Skip to main content


IPS Student Addresses Millions at JPII Beatification Mass

The fruit of the New Evangelization

Young foundress of new religious order and graduate student of psychology reflects on what is was like to participate in the Beatification Mass for John Paul II.

Blessed John Paul II

Blessed John Paul II

Arlington, VA (Catholic Online) - Sr. Bernadette Pike, M.G., a first-year Master's student at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS), had the distinct honor of participating in the Beatification Mass of Blessed John Paul II on Sunday, May 1, 2011 in Rome, Italy.

Sr. Bernadette, a native of Perth, Australia, is the foundress of the Missionaries of the Gospel (www.mg.org.au), a new religious order inspired by the charism and spirituality of Blessed John Paul II.

Before an audience exceeding one million, and with millions more following by way of television and computer, Sr. Bernadette flawlessly delivered the second reading from 1 Peter 1:3-9.  

Said Sr. Bernadette, "It was a tremendous privilege and gift for me to be asked to do a reading at the Beatification of JPII. It was also an honor to represent Australia and the JPII Sisters."

Continued Sr. Bernadette, "As I looked into the crowd, I thought, wow, there are so many other people who were touched by Christ through JPIÏ...so many people who are probably already living some aspect of his charism within the Church. Seeing such a significant ground swell reinforced my hope that the work the Holy Spirit began in JPII, would continue."

Upon her return from Rome, Sr. Bernadette was greeted by expressions of congratulations and joy from the students, faculty and staff at IPS.  With little time to spare, she immediately turned her attention to preparing for final exams scheduled for later in the week.

Noted Dr. Stephen Hamel, director of the Master of Clinical Psychology Program, "Sr. Bernadette is an excellent example of the diverse and remarkable student population we have pursuing master-level studies at IPS. With her background in law and as the foundress of a religious order, Sr. Bernadette's insights and contributions in the classroom are greatly valued."

For more information about the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, a unique Catholic graduate school of psychology, please visit www.IPSciences.edu or call 703.416.1441


- - -

The Institute for Psychological Sciences, a Catholic graduate school of psychology in Washington, DC, stands on the forefront in the quest to integrate psychology with the Catholic faith tradition. For more information about the IPS Master’s of Science and Doctoral degree programs, visit the web site at www.ipsciences.edu



Keywords: graduate school, psychology, Catholic, family therapy, counselor, psychologist, marriage

NEWSLETTERS »

E-mail:       Zip Code: (ex. 90001)
Today's Headlines

Sign up for a roundup of the day's top stories. 5 days / week. See Sample

Rate This Article

Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All

Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested

Rate Article

0 Comments

Leave a Comment

Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.

Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.

This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.

We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.

We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.

Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample

Post Comment

Find your College Now