Alumni
Drawing closer to the suffering of others by SR MARY M. LEMBO, CSC Institute of Psychology - Centre for Child Protection
There are several ways to serve the Church. One of them is to draw close to those who have been hurt, extending a helping hand, helping them overcome their trauma while understanding the underlying dynamics of abuse in order to prevent it.
A moment of joy shared after the defence of the doctoral dissertation of Sr. Mary Lembo. Photos AP/G.BORGIA
M
y experience at the Pontifical Gregorian University has been pleasant and constructive. The relationships with professors were uncomplicated; those with colleagues from different cultures constituted human support. I have learned to walk and learn alongside others, to share, exchange reflections and experiences. The need for serious and continuous study, and for a job well done, prompted a yearning for in-depth reflection with an interdisciplinary approach. I found all of this in a se ing that favours interaction between the humanities, social sciences and theology thus enabling me to live as a Christian, open to the horizon of the universal church and its mission, following the example of Saint Ignatius. Faith-based response and development of the human person The courses at the Institute of Psychology of the Gregoriana offered the opportunity to study the development process of the human person, which – as Fr. Franco Imoda, S.J., often reminded us – is “a mystery.” The individual has great potentials, as well as limits. Men and women have received from God the grace, the capacity to know Him, to listen to Him and to respond to His call. Proclaiming faith in God implies living the Gospel in a coherent
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