By Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Catholic Mobilizing Network
Every 25 years, the Pope proclaims an ordinary Jubilee, a special year to seek reconciliation, conversion, and liberation. Through the theme of this year’s Jubilee, Pope Francis has reminded us that in a world where conflict, apprehension, and cynicism remain far too common, that “hope does not disappoint.”
As the Holy Father explained, “We need to recognize the immense goodness present in our world, lest we be tempted to think ourselves overwhelmed by evil and violence.”
I have recently had the privilege of working with a group of women who have displayed this incredible witness, who can offer all of us inspiration and hope in this Jubilee year: the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland, Ohio.
Tragedy struck their community in 1995 when Sr Joanne Marie Mascha of the Cleveland Ursulines was raped and murdered by a man named Daniel Pitcher behind the congregation’s motherhouse. Sister Joanne Marie was a beloved member of their community, known as a gentle soul who worked to advance peace and justice in the world.
In the aftermath of her killing, the Ursuline sisters declared their opposition to Pitcher receiving the death penalty. When the prosecutors ignored this wish, they were flooded with messages and phone calls from sisters around the world, imploring them to drop their pursuit of the death penalty.
They also prayed that his violence would not be met with the violence of capital punishment. Ultimately, Pitcher was convicted, but the jury declined to select the death penalty as his punishment.
Recently, decades later, the sisters received a letter from Pitcher. He expressed his regret and sorrow, and he asked the sisters for forgiveness. After a process of ensuring that others affected by the murder of Sr. Joanne Marie, including her family members, agreed with their decision, they responded with their own letter.
They accepted his apology. They did not elude the pain and suffering caused by his crimes, explaining to Pitcher, “When you took her life, you deprived our community, her family and God’s world of a gentle person who only wanted to spread God’s love.” But while encouraging him to be “a person of goodness, peace and kindness,” they accepted the apology and granted forgiveness.
This exchange of letters and the profound experience it has had on their community has inspired the sisters to renew their efforts to end the death penalty in the state of Ohio. If Pitcher had been executed, this exchange may never have taken place, and the sisters want to ensure that the doors of forgiveness and reconciliation are not closed to others.
The powerful story of the Ursuline sisters illustrates the importance of dispelling some myths about forgiveness, so that others might be open to such transformations and healing.
First, forgiveness does not mean forgetting what has happened or the harm that was inflicted. In Fratelli tutti (252), Pope Francis even says, “Forgiveness is precisely what enables us to pursue justice without falling into a spiral of revenge or the injustice of forgetting.”
The sisters did not forget about the harm caused by the killing of Sr Joanne Marie and her absence from their community. In fact, some sisters still felt the pain of losing their dear friend, and the letter forced all of them to reexamine this profound loss.
Sr Laura Bregar said that when she opened the letter, “it hit me like a ton of bricks.” They did not and will not forget. They nevertheless chose to forgive and to prevent a cycle of hatred and violence from forming.
This connects to a second lesson: forgiveness and justice are not incompatible. In fact, the merciful love that motivated the sisters, first to oppose the death penalty and decades later to forgive Pitcher, advanced a true vision of justice, building a better world, rather than distorting justice by turning it into the simple desire for revenge. We can and should address harm without inflicting further assaults on human dignity.
Finally, these courageous sisters show us that forgiveness is not weak. Their courage is palpable. It is a testament to the strength of their faith and the power of their community. When their principles were put to the test, they not only stood by them, they showed the true power of those principles to transform the world.
When Ursuline sisters said no to the death penalty, they said yes to hope. And decades later, Pitcher would respond by seeking healing and forgiveness.
Sr Susan Durkin, in describing a meeting regarding the exchange of letters, said, “Personally, I felt some sort of a warmth in me, or a weight that had been lifted that was there and I hadn’t realized.” Hope and mercy open new avenues to healing—for all involved and the broader community.
Inspired by stories of hope, just like this, we can witness to the unexpected grace that forgiveness can offer.
As we ponder how we might seek healing and restoration through mercy and hope in this Jubilee year, the Ursuline sisters have truly shown us the way. Let us respond to their witness by joining them and working to build God’s Kingdom in the world today. – Vatican News
