Vision of a Mercy education

By Christopher Blake

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As we reflect on National Catholic Colleges Week, I am reminded of the unique characteristics that encompass a Mercy education and the thread that is woven throughout all colleges and universities that share these same values. But what is this distinction, and how is it lived out in our campus community and others?

Education always has been a ministry of the Catholic Church, and the Sisters of Mercy shared that tradition in shaping Mount Mercy in Cedar Rapids more than 80 years ago. It is clear that Mount Mercy exists because of the Catholic faith and calling of the Sisters. This is a wonderful, faith-inspired vision of learning that we share with 16 Mercy universities across the nation.

Five years ago, the Mercy universities celebrated a collective moment in history when the Catholic Church authorized us to do our work as Catholic, Mercy universities under the sponsorship of the national Conference for Mercy Higher Education (CMHE), an arm of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. In short, Mount Mercy and other Mercy universities are no longer sponsored by the regional communities of the Sisters of Mercy but are nationally overseen by the CMHE, which itself is approved by the Catholic Church.

Catholic universities, while supporting the church's faith and mission, have very different styles: They are truly a universe of learning institutions. We are called to be faithful to our church ministry of education, yet also to show the distinct gifts, traditions, practices and styles of a Mercy university.

All Catholic universities, whatever their founding, share in the Catholic intellectual tradition. We embrace both faith and reason, and we take very seriously the fact that Mount Mercy students who are Catholic live the faith of our founders, and our students of other faiths can see their faith traditions connected with their lives and learning. That diversity is a source of strength to our Mercy vision of learning, in which all students are called to grow through education in mind, body and spirit.

Our Catholic, Mercy mission is a faith journey, not a finished destination. It is an unfolding story that must honor our Catholic identity, our Mercy mission and our pluralistic community where we are all People of God.

Last year, the CMHE developed and approved a statement on Catholic identity and Mercy charism for all member universities, including Mount Mercy. More information on this statement can be found at: www.mercyhighered.org.

Christopher Blake is president of Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids. Comments: president@mtmercy.edu