Sr. Pat Whalen
I believe that mercy is an essential element of life, that the people of the earth clamor for mercy. As individuals respond mercifully in the ordinary circumstances of their lives, destructive impulses are resisted and society moves toward recognizing that the dignity the individual needs to be reverenced and valued. Each of us can learn from others the ways of responding in mercy. In turn, each of us can become more capable of interacting in a merciful way.
As a Sister of Mercy, my perspective on mercy is shaped by the Constitutions of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Chapters 6 and 8 proclaim the significance, the beauty, and the giftedness of mercy.
We strive to witness to mercy when we reverence the dignity of each person, create a spirit of hospitality and pursue integrity of word and deed in our lives. Recognizing our own human weakness, we know that only through God's mercy can we be merciful.
By collaborating with others, in works of mercy we continually learn from them how to be more merciful.
Frequently I recall an experience of my early teen years. An elderly woman, Louisa, lived next door to my family. Since she lived alone, my mother sat with her each evening while Louisa ate her dinner. I still recall my mother carrying a pot of freshly brewed coffee to our neighbor's home each evening about 4:30 p.m. By this hour, my mother had completed the preparations for our family dinner. When I arrived home from school, I watched the food cooking on the stove making sure that nothing burned. A particular experience occurred when I was fourteen years old. My mother, pregnant with her sixth child, did not feel well on one September afternoon. She asked me to sit and converse with Louisa as she ate her dinner. I resisted, not wanting to sit with an elderly woman, and unhappy with the prospect of attempting conversation with an old person. My mother prevailed. Mumbling about the unfairness of life, the injustice of my mother's request, my displeasure at being required to sit and converse with an old woman, I reluctantly walked next door. As I walked across our adjacent lawns, a spirit deep within my being emerged and I vaguely recognized that my response was selfish, immature, and mean spirited. At that moment, I could not articulate this blessing nor did I ponder its significance. In fact, at that time in my life I barely attended to this revelation. As I experienced her warm welcome, her lively interest in my life, and the easy conversation with Louisa, the generational gap that I had fabricated evaporated. From that day on, I relished my time and conversation with her as I began to take comfort in the wisdom Louisa had accumulated from years of living and of reflecting on the human condition. I marveled at the peace of heart that enveloped her spirit, how she maneuvered through the times of joy and sorrow in her life. She maintained hope in the face of anguish and grief.
For some reason, this memory has continued to invite my reflection over the years. I gradually recognized that the Spirit of God moved my spirit in this experience. Seven Septembers following that particular day, I entered the candidacy of the Sisters of Mercy, to join my life with women who devoted their lives to the works of mercy. This seed of responding with compassion, planted by my mother, continues to inspire and challenge me. These two women, Louisa, my neighbor, and Genevieve, my mother, by their loving kindness showed me mercy. I continue to believe that such simple and commonplace acts of compassion that occur each day throughout our world maintain society at some level of equilibrium. In their tender and compassionate expressions of mercy, human beings respond to misery and restore hope. A merciful response generates another merciful response. Mercy has the power to create, to renew, and to heal. Let us respond to human misery bit by bit, day by day. Certainly living in mercy is a manifestation of a living and loving God, our Creator, the Holy One.
About Sr. Pat Whalen
Sr. Pat Whalen was a faculty member in the Department of Education from 1970-1987, served as Assistant Academic Dean from 1996-1999, and has been Registrar since 1999. Her favorite aspect about the college: "Inspired by the mission, I appreciate the commitment to excellence, mercy, service, as well as the collegial spirit that marks our efforts at Mercyhurst College."