roots

MarysRootsView/Download/Print Mary’s Roots: A Creative Vitae (.pdf, 1 page)

Spiritual and Social Activist Roots
A cradle-catholic, Mary was raised from an early age with eyes and ears for those in the margins. Becoming a person in the margins broke her heart open to a survivor’s mission and showed her a path for life she had not before imagined.

Family and Geographical Roots
Raised in upstate New York through age 17, Mary’s parents and grandparents were public school teachers. Seneca Falls, NY (National Women’s Hall of Fame) and Ogdensburg, NY (St. Lawrence Seaway) were places that taught Mary independence and the confidence to explore beyond boundaries.

The following prayer resonates with the heart of Marymac Missions’ work:

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.
~ Sr. Ruth Fox, OSB (1985)