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Christ Church Cathedral parishioner Susanne Cruickshank ODNW is a former People’s Warden at the Cathedral, and she has faithfully served as a longtime multi-ministry lay person and in many capacities at the Cathedral. Susanne began writing her story with Sorrento Centre in 1965. She and then husband, the late Jim Cruickshank, began their journey with Sorrento that year with Jim being named as the founding director of the Centre. Jim later served as Dean of Christ Church Cathedral Vancouver, and as the Bishop of the Diocese of Cariboo. The surname Cruickshank is synonymous with Sorrento Centre (one might call them the ‘First Family of Sorrento Centre’!) and three generations of the Cruickshank family have worked on summer staff there. One of those family members being Susanne and Jim’s son Jason who currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors at the Centre. For Jason’s story, please click on this link: https://sorrentocentre.ca/meet-jason-cruickshank/.

Read below for Susanne’s words on her beloved Sorrento Centre. And register now for the week of July 21-27 to join Dean Chris and others from our Cathedral community to start writing your own Sorrento Centre story! 

'When are we going to Sorrento this year?' That is the question in our family every year after New Year’s. We look forward to heading to our 'second home', Sorrento Centre, for our summer holidays. When we arrive at the Centre in the summer we set up home in a cabana, or a campsite, or in one of the Lodge rooms. Our living room is made up of a circle of chairs outside on the grass where all are welcome! We look forward to seeing old friends and to making new ones. There is a sense of ‘coming home’ when we finish unpacking and setting up tarps to shelter from possible rain. Adults and children alike look forward to the week with anticipation! On occasion I have travelled to Sorrento on my own, and have experienced a time of relaxation and rejuvenation as a participant in a course or on a self-directed retreat. The Centre is a place of learning and inspiration year- round. Each season is full of unique beauty. Of special significance to me is the Centre’s outreach to the surrounding community. The Centre’s farm provides food for meals, and on occasion the Centre has provided shelter for those in need. Sorrento Centre staff are also involved in surrounding community events. St. Mary's Anglican Church is a sister community and some of my family have a resting place in the church yard there. Since the Centre's inception in the 1960’s, Sorrento has offered opportunities to experience a sense of belonging, to experiment with new ideas, and to deepen your faith in the process. "The glory of God is a person fully human and fully alive!" (these words were in the mural on the original dining room wall at Sorrento) So…when are YOU going to Sorrento Centre this year? Hope to see you there!

-Sue Cruickshank