In advance of Catholic Sisters Week (March 8-14), “Practicing Catholic” radio show contributor Tom Halden spoke with Religious Sister of Mercy Mary Micaela Hoffmann, who teaches theology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
Sister Mary talked about her call to religious life, which began with a faithful Catholic upbringing.
“My story starts with my family who were Catholic, and my grandparents, my mom’s parents, with whom we were very close growing up,” said Sister Mary, adding that her grandfather prayed daily for a religious vocation from within their family.
As she grew up and attended college at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio, she said that prayer, especially in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, was the key to her discernment.
“The Eucharist played a really big part in my own vocation story. In times of adoration was when I think I most clearly heard the invitation of the Lord to religious life,” she said.
Although her family members supported her vocation, Sister Mary said that they found it difficult for her to be away for holidays and to not be able to communicate as much as she did before she entered.
“It was really hard for them. My mom said she went through the stages of grief when I first entered,” she said. Nonetheless, “they were supportive, they were happy for me.”
Sister Mary said that the Religious Sisters of Mercy, who were founded in Ireland in 1831 by Venerable Catherine McAuley, have a charism for mercy lived out through service. They now are based in Alma, Michigan.
“We seek to bring the mercy of God into situations of suffering in some way,” she said. “Some of the concrete ways that we carry this out are through teaching, ranging from elementary school to university students, (and) in medical care,” she said, adding that some sisters are social workers or work for parishes.
Sister Mary said that the call to console the suffering will never be obsolete.
“All of us have suffering. And that can range from interior suffering, (a) sense of loneliness (or) suffering in relationships. It can be suffering due to poverty or lack of other resources,” Sister Mary said. “So, there’s certainly no lack of opportunities for needing mercy.”
To hear Sister Mary talk more about her call to religious life and the charism of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, tune into “Practicing Catholic” when it airs 9 p.m. March 8 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, or when it repeats at 1 p.m. March 9 and 2 p.m. March 10.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes a discussion with Father Tim Tran and Amy Tadlock about the upcoming National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and its route through the Twin Cities. And in a Practicing Catholic classic, Father Daniel Griffith discusses the rights and responsibilities of all practicing Catholics.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
