![Mary Johnson at SSAcon 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Mary_Johnson_at_SSAcon_2015.jpg)
Mary Johnson is a writer and director of A Room of Her Own Foundation. She worked and served with the
Missionaries of Charity
The Missionaries of Charity ( la, Congregatio Missionariarum a Caritate) is a Catholic centralized religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women
established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as ...
, the order of nuns founded by
Mother Teresa
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...
, for twenty years before leaving the order. She is now a writer and a public speaker and a supporter of women's rights in the arts. She received her bachelor's degree in English from
Lamar University
Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the fall of 2021, t ...
["Former nun reads from Mother Teresa memoir"]
News Archive, Lamar University, October 28, 2011. and her MFA in creative writing from
Goddard College
Goddard College is a progressive education private liberal arts low-residency college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle, Washington. The college offers undergraduate and gra ...
.
Family and early life
Johnson was born in
Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1958. The family moved to
Beaumont, Texas when Johnson was 12. By this time, she was the eldest of seven children. In high school, Johnson was an accomplished member of the debate team and was voted "most likely to succeed" by her classmates.
Mother Teresa
In 1977, Johnson saw a picture of Mother Teresa on the cover of ''Time'' magazine. After reading the article she felt a call to join the
Missionaries of Charity
The Missionaries of Charity ( la, Congregatio Missionariarum a Caritate) is a Catholic centralized religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women
established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as ...
in their work on behalf of the poorest of the poor. At the age of 19, Johnson moved to the South Bronx in order to join the novitiate as an aspirant. In 1980, she committed herself to a life of
chastity, poverty, obedience, and service to the poorest of the poor, taking final vows in 1986. While with the order, Johnson, or Sister Donata ("Freely Given") as she elected to be called by her sisters,
studied theology at
Regina Mundi at the Gregorian University in Rome, receiving a diploma in religious studies. While serving at the novitiate in Tor Fiscale in Rome, Johnson was assigned the confidential task of editing and revising the ''Constitutions'', the governing documents of the Missionaries of Charity. For six years, Mother appointed her to serve in overseeing the formation of sisters preparing for vows. After falling in love with a sister and then later a priest, Johnson broke her vows and left the order in 1997.
[Patrick W. Lauppe]
"The Calling of Disorder"
''The Harvard Crimson'', February 7, 2012.
A Room of Her Own Foundation
Beginning
In 2000, while working at a parish church and re-adjusting to life outside the order, Johnson attended a retreat for continuing education at
Ghost Ranch
Ghost Ranch is a retreat and education center located close to the village of Abiquiú in Rio Arriba County in north central New Mexico, United States. It was the home and studio of Georgia O'Keeffe, as well as the subject of many of her painti ...
in
Abiquiu, New Mexico. While participating in a women's group at the ranch, Johnson told her group that she wanted only privacy—a "room of her own"—and financial support so that she could commit to telling the story of her work with the Sisters.
Also at the Ranch was Darlene Chandler Bassett. Chandler Bassett had retired early from a career with Los Angeles-based entrepreneur and arts patron Eli Broad and was seeking rest and a new direction at the ranch, one week after the death of her mother. Chandler Basset agreed to fund Johnson's graduate studies at Goddard College if Johnson would in turn help start a foundation for creative women.
Foundation
Since its inception in 2000, the A Room of Her Own Foundation (AROHO) has awarded six women with the biennial "Gift of Freedom Award," an award of $50,000 accompanied by creative and professional resources in support of the recipient's proposed creative project. Returning to its origins, the foundation also hosts a Retreat for Women Writers at Ghost Ranch every other summer. Johnson continues to serve as Creative Director of the foundation's retreats and to supervise the various publication contests and programs run by the foundation.
''An Unquenchable Thirst''
With the support of the foundation's growing community, Johnson finally published the story of her work with the Missionaries of Charity in her memoir, ''An Unquenchable Thirst: Following Mother Teresa in Search of Love, Service, and an Authentic Life'' (Spiegel & Grau, 2011). The book earned a place on ''Kirkus Review's'' Best Books of the Year list. Johnson continues to speak about the book and about her work with the Missionaries of Charity, and her decision to leave, with book groups and institutions around the country.
Current work
Johnson teaches creative writing and Italian and continues to serve as Creative Director for A Room of Her Own Foundation Retreats. She is a fellow of the
MacDowell Colony
MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowel ...
in
Peterborough, New Hampshire
Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,418 at the 2020 census. The main village, with 3,090 people at the 2020 census, is defined as the Peterborough census-designated place (CDP) and ...
. She is married and lives with her husband in New Hampshire.
References
Author's page on GoodReads.Interview with Patheos.*Interview with BigThink.co
*Interview with Gwarling
*Interview with the National Pos
*Video Appearance on CNN: "Is celibacy hurting the Catholic church?
*Excerpt featured in O Magazin
*Story on NP
External links
Author's websiteA Room of Her Own Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Mary
1958 births
Former Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns
Former Roman Catholics
American humanists
American atheists
Living people
20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns
People from Ann Arbor, Michigan