Mary-Paula Cancienne, is a theologian who specializes in questions of purpose during challenging and complex times, working to discover meaningful ethical options for how we go forward. She teaches, writes, and speaks on contemporary theology and spirituality that engages religious and secular worldviews. She is particularly involved in formative processes for those drawn to a more merciful society that embraces social fairness and responsibility, personally and collectively. She is a spiritual companion and supervisor, and she “writes” contemporary religious images.
Danielle Gagnon, is Director of Mission and Ministry at Merion Mercy Academy in Pennsylvania. She holds an MA in Christian Spirituality from Fordham University in New York, and a certificate in Spiritual Guidance from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, DC. She previously served as Director of Campus Ministry at Merion Mercy Academy and as a Spiritual Director at Cranaleith Spiritual Center in Philadelphia, PA. Prior to her studies in the areas of spirituality and spiritual guidance, she spent fourteen years in Institutional Advancement positions such as the Director of Development at Hope Partnership for Education, Director of Parent Programs at Malvern Preparatory School, and Associate Director of Development at Medicines for Humanity.
Doris Gottemoeller served as the first president of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Other ministry experiences included service on numerous health care, higher education, seminary, retreat center and social service boards. She was the president of the LCWR, a delegate to the International Union of Superiors General, and an auditor at the Synod on Consecrated Life. She has lectured throughout the United States and abroad on topics of ministry, ecclesiology, and religious life. She holds an MS in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and an MA and PhD in theology from Fordham University.
Sharon Kerrigan holds a PhD from the Graduate Theological Foundation, a DMin from Chicago Theological Seminary and an MA from Loyola, Northeastern and Kansas State Universities. She has been an adjunct professor of social science and religious studies at St. Xavier University and Moraine Valley College as well as an administrator in college and university settings. Sister Sharon served for several years as the Vice President of Mission for Provena Senior Services as well as the System Director of Mission and Spirituality for Presence Health. She currently serves as a Sister Life Minister for the sisters living at Mercy Circle, a retirement center in Chicago. She continues to serve on the Board of Directors for Mercy Hospital of Cedar Rapids and on the Editorial Board of The MAST Journal.
Aline Paris most recently was Professor of Theology at College of St. Mary in Omaha, Nebraska, where she was awarded the Inspiring Excellence Award. She holds an MA in Theology/Scripture, from St. Michael’s College in Winooski, Vermont; and both an MTS and a DMin in Word and Worship from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Her previous ministries included serving as an elementary school principal, a Director of Religious Education, and a junior high school teacher. She served as spiritual director for several Cursillos. She served three terms as Executive Director of MAST and remains a member of the Editorial Board of The MAST Journal.
Eloise Rosenblatt holds an MA in Comparative Literature from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles; an STL from the Jesuit School of Theology; and a PhD in theology from the Graduate Theological Union. She did a year of graduate work at the École Biblique in Jerusalem, Israel. She has a background in higher education—as administrator at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California, and as university and graduate school professor of biblical studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Boston College, and Santa Clara University. Her last academic post was Associate Dean of Faculty at the Graduate Theological Union. She transitioned to the field of law, and since 2008, has been a civil attorney licensed by the State of California; she conducts a private practice in family law 35 in San Jose, California. Her most recent publication is a feminist commentary on 2 Peter in the Wisdom Commentary Series published by Liturgical Press. She served as the editor of The MAST Journal from 1993 to 2025. Eloise was working on the Vol. 30 No. 1 issue when she died, ensuring that this inaugural issue of The MAST Journal as an online publication would carry the Journal—and all who read it, write for it, and shepherd it—faithfully into the future.
Maryanne Stevens holds a PhD in Religion and Education from Boston College and a Masters in Spirituality from St. Louis University. She recently retired after 27 years as President of College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska. She now volunteers with “Omaha Welcomes the Stranger,” a not-for-profit organization helping new immigrant families find their way in the United States. She serves on the social ministry committee of Mercy Investment Services and the boards of St. Xavier University in Chicago and Mercy High School in Omaha.
Patricia Talone is a Sister of Mercy of the Americas. A theological ethicist, she is a consultant, lecturer and writer in the areas of mission, ethics and formation. She has served at the Catholic Health Association of the United States and has a broad educational background having taught at every level from grade three through post-graduate. She holds a PhD in theological ethics from Marquette University, an MA in Religious Studies from St. Charles Seminary, and a BA in Humanities from Gwynedd-Mercy College. In 1996, she spent a semester as a visiting fellow at Georgetown University’s Kennedy School of Ethics. She has a number of board commitments and has published extensively in theological and health care journals and periodicals.
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The MAST Journal, begun in 1991, is published three times a year by the Mercy Association in Scripture and Theology.
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