Brand Champion of the Day- Sr. Mary Mullaly, FMA, Ed.D.

I first met Sr. Mary when she attended a session I was delivering on school branding in Indianapolis. She and I have engaged in many e-mail exchanges on the subject. Today, I am recognizing her as a champion of faith. Here is what she wanted to share with us today.

 

"How does one respond to a request to write about being a “Champion of Faith?”  Names that immediately come to mind regarding true champions of the faith are such great personages as Moses,  Gandhi, Joan of Arc, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, and even “Good St. Peter,” who denied the Lord and then went on to lead what is today the largest Church in the world.  For all those in his long line of successors, the papacy has been referred to as “walking in the footsteps of Peter.”  The list of champions can go on and on. In Rex Whisman’s verbiage, we are speaking of persons as “passionate advocates”—what it means to passionately live and promote the faith one believes in.

Walking in the footsteps… Most persons of faith, not unlike myself, can attribute the implanting and nurturing of the seed of faith to those in whose footsteps each of us have followed, such as our parents, grandparents, or other very special persons who have left an indelible imprint on our lives.  Earliest memories call to mind being in Church, being spoken to of religious objects, pictures, persons or stories; an ethereal sacredness to all things of faith.  The reverent kissing of a picture or religious object remains a large part of this memory.

As the years have come and gone, the strength and belief of this developing faith have only grown deeper for me, taking root in my innermost self. I realize that I have tried to make my actions, words, vocation and avocations in life develop in line with these beliefs, which, in great part, means reaching out to others.  Often, people in pain only need an ear that is willing to listen, a heart of compassion open to comprehend, or, a word.  I do not visualize myself as a “Champion of Faith,” per se, but as one who day in and day out struggles to live up to those deep-seated beliefs; one who strives to champion the faith modeled by those in whose steps I tred."

 

Sr. Mary, thank you so much for sharing your inspiring words with us today. What do you think of what Sr. Mary has to say?