NEC 2024 Interview with Sister Karen Muñiz

0:09Hello. I'm Michele Drennen, the alumni relations coordinator at Divine Mercy University, and I have the joy today of interviewing one of our graduates, sister Karen Muniz. And she graduated from our master's in psychology program and is with the, order, the servants of the pierced hearts of Jesus and Mary. It's such a joy to be here. Thank you so much, Michelle. Thank you. We're just gonna ask a few questions and have a conversation and help you know a little bit about one of our graduates. So first of all, I like to ask, how did you find Divine Mercy University, and, what was your experience as you went through discerning to go to our master's in psychology? Well, wonderful. Yes. A great question.

0:52Especially nowadays where in the world of psychology, you have about everything, and anyone can write anything, unfortunately. Divine Mercy University was the the water in the desert and the gem, you know, and the treasure that you definitely want while you discover it. You're like, praise be to god. And so my journey was I was navigating the Internet, and I was looking for a solid program in psychology. I had already completed my master's in theology. But in our charism, we have to be ready to serve anywhere in the church. And so at the prompting where mother foundress, obviously, at the moment of the holy spirit, she decided, you know, to for us to find ways to serve other people in different capacities.

1:37And so in the field of psychology, that was one of them. And so I just started navigating, and then I discovered Divine Mercy University. And, again, it was a huge blessing to have discovered you, Hong. You're a blessing to be happy as a graduate. It's such a great thing to hear. So what you're doing now, and I know you have your hands in a whole lot of, clay. What do you think you have done to maybe impact some great changes in the world or where you feel like you've been very effective? Well, the blessing of Divine Mercy University and having found it, I really did it to begin the program. Not only that it was online, because even to find a solid psychology, you know, masters online is very limited.

2:24And then but especially in that time too. But, but then, really, the characteristics, what did it was just that integral formation of the human person, that it's, the metal model, the definition of the human person. We live in times that we really have to help people define who the human person is. Maybe the first thousand years of the church, we had to help, define who God is. The second thousand years was what was the church. And I think the times that we're living in, we really have to have a clear understanding of who the human person is. And with the Divine Mercy University's meta model, this definition of the human person that's so integral, and not only that, the synthesis, the beautiful synthesis of having psychology, philosophy, and theology in synchrony and in complementarity and in systematic and organic presentation of who the human person is, like, it's a feast.

3:18You can't go wrong. You know? And so it's just, like, every part of that definition. You could just take it and and use it for any ministry, for everywhere where you're serving, wherever the Lord calls you to be a light, you know, light of the world and the salt of the earth. You have such a great analytical perspective. This is a kind of a long question that do you feel like that the bridges between science and religion and health care and pastoral care are easily blended for you with this education? Right. And so, well, I mean, I already completed my master's in theology, so that definitely helped. But I think that's what makes Divine Mercy so unique is that precisely what I was saying before the, you know, the synthesis of philosophy theology and and the sciences.

4:05So it's faith and reason at its finest, but really just seeing, how the faith is illuminating and in a sense, giving structure and boundaries to science where maybe science thinks it wants to reach. And when the Lord's saying, no. Well, you have this limit. And but it's a beautiful then journey of also all coming together to discover the truth. And that especially that everything that I studied at Divine Mercy University, even from the professors, witness to all the assignments, I can go to the fountain of truth, which is our Lord, you know, in the Catholic church. But even that illuminating then and giving its place for an adequate and holistic understanding of what science can contribute to.

4:54Because oftentimes, science may you know, again, it's limited, but sometimes it wants to trespass or wanna define things that only pertain to the faith. And just like the faith too has, in a sense, its its own limits, you can say, even though it's God and God is limitless. But what I'm saying is that in in in education or in studies, faith also gives its place to science to define what science can define, you know, and and can lead us to, truth with a little t, and then faith comes in to lead us to the truth with a capital t. Amazing. So whether you're a sister or a priest or a brother or a layperson, what do you think the big takeaways are for someone interested in going down this path that you experienced as being very helpful to both your personal and your religious life?

5:52Right. So the blessing of of being a consecrated religious is, not only this chronological dimension of giving witness pointing always to God. So it's clear in the habit, you know, and and just visually, and from the outside seeing that. But but definitely helping people see how we need to be healthy to be holy. And our mother founders teaches that a lot, that, grace builds on nature. You know? I mean, I mean, that's been church teaching since a long time ago. But where our mother found us just really helps us see is that in the in the order of God that you have to have, you know, the human formation, the spiritual formation, then the intellectual and the pastoral formation as Saint John Paul the second renewed in, and for ministry for priestly formation, but also too for consecrated life and religious life.

6:40But really where we start with having this understanding and clarity on a healthy humanity so then we can help people see then where the spiritual elements that are necessary then to grow in holiness. And with that, one, another blessing that I really appreciated from studying at Divine Mercy University is that they were able to differentiate also, just an example of, like, scrupulosity within a mental disorder. You know? Those details you don't find anywhere else. And and and just having that understanding and that and that desire, you know, for that clarity was so helpful as well. Thank you, ma'am. Gift of time, if there's anything that I should have asked you that I haven't, could you please share that with me?

7:27No. Just profound gratitude and keep being who you are and and doing the great things that you're doing and also filtering and providing us with the solid resources and and content necessary to really to arrive at that clear understanding of who the human person is, you know, and especially fulfilling, you know, the the role of a university as it should be, of always leading to that fountain of truth where we find in our lord Jesus Christ and being able to lead so many others to that. Thank you. You're a blessing to be an alumni, and we're such a blessing to have you. Thank you again. Thank you so much. God bless.