Dear Sisters, Associates, Companions, and Friends of Mercy,
This issue’s theme, The Work and Works of Mercy, comes from the title of an article written by Ade Bethune written in 1940.1 Although Ade died in 2002, she has been living with and inspiring me for more than 25 years through the energy of that simple title. The authors of this issue’s articles have all been about the work and works of mercy in varied ways.
James F. Keenan, S.J., has described mercy as “the willingness to enter into the chaos of another.” A renowned theologian, teacher, and bioethicist, his 2007 book The Works of Mercy: The Heart of Catholicism, has become a classic. We are grateful that Carlow University has allowed us to share their podcast interview with him, “A More Just and Merciful World.”
Elaine Wainwright, R.S.M. (1948-2024), is the Valiant Woman described by Veronica Lawson, R.S.M. An Australian Sister of Mercy, Elaine was a Biblical Scholar, keenly interested in an eco-theological reading of scripture, particularly the Gospel of Matthew. She was truly a woman of the world! Not only an active member of the Mercy Association in Scripture and Theology (MAST), Elaine was also a member of the Catholic Biblical Association (CBA) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).
Dr. Jimmy Walters was a student-turned-colleague of mine at St. John’s University (NY) where he served in Campus Ministry leadership for more than two decades. What I remember most from his style of leadership was the emphasis he put on reflection, whether it was taking students on Midnight Runs, serving with them in the St. John’s Bread and Life Soup Kitchen, or leading students on pilgrimage to volunteer at Lourdes. It is obvious from his article, “Advocacy as a Work of Mercy,” that he has become skilled in such reflection in his ministry and also in his personal life.
A native of Guam, Sister Francis Jerome, R.S.M., has been “Welcoming the Stranger—A Moral Imperative” for over seventy years as a Sister of Mercy. In this article, she explores many dimensions of being a stranger. Approximately 15% of the population of Guam are military families, and the general population’s average age is 31.2. As a seven-year-old child, together with the rest of her family, she was forced by the Japanese military to march to the Manenggon Concentration Camp where the Chamorro population was sequestered for three weeks. What a lasting impression that must have on her life and ministry.
Angelina Mitre, R.S.M., was educated in the United States. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas, and a master’s degree in Sociology at St. John’s University before returning to Panama and entering the Sisters of Mercy. Panama was a foundation of the Brooklyn Community of the Sisters of Mercy, which encouraged her in beginning a new ministry to families in Panama.
Katie Piggot Turner’s article, “We Have a Voice, We Have Hope, We Have the Power to Change Our World,” takes us inside a women’s prison in southern California to experience how a master teacher helps to restore the dignity of the women she serves by encouraging and enabling them to share their experience through poetry. We learn firsthand the life-changing, life-affirming work of Poetic Justice.
Mary Pat Garvin, R.S.M., has had a profound and lasting impact on religious life across the globe. For more than three decades, her ministry has been dedicated to nurturing the growth of women and men religious—forming leaders who are prepared to meet the evolving opportunities and challenges within their congregations and the world. In 2025, she was given the Outstanding Leadership Award by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. We are grateful for her advice for life-long Mercy ministry in “Pre-Retirement and Encore Ministries.”
This issue also includes review of Mary Katherine Doyle’s inspiring book, It Takes More Than a Roof, which tells us the forty-year history of Mercy Housing, which began with one woman’s frustration with the oppressive housing situation for the poor and led to a Legacy Ministry that we trust will continue to serve those in need long after we are gone.
The MAST Journal editorial board hopes that you enjoy and are challenged by the articles in this issue. The next issue will focus on the Work and Works of Mercy.
Yours,
Julia Upton, RSM
Editor of The MAST Journal
Notes:
- Ade Bethune, “The Work and Works of Mercy,” Orate Fratres 15, no. 2 (December 29, 1940): 53-57; Reprinted in Catholic Digest 5, no. 4 (February 1941).
