One Path of Mercy

Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, referred to mercy as “the principal path.” This week the Atkins Center for Ethics and the Social Justice Institutes co-sponsored a presentation by Sister Karen Schneider, RSM, MD, MPH, who was in Pittsburgh to meet our students who are going to Haiti in the spring on Carlow’s first alternative spring break trip to Haiti. In this public talk, “One Path of Mercy,” aimed at the wider Carlow community, she spoke about her work in Haiti, Guyana, Peru, Kenya, and Nigeria and how her own path of mercy was changed during an internship in the interior of Guyana as a 4^th year medical student. Today she is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, focusing on pediatric medicine and tropical medicine. For those who missed her presentation here are three points that were particularly striking for me.

First, for our students, Dr. Schneider emphasized that there are so many paths for students, even once they’ve chosen their majors. Her story is an illustration of the many different paths that one can take and how the experiences we have in life, particularly in encountering people and situations of dire need, can have a profound impact on us. Gaining such an awareness is an important aspect of a transformative education that is grounded in the liberal arts. For Carlow students, opportunities to meet and encounter people in need through service trips, service learning courses, and Mercy Service Day have the potential to be life changing. These kinds of experiences are intentionally embedded in the curriculum and are an important dimension of a Carlow undergraduate education as a reflection of our Sisters of Mercy heritage. Yet there is no single path of mercy, and every student’s journey on the path is unique, as was Dr. Schneider’s.

Second, Dr. Schneider emphasized the simplicity of mercy. “Mercy is compassionate treatment of those in distress,” she said. She developed this idea as she shared from her experiences in places with no potable water, where malnutrition and lack of access to basic medical care lead to the death and suffering of children. She explained, “There are so many places in the world where a simple intervention can save lives.” She also read a great quote from Catherine McAuley that emphasizes the realistic, action-oriented approach of the Sisters of Mercy: “The poor need help today… not tomorrow.” Her experiences provided several powerful examples of how an individual can make an impact in peoples’ lives through simple service in their area of study and future areas of professional expertise. The connection between one’s field of study and the opportunities it opens to serve others was also a timely reminder about the value of higher education in educating students to meet the complex needs that exist in the world today.

Third, she reflected on why she keeps going back to these difficult situations. In the end, it amounted to the idea that if she did not go, or if no one went, the dramatic changes in peoples’ lives that she sees would not be possible. In places where malnutrition, intestinal worms, cleft palates, and hernias go untreated, the opportunity to receive treatment can radically change a person’s life. She explained, “Surgery on one child will not change the world, but for that one child the world will change forever.”

Seeing a lecture hall full of Carlow faculty, staff, and students from nursing, biology, and other disciplines engage with her presentation was encouraging. Part of a mercy-oriented education that is grounded in the liberal arts includes expanding students’ visions of what might be possible for them in serving others. There are many paths our students can follow as they complete their degrees and pursue graduate studies or move directly into a career. Dr. Schneider shared her example as one path with hope that our students will find their way on the path of mercy as well.

Catherine McAuley’s words about mercy as the principal path are worth quoting in full to conclude this post. She referred to mercy as “the principal path pointed out by Jesus Christ to those who are desirous of following Him” (source: MercyWorld.org). Mercy is a path that is open to all, and is the path modeled by Jesus. Dr. Schneider’s talk was a challenge to all of us in the audience to reflect on our own path. Where have we seen situations of need and been able to show mercy? Who will we encounter on the path of mercy today?

St. Jerome: Patron Saint of Biblical Scholars / Catherine McAuley: Sister of Mercy

Just received an email from Joe Atkinson at the Catholic Biblical Association pointing out that Sept 30 is the feast day of St. Jerome, the patron saint of scholars. I thought I'd share some of Joe's email:

Saint Jerome is a Doctor of the Church and the Patron Saint of Scholars and in particular of the Catholic Biblical Association. He was born in 331 AD in what is now known as Croatia and eventually lived the last 30 years of his life in a cave in Bethlehem, dying in 420.

Arguably, his most famous line is "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ" which occurred in his commentary on Isaiah.

His learning was a way of purification for him. He is most famous for his translation of the Scriptures in Latin (the Vulgate).

May the Lord richly bless all our endeavors and keep us faithful. May our work help in the building up of His kingdom.

Always encouraging to think of the work of those who have gone before. And a good reminder to look up from my grading and administrative work for a moment to keep in mind the larger tradition of scholarly work on scripture that I am fortunate to be part of as a biblical scholar in the 21st century. Also, a good excuse to make an (increasingly rare) post to my blog...

By a similar token I just received an email from Sister Sheila Carney reminding those of us at Carlow University that today is Catherine McAuley's birthday, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy. She was born on this date in 1778, and her legacy continues in the work we do here at Carlow University, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929.

The final days of September are rich with opportunities to remember these remarkable people from centuries ago whose impact is still felt today. Thankfully, my inbox contained these timely reminders!

Contemplation and Action

Having just begun a new position at Carlow University, I find myself in an exciting and energizing phase in which I am daily meeting new colleagues, learning about new programs, and becoming acquainted with the culture and traditions of my new school. Among the many positive things I am discovering, I am really pleased to be learning about the ways in which Carlow University embodies the values and practices of its founding order, the Sisters of Mercy. Founded by Catherine McAuley in 19th century Ireland, the Sisters of Mercy practice a kind of spirituality that is marked by contemplation and action, and is thus an approach to the Christian life that values mercy, hospitality, and service, as well as a sense of wonder at the mysteries of creation and a respect for all that God has created. I am just beginning to learn how these aspects of the tradition are brought to life in the curriculum, on the campus spaces, in extra-curricular activities, and in the way in which Carlow faculty and staff go about their educational work in ways that place a high value on relationships and concern for the whole person.

One dimension of this that is new not only to me but to everyone on campus is a new core curriculum called the Carlow Compass. This undergraduate general education curriculum is being implemented this fall with a first round of new classes. While the curriculum as a whole is quite unique in its design, one especially innovative aspect of the Compass is the way in which this idea of contemplation joined with action is built into a student's experience. Specifically, in a discipline-specific “Contemplation and Action” course, students identify a real problem or challenge that is of concern to them, and then they work with their professors to consider how they can draw on the wisdom of that academic discipline to begin to address it. Regardless of the problem students identify, or the academic discipline they are studying, students learn to practice and value contemplation—deep, reflective, critical thinking—as well as meaningful action informed by that kind of reflection.

This process reflects the Mercy heritage as reflected in the writings and life of Catherine McAuley, who was a person of action and a person of reflection. In reading about her the other day I came across this poem which bears this theme out well:

Sweet Mercy! – soothing, patient, kind –

softens the high and rears the fallen mind;

knows with just rein and even hand to guide

between false fear and arbitrary pride.

Not easily provoked, she soon forgives:

feels love for all, and by a look, relieves.

Soft peace she brings wherever she arrives,

removes our anguish and reforms our lives;

makes the rough paths of peevish nature even,

and opens in each heart a little heaven.

(cited in Helen Marie Burns and Sheila Carney, Praying with Catherine McAuley [Winona, MN: St. Mary’s Press, 1996], p. 36.)

I and my faculty are looking forward to seeing how students respond to this new approach to the core curriculum. I applaud the work of the faculty and administration here who have taken such a thoughtful and purposeful approach to helping students develop the perspectives and skills that Carlow University claims to value.