages of 4 of her 6 children, and to know, hold and love 4 of the grandchildren who came from these marriages.

Repose, 1998

Matushka Suzanne Scratch fell asleep in the Lord on 10 January, 1998, in Saint Vincent's Convalescent Hospital in Ottawa.

On Sunday, 11 January, 1998, Matushka Suzanne's body was brought into the Temple of the Annunciation to the Theotokos-Saint Nicholas Cathedral. There was an initial panikhida (memorial service) served, after which parishioners and friends could pay their respects, and after which the Psalter was read by various family members and parishioners.

On Monday, 12 January, 1998, there was a panikhida service offered at the cathedral, at 7:30 p.m. After this service, her body again remained overnight in the Temple, while the Psalter was read by various family members and parishioners.

On Tuesday, 13 January, 1998, the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Lay-Person that were offered for Matushka Suzanne Scratch were held at 10:00 a.m. at the Annunciation to the Theotokos-Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Ottawa. First, the Divine Liturgy was served, which was followed by other funeral prayers.

Thanksgiving was apparent the night before her funeral, at the panikhida served by her husband, Father John, and by the Dean of the Annunciation to the Theotokos-Saint Nicholas Cathedral, the Archpriest Andrew Morbey. Father John ended his homily with the Paschal greeting, “Christ is risen !” The congregation spontaneously responded by singing “Let God arise” from the Paschal Matins. The consolation of Matushka Suzanne’s hope in the Resurrection filled the hearts of those present to overflowing. May her memory be eternal.

After the funeral services were completed, Matushka Suzanne Scratch’s body was interred in the Saint Nicholas Section of the Pinecrest Cemetery in Ottawa, Ontario.

Grave marker