The parish of St John’s Perth was rocked at the start of this year with the sudden and untimely death of their beloved Organist and Choir Mistress Susan Cassidy. She was 65.
Susan was the second youngest child of the late Charlie and Kathleen Cassidy. She is survived by her brother Tony, a Redemptorist priest in London, her sisters Mary Lou and Jane and her brother Father Mark Cassidy, priest of our diocese and Rector of the Scots College in Rome.
She was a doting aunt to her seven nieces and nephews and an adoring great-aunt to her 10 great-nieces and nephews. She loved nothing more than recounting tales of their deeds and exploits with great pride. It was indeed a reciprocal love-fest!
Father Mark led the Requiem Mass for his beloved sister, with priests from across the diocese concelebrating. Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and Edinburgh, a good friend of the Cassidy family, and Bishop Stephen Robson, Bishop Emeritus of Dunkeld, presided.
It was standing room only in St John’s for both Susan’s Reception of Remains and her Requiem Mass the following day. A retiring collection for the Dunkeld Youth Fund (Yellow T-shirts) and the SVDP in St John’s, two causes very close to Susan’s heart, raised £1385, a most generous sum and an indication of the esteem and affection in which she was held by all who attended.
St John’s was very much Susan’s spiritual home, and was an integral and sustaining element of her life. Her family’s story is linked inextricably with the parish, her grandparents and her parents being married there.
She and her siblings were baptised there, and it was the venue for every major Christian celebration in her life.
She knew everyone in the parish and they all knew and loved her. She must have lost count of the number of Masses, weddings, funerals, First Holy Communions and Confirmations she was asked to play at. She very rarely said no.
She gave so generously and so willingly of her musical talents to enhance the liturgy. As Father Mark said in his homily, “She wanted to provide music through the playing of the organ and the conducting of the choir that would do what all prayer should do, raise our minds and hearts to God.”
Nowhere was her musical talent more apparent than during the annual Dunkeld Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. Susan was synonymous with Lourdes for so many people. She was Director of Music for the pilgrimage for over 30 years.
Her great friend, the late Bishop Vincent Logan, said he lost count of the number of times fellow bishops and priests would stop him saying, “We knew Dunkeld were here. We heard the music.” He was hugely appreciative of all she did as regards the music in Lourdes and he was delighted to present her with the Diocesan Medal to mark her dedicated contribution to the pilgrimage over so many years. She also received the Pro Ecclesia Pontifice medal in 2019 in recognition of her enormous contribution to the life of the Church in Dunkeld.
Susan made many friendships during the pilgrimages, lasting friendships which sustained her and were sustained by her. That was evident in the number of her devoted band of musicians and fellow ‘ Yellow T-shirts” who attended her funeral.
She had a great devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes, travelling to the French shrine on many occasions outwith the annual pilgrimage with her great friend Teresa Moran. That devotion was an integral part of Susan’s faith and enriched and enhanced her personal faith in Christ.
Although her musical skills were her outstanding talent, she was very much a multi-talented individual.
She was a gifted teacher who used her God-given talent to nurture the talents of others and to bring out the very best in each individual who walked into her classroom.
Not everyone in her class would see music as an academic subject, but if they did, she would recognise that and do all she could to enable them to make the most of their gift.
For others, less musically-minded, she would endeavour to make the music come alive so that it became a memorable part of their curriculum. As Father Mark recalled in his homily, that even stretched to dancing on a desk, a tale recounted to him by one of his sister’s former pupils.
Such a story might be deemed apocryphal, but no one who knew Susan doubted it to be true. She was fun to be around, she loved teaching and loved the pupils entrusted to her care.
This was no more apparent than in her role as a Guidance Teacher at St Columba’s and St John’s in Perth. She was empathetic and understanding, doing her very best to support her pupils in their difficulties, never judging, rather just being someone whom they knew they could trust and talk to. Such a role can be demanding, and at times, harrowing, and throughout her career Susan was sustained by her faith, a faith which strengthened her and allowed her to give of her self, selflessly, to those in her care.
“Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest; shoulder my yoke and learn from me.”
That was one of Susan’s favourite passages from Scripture. It reflects her attitude to her life as a teacher, someone to whom pupils went when they felt overburdened by the hand life had dealt them. It reflects, too, her life as a friend, for she was always there for her friends. The longevity and richness of those friendships were reflected in the numbers who attended her funeral.
A few years ago, Susan was approached to become Choir Mistress for the Dundee-based group of female singers, The Lydian Singers. Somewhat reluctant to take this on, she did so nonetheless. As with most things she did, she gave 100% commitment and their annual concert was a “must-go-to” on the calendars of many musical aficionados.
Their heart-felt rendition of ABBA’s Thank You for the Music at Perth Crematorium after Susan’s Requiem Mass will live long in the memories of those privileged to hear it.
Susan Cassidy was taken from us all too soon. This talented, characterful woman touched the lives of so many people. She was a force of nature. But above all, she was a force of faith. She ate the Bread of Life at Mass, anticipating the heavenly banquet promised to her.
She placed her trust in Christ and his Beloved Mother every day of her life. May she now be rewarded for her goodness, hearing the words of Our Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”