If we don't know much about St. Joanna, we know even less about St. Susanna, other than that she was a disciple of Christ. There is only one mention of her in the New Testament--Luke 8:3. We can make some reasonable assumptions a bit about her, however, as one of Jesus’ disciples. Richard Bauckman’s Gospel Women is helpful here, too. (If you want to read his findings for yourself, see pages 110 to 115.)
In a meticulous unpacking of Luke 8: 1-3, Bauckman brings out the context in which Jesus and his disciples moved. Susanna was one of the women (and other disciples) whom Jesus had healed of demons or other infirmities. Luke makes clear that these women disciples were constant companions of Jesus from an early stage of his ministry in Galilee. Their discipleship, like that of the men, consisted of accompanying him and witnessing his teachings and miracles.
Jesus and his followers lived without ordinary means of economic support. None of his entourage, women or men, engaged in economically productive work. They could hardly count on hospitality for such a large group with any consistency. Luke indicates that their financial needs were supplied by the women disciples.
Susanna would have been like the other women, who either had independent means, without husbands or dependent relatives. If they did leave families, they would have left them economically supported by male family members. The male disiciples, on the other hand, left their families behind to manage economically without them, which can’t have been easy, or have left them able to take much funding with them. The twelve who abandoned everything and the women, among them Susanna, who gave their material resources for the common support of the community of disciples exemplified in different ways Jesus’ teaching about possessions.
Holy St. Susanna, pray for us!