Mother Theresa Maxis IHM Center
- Learning Commons | 263
- M - F 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (excluding holidays and university break periods)
The Mother Theresa Maxis IHM Center
The Mother Theresa Maxis IHM Center includes mission-driven initiatives guided by Catholic Social Teaching (CST). The Maxis Center embraces the charge set forth recently by Pope Leo XIV, who asks us to consider all tenets of CST as we build “a culture of encounter,” including the dignity of all people, especially workers and the poor and vulnerable; stewardship of creation; solidarity; subsidiarity, and the common good.
The Center's focus includes collaborative efforts with the IHM Congregation’s existing initiatives, which honor human dignity and demonstrate a ministry of loving service and a welcoming presence. This includes programs/initiatives that are centered on advocacy for the poor and vulnerable, justice, peace, the stewardship of creation, and other CST-inspired efforts.
Marywood's commitment to the principles laid out by Pope Francis in Laudato Si’, the urgent challenge to protect our common home, also are part of the Center's vital, mission-driven focus. Marywood became one of the first universities to commit to being a Laudato Si' University in October 2021, in support of Pope Francis’ 7-Year Journey Towards Integral Ecology—an action-oriented and holistic approach that addresses seven ecological and social challenges in the world.
Honoring the Legacy of Mother Theresa Maxis
The Center’s name honors the co-founder of the IHM Congregation, Mother Theresa Maxis, a mixed race woman with a pioneering spirit, who devoted her life, vocation, and work to promoting justice and serving the poor. Her life of justice, service, and faith inspires and flows through the Marywood University mission. Both the Maxis Center and Mother Theresa emphasize this model of deep faith and a mission-driven commitment to creating a more just and compassionate world through education, awareness, and initiatives on behalf of the common good.
“The past is no longer yours; the future is not yet in your power. You have only the present wherein to do good.” - St. Alphonsus Liguori
Elevate Your Knowledge
Learn more about the life of Mother Theresa Maxis, co-founder of the IHM Congregation, by reading Paths of Daring Deeds of Hope, the fascinating collection of letters by and about Theresa, edited by the late Sister Margaret Gannon, IHM. The second edition of the book is available on Amazon.
Pacer Pledge
In spirit of Mother Theresa Maxis, and in keeping with our mission and core values, all members of the Marywood community are encouraged to take the Pacer Pledge, focused especially on our Core Value of RESPECT, which honors the uniqueness and human dignity of all persons.
"Theresa at Home," a bronze sculpture of Mother Theresa Maxis, created in 2002 by Sister Cor Immaculatum Heffernan, IHM