Mercy Mondays: Salve Regina contributors published in the ‘MAST Journal’

The Mercy Association in Scripture and Theology (MAST) is an organization affiliated with the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, and it promotes research and study in scripture, theology, spirituality, church, congregational history and topics related to the critical concerns of Mercy and the ministries sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy.

This year, MAST celebrated thirty years of publication of its affiliated “MAST Journal.” As part of this year’s volume, Dr. Jayme Hennessey, chair of the Department of Religious and Theological Studies at Salve Regina, and Dr. Theresa Ladrigan-Whelpley, vice president for the Office of Mission Integration, both contributed essays to the latest “MAST Journal” issue. The issue was focused on the theme of “Directions for the Conference for Mercy Higher Education,” and it can be read online here.

“A Pedagogy of Becoming: The Social Imaginary of Mercy,” written by Dr. Hennessey, examines how a pedagogy of community and a pedagogy of transformation both shape moral character and prompt the critical thinking necessary to envision and act towards a more just and merciful world.

“At the heart of the Salve Regina campus stands a sculpture of Catherine McAuley,” Dr. Hennessey wrote in his article. “The sculpture reminds us that this vision and work of mercy that Catherine McAuley began in her day bridges time to frame the mission and transformative aims of the University community as it invites us to become persons of mercy: Persons who are willing to answer despair with hope, persons who are willing to embrace brokenness with tenderness, persons who are transformed by a sense of mercy and justice to envision how the world ‘ought to be.’ ”

In this same issue of the MAST Journal, Dr. Ladrigan-Whelpley wrote “Common? Values in Mercy, Catholic Higher Education.” This article explores the dynamics of continuity and change in the work of tradition and considers the common characteristics and values of Mercy, Catholic higher education that find expression across its colleges and universities today.

“In attending to the notion of common as grounded in the activities of ordinary life and practice, we are prompted towards a deeper engagement of the characteristic of Mercy, Catholic higher education proposed by Mary Sullivan, R.S.M.: ‘The strenuous effort to give good example, personally and corporately,’ ” wrote Dr. Ladrigan-Whelpley.

These articles remind the University, along with Salve Regina’s recent Conference for Mercy Higher Education Self-Study and Peer Review, how significant its Mercy, Catholic mission is. At Salve Regina, the community is called to welcome people of all beliefs, to seek wisdom and promote universal justice, and to work together for a world that is harmonious, just and merciful.

To read both articles in full, click here. If interested in subscribing or contributing to the “MAST Journal,” please visit the “MAST Journal” website.

This post is part of an ongoing series called Mercy Mondays that highlights Salve Regina’s dedication to its Mercy Mission. Search the tag Mercy Mission for more updates on the Mercy branches of Salve Regina.