School Sisters of Notre Dame Associates
Living out the works of mercy in their everyday life

Writing and my bus ministry

By Associate Mary Heyn – Wisconsin

To me, mercy means being available to joyfully and humbly serve as needed, which is what I do in my “bus ministry” as I wait at city bus stops and ride city buses in Milwaukee.

I have incorporated my bus ministry with another ministry: bringing Scripture to life by condensing it into readable poetry and publishing it as books. I share these books with those I meet.

I have published five books, and all are available as e-books through Amazon.com. For my bus ministry, I have paperback copies. The titles are, "Mary's Old Testament Tales," "Mary's Gospel Glory Stories" and "Mary's Baby Church Tales." I also wrote an earlier utopian novelette, "City of Light."

My other ministries include tutoring at Notre Dame Middle School in Milwaukee, teaching Catholic education classes at St. Veronica Parish and teaching English to a Chinese college student from Beijing who recently read “Mary’s Old Testament Tales” and the whole Book of Job and enjoyed them, despite not believing in God.

All of these ministries are a great joy for me, although not always easy. I praise God who gives me strength and energy for the journey.