I do believe that for Christians to live as Jesus did, we must immerse ourselves in prayer - not mere rote, unrefective prayer, but rather, daily sustained, contemplative prayer. Then, maybe, with God’s grace, we will begin to see God, each other and God’s good creation as Jesus did; then maybe, with God’s grace, we will begin to understand what the Reign of God truly is about; then, maybe, with God’s grace, we will become the lovers and prophets we can become, with God’s grace, as Sister Joan D. Chittister has become. This is why Mercyhurst University is so honored to join Penn State University and the Erie Benedictine community in housing the literary archives of Sister Joan. Furthermore, this is why, thanks to the exceptional friendship Sister Joan shared with Helen Boyle (Helen Eugenia Loebelenz, class of 1934), and the profound generosity of the Boyle Family, Mercyhurst University will sponsor the annual Joan D. Chittister Lecture Series in memory of Helen Boyle. This is truly a historic and holy moment in the history of Mercyhurst University. Mary Hembrow Snyder, a member of the Mercyhurst faculty since 1986, is the editor of Spiritual Questions for the Twenty-frst Century: Essays in Honor of Joan D. Chittister (Orbis Books, 2001) and co-editor with Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB, of the forthcoming Essential Writings: Joan D. Chittister (Orbis Books, Fall 2014). She also directs the Center for Mercy and Catholic Studies and coordinates the Helen Boyle Memorial Archive in Honor of Joan D. Chittister, OSB and the Joan D. Chittister Lecture Series.
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