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Spiritual leadership involves at least three efforts on the part of a religious or ecclesial leader.

Mary C. Sullivan, RSM, was a prolific writer about the life and mission of Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy. These writings continue to shape and inspire all who are called to the Mercy charism. Her writings also include a number of…

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…

Gathering for communal prayer, especially morning and evening, in the spirit of the prayer of the church, assists us to grow in responsiveness to the conflicts and sufferings of the world. (Mercy Constitutions §17) The conflicts and sufferings of our world today call us to…

Consider this epistolary essay subtitled, “A Macaronic Letter,” as a somewhat sardonic reflection on my relationship with Merton—an attempt to grapple with its complexity and my own place in it. 

This issue, “Foundations of Spirituality,” comes in the midst of the flow of The MAST Journal toward online publication. The theme of this issue expresses our conviction that accommodation to the “signs of the times,” reveals that the foundations for our lives and ministries haven’t…

You may have had this experience. You come across a book that you have ignored, and it is very helpful. As I was preparing this reflection, I reached for such a treasure: Jesus and the Gospels by Denis McBride. Not only is it an approachable…

This reflection paper has been adapted from presentations to the staff at Carmel College, Auckland, New Zealand (2023), and the Institute of Our Lady of Mercy, UK, (2024). It has been a long time since I listened to a news program that did not mention…

As we bring this sacred day to closure, may the peace and blessings of God be with us. I’d like to begin with a memory from my days as a young teacher. I introduced my students to working with salt ceramic. It was an experience…

Reflecting on more than 70 years of knowing Lorita—as a schoolmate, fellow Sister of Mercy, and friend, I struggled to know what to say today in this reflection. Though I was especially close to her during the last years of her life, I was keenly…

“Let those whom Jesus Christ has graciously invited to assist Him in His suffering poor, have their hearts animated with gratitude and love.” — Catherine McAuley Always there is spiritual direction because God is always directing us. Every day is new, and we find ourselves…

I was first introduced to the phrase “thin places” during a lecture on religious life by Sister Marie McKenna.1 A “thin place” is a sacred space where the distance between heaven and earth seem to collapse, and we’re able to catch a glimpse of the…

Dear Sisters, Associates, Companions and Friends of Mercy, The inspiration for this issue of The MAST Journal, “Synod and Synodality,” was inspired by the opening of the Synod by Pope Francis almost three years ago. As this issue goes to press, the Synod on Synodality…

The current Synod on Synodality is providing us with an unprecedented example of the sensus fidelium, i.e., the Spirit-guided intuition of the faithful. As we have been taught, Church teaching develops in response to the promptings of the Spirit in the hearts and minds of…

The coronavirus originated in China and spread rapidly throughout the world in 2019. By March of the following year, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic and recommended masking, social distancing and enclosures. These restrictions heightened the rising diversity observed among political and religious…