Note: Eloise Rosenblatt, RSM, PhD, the editor of The MAST Journal died on April 14, 2025. Our hearts grieve her passing and at the same time celebrate her life and dedication to the Journal and to providing a space for Mercy women to publish scholarly writings on scripture and theology. She wrote her last “from the editor” letter shortly before she died, and it is fitting that her words would usher us into this new moment for the Journal as it continues her vision now and into the future.
Dear Sisters, Associates, Companions and Friends of Mercy,
Welcome to the first issue of The MAST Journal to be published online! After thirty years of publishing in the traditional format of a printed hard copy, we are reaching out to you, our readers, from this new platform.
Yes, the articles can be downloaded and printed so you can have a hard copy in your hands. But there are some changes. No longer is a subscription required. Thanks to the Institute Leadership Team of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, this publication, along with our thirty-year archive, is now an offering to the whole Mercy readership and the public in cyberspace. What was true for the Journal in hard copy is now expanded online as an expression of the mission of Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. The mission of the Journal is to provide the theological voice of women to the Church, to the Institute sisterhood, and to our co-workers in Mercy institutions and ministries. And to readers who feel resonance with this voice.
The content is also published in Spanish, expressing the Institute’s commitment to our inter-cultural and international identity . Another change will be the creative possibilities provided by this platform, such as wider accessibility, multi-media integration, graphics, a more comprehensive indexing of past themes and articles, and selective access to particular articles in an issue. As we move forward, we look to the possibility for interactive community engagement such as posting of comments and interchange.
The theme of this inaugural issue is “The Legacy of Mary C. Sullivan, RSM,” and includes a selection of her articles on the history, spirituality and mission of the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley. These articles were previously published in The MAST Journal over the last thirty years and selected by the editorial board as representative of Mary Sullivan’s scholarship. Her research was steady and her publishing voluminous. Her major books include Catherine McAuley and the Tradition of Mercy; The Correspondence of Catherine McAuley (1818-1841); The Path of Mercy: The Life of Catherine McAuley; and A Shining Lamp: The Oral Instructions of Catherine McAuley. While these books are historical anchors, we hope that this collection of her articles, now translated into Spanish, will be a more accessible resource for an international audience. The articles serve as inspiration for Mercy Associates and Sisters and as a model of the charism for co-workers in Mercy institutions and people in whom the spirit of mercy resonates.
Doris Gottemoeller, RSM – esteemed Sisters of Mercy leader, administrator scholar, and friend – introduces Mary Sullivan’s scholarship in a survey of her life, her ministerial history, and research. The bibliography provided by the Sisters of Mercy Institute Heritage Center in Belmont, North Carolina, memorializes Mary Sullivan’s dedication to explain the charism.
Heartfelt thanks to the persons who have worked for the last three years to launch this project. Patricia Flynn, RSM, and Terri Bednarz, RSM, of the Institute Leadership Team both inspired direction and assured the editorial board of their support. Patricia Talone, RSM, undertook a search which engaged julie vieira, ihm, as media and publishing consultant. Editorial board member Maryanne Stevens, RSM, collaborated with Patricia and julie to define agendas for a series of regular editorial board meetings. The meetings, both in person and on Zoom, advanced a schedule of tasks, chose the new logo, and defined calendars for the project of going online. Judy Carey, RSM, meeting facilitator, shepherded the conversation among all the members of the editorial board including Aline Paris, RSM, Sharon Kerrigan, RSM, Mary-Paula Cancienne, RSM, Danielle Gagnon, RSM, and Doris Gottemoeller, RSM. Julie Upton, RSM, a founding member of MAST, has served as the subscription editor and Journal treasurer, and Ellen Smith, RSM, has been lay-out editor who prepared the galleys for the printer. We also express our gratitude to administrators Lillian Jordan, RSM, and Carolyn McWatters, RSM, of Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont, North Carolina, for their generous hospitality provided to The MAST Journal editorial board members and MAST organization members.
As we begin this new chapter in publishing The MAST Journal, we look for new writers, new readers and new conversation. Join us!
Yours,
Eloise Rosenblatt, RSM
Editor of The MAST Journal
