IPS Student Addresses Millions at JPII Beatification Mass

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.

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span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black">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 JPIÄŽ...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

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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