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Ministry in Higher Education

"I see the dear neighbour in each of the people I meet."

Sr. Mechtilde O'Mara CSJ

What it is

Two Sisters of St. Joseph are professor emerita at the University of St. Michael's College and still engaged in education at the graduate and post-graduate level: Sisters Mechtilde O'Mara and Ellen Leonard. Sr. Ellen teaches theology. For more on Sr. Ellen, see Meet a Sister.

Sister Mechtilde O'Mara, CSJ, has been a member of the Classics Department of the college for more than 30 years. Sister Mechtilde delights to learn and to teach her subject. "The Classics are classics because, though written centuries ago, they have continued to be a source of wisdom and pleasure to readers right down to the present," she says.

Her work involves:

teaching university students, both undergraduate and graduate
engaging in research
collaborating with colleagues in the area of administration to create the conditions under which scholars at every level may flourish

The Vision

Sisters of St Joseph are called "to serve the dear neighbour in all the works of mercy both spiritual and corporal." As the Sisters in this ministry with young people explore different disciplines, they also endeavour to build community together with students and alumni. Sr. Mechtilde describes it this way,

"We believe that Jesus who described himself as 'the Way, the Truth, and the Life' (John 14:6) invites us to seek the truth, to cherish it, and to help others to recognize that all truth is ultimately one.

"By studying the literature and culture of Greece and Rome we are able to gain perspective, to explore alternatives to contemporary ways of thinking, and to arrive at our own definition of what the 'good life' is (or could be) in our time."

History

Sisters of St. Joseph have collaborated in this ministry with the Basilian Fathers, founders of St. Michael's College, since early in the last century. They continue now with many lay colleagues to contribute to Catholic higher education at the College.

The Process

Sr. Mechtilde sees her students as beginning to define who they are and claiming the persons they want to be. At the college they develop the skills, interests and friendships that will support them throughout their lives.

"Look at Socrates and his profound statement that the unexamined life is not worth living," she says. "But there is a cost: examining life brought him to his execution. Students learn that it is sometimes dangerous to speak the truth, they make connections with people who have done that."