Mercy Charism and Professional Development

Abstract

Catholic schools in the United States have experienced a shift in staffing during the last half of the 20th century, moving from leadership comprised of religious priests, brothers, or sisters to almost entirely laypersons. The term charism in the context of Catholicism refers to God-given gifts allowing individuals or group to live their faith in a particular way. The shift in staffing of Catholic schools has also resulted in the need to convey the charism of these schools in explicit and intentional ways. This dissertation examines the relationship between identification of charism and professional development in 10 United States secondary Catholic schools sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and suggests a framework for effective professional development related to enhancing school staff members’ understanding of charism. Results of survey research in this study show how the impact of professional development related to charism is related to a school’s culture as a whole. Staff members at all schools identified elements of Mercy charism in their schools, and all schools offered some type of professional development related to charism. Variations in practice at the different schools suggest that while site-specific considerations are important, religious orders sponsoring more than one school should have an overarching structure to ensure a similar level of understanding of charism in their various schools. This study suggests mentoring, study groups, and collaboration with staff members at other schools as well as members of a religious order are effective tools for enhancing a sense of charism in a school community.