After more than four decades of service to the Church, Episcopal Bishop Susan E. Goff has released a memoir.
The Desert Shall Rejoice: Psalms from the Wilderness of Breast Cancer recounts her breast cancer journey in the form of 130 original Psalms, reflecting on her experiences, diagnosis and treatment while working during the Pandemic.
Bishop Goff, who had always enjoyed good health, admits being shocked by her invasive ductal carcinoma diagnosis in March 2020.
“Just as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, I received a life-altering diagnosis. Within days of my routine mammogram, I joined the 12.5% of women facing breast cancer in their lifetime. My husband and I found ourselves part of a club we never wished to join, as one in eight families encounter breast cancer with a loved one.”
Despite her diagnosis, Bishop Goff did not take a medical leave. She said being able to manage dual responsibilities of her health and ecclesiastical duties through virtual means was a blessing as it provided a distraction from focusing solely on cancer.
“Maintaining my diocesan work during my cancer journey proved to be a gift, as it allowed me to focus on more than just the disease. Engaging in full-time diocesan responsibilities, such as weekly calls with clergy and staff, provided a sense of balance and purpose. This dual focus ensured that my life wasn’t solely defined by cancer, which I found to be a blessing.”
Bishop Goff said she channeled her emotions into a personal project, opting for an introspective approach and transforming her experiences into a powerful testament of resilience and faith.
“I experienced a whirlwind of emotions – shock, denial, annoyance, and fear. Despite the high incidence of breast and related cancers in my family, it still felt surreal. Memories of loved ones who faced cancer fueled my determination to transform this daunting challenge into a personal project, embracing curiosity alongside my emotions.”
“I envisioned myself navigating through a challenging wilderness, allowing myself to fully experience the emotions and lessons that fear, hope, pain, patience, disruption, and opportunity would bring.”
The journal she kept through a series of surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation became the blueprint for her book. The psalms range from emotions of distress and anger to joy and praise, authentically reflecting her emotions.
“Reviewing my journal after the final surgery, I noticed that many entries naturally resembled psalms in their emotional honesty and form. This realization led me to transform the raw material into poetry and song. As I shared my work with friends and small groups, their responses of empathy, gratitude, and understanding inspired me to compile these psalms into a book, hoping to reach and resonate with readers.”
Bishop Goff said she believes that sharing her story is a way for her to encourage others to communicate and find support for their painful experiences. The book, she said, is both a personal journey and public sharing of an intimate process she conducted openly with the diocese.
The book, published by Bold Story Press, will be available on October 15 from Amazon in paperback and e-book.
Bishop Goff will be at the Diocese of Virginia 2024 Convention in November to talk with participants about her cancer journey and to read from and sign her book which will be available for purchase at Convention.
Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Bishop Goff attended Rutgers University and underwent the ordination process in the Diocese of Newark.
During her time as a seminarian in the 1970s, Bishop Goff directed Eagle’s Nest Camp, the summer camp of the Diocese of Newark. She also spent two years living and working among Arapaho people on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.
After being ordained in 1980, Bishop Goff began her journey within the Diocese of Virginia as a school chaplain, first at St. Margaret’s in Tappahannock then St. Catherine’s in Richmond. She went on to serve as Rector of Immanuel, Old Church near Mechanicsville, and later as Rector of St. Christopher’s in Springfield. In 2010, she became Canon to the Ordinary, from which position she was elected and consecrated Bishop Suffragan in 2012.
Bishop Goff became Ecclesiastical Authority in 2018 following the retirement of the Rt. Rev’d Shannon Johnston. Since retiring in 2022, Bishop Goff has taken on the role of Visiting Bishop, supporting the Rt. Rev’d E. Mark Stevenson, Fourteenth Bishop of the Diocese.
Beyond her extensive work within the Episcopal Church, Bishop Goff nurtures a passion for visual arts, creating mixed-media canvasses and sculptures that incorporate found objects.
“And the very first week of retirement, I took my first hip hop dance class, and I am quite avid now about hip hop dance and am doing dance regularly with a group of senior citizen women,” she said. “I’m also being trained as a group fitness instructor for senior citizens, and we’ll start doing that at the YMCA. Yeah. I have opportunities now to continue doing work as a bishop and also to pursue other ways of being a loving and pastoral presence in the world.”
Bishop Goff’s dedication to relationships, justice, and inclusivity has made a lasting impression on the Episcopal Church and in the lives she has touched during her career. Bishop Goff’s memoir is an inspirational testament to her resilience, faith, and ongoing influence.