Dr. Milo Milburn and Dr. Thomas Plante, co-editors of Integratus, the official journal of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association, are proud to announce the winner of the Editors’ Choice Award: Sister Maria Amata Rossi (pictured). Her article, Mercy as a Virtue to Guide the Clinical Practice of Psychology, was recently published in the March 2026 issue.
Sister Maria Amata Rossi is a perpetually professed member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan. She earned a master’s degree from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences at Divine Mercy University, where she will soon complete a doctorate in clinical psychology (PsyD). After graduation, she will join the Masters of Science (MS) in Clinical Psychology program at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota as a core faculty member. Her professional interests center on the intersection between philosophical and theological anthropology and psychology.
We thank Sister Maria Amata Rossie for her important scholarship and for taking some time to answer questions about her article. We encourage everyone to read the full article.
Article Spotlight: A Brief Interview with the Author
(Author’s response in italics)
Your article focuses on mercy as a clinical virtue. What was your main source of inspiration for the article?
Aside from St. Thomas Aquinas, whom I find perennially insightful, this article was largely inspired by Sister Joseph Marie Ruessmann, RSM, who first taught me about St. Thomas’ definition of mercy.
You drew upon Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint John Paul II in the article. How about Saint Faustina, as she is sometimes referred to as the “secretary” of Divine Mercy?
Saint Faustina would have much to add, particularly highlighting trust in the mercy of God as the motive and wellspring for any good that we do. Regarding practicing the virtue of mercy, St. Faustina recorded the following words of Jesus: “I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere” (Diary 742). He goes on to provide three ways of exercising mercy toward one’s neighbor: by deed, word, and prayer. We glorify God by showing mercy to our neighbor. This is consonant with St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Paul II, though perhaps each emphasizes unique aspects of mercy.
What is the primary clinical application that you would hope practitioners can take with them from your article?
There are two main clinical applications. First, I hope this article can help clinicians approach clinical work as a work of mercy and thus as a part of the Christian vocation. For instance, because works of mercy help reflect and make tangible the gratuitous and unmerited love of God, our clinical work, when carried out well, can help dispose individuals to encounter and receive the mercy of God. Second, I hope to encourage clinicians in their personal and spiritual growth because this matters, even in the professional sphere, while not negating the necessity for professional preparation and development.
How can future research and scholarship advance from your article?
Some ideas on the more theoretical side are to develop the insight that human dignity is the foundation of works of mercy, as well as St. John Paul II’s insight that every act of mercy is reciprocal. I think Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI and Josef Pieper’s work would have much to add here, for instance Pope Benedict XVI highlights how genuine love of another is possible because God first loves each person, enabling one to love. These insights fit well with relational schools of thought in psychology. Another idea is to explore the connection between the virtue of mercy and the construct of compassion satisfaction.