Within days of Gerard “Jerry” J. Joyce’s assumption of his new role as president of Mount St. Mary’s University in July 2024, his wife Erin was diagnosed with brain cancer. Erin Joyce’s plans to support her husband and children as they transitioned to a new job and schools “were suddenly dwarfed by plans for surgery and the necessary cancer treatments,” she shared in giving the keynote address at the Fourth Annual Women’s Breakfast for employees, held in recognition of Women’s History Month in late March.
“The new exciting life would have to begin without me,” said Joyce who expressed her gratitude to the Mount community for welcoming her family home amid their turmoil. “I would like to extend my gratitude for the support, prayers and love,” she continued. “You have no idea how you took a family at its most vulnerable and infused it with strength, hope and love.” In recent weeks, Joyce, whose treatment plans and therapy sessions are winding down, has attended multiple events on campus. She, along with the Joyce’s five children and many extended family members, were present for Jerry Joyce’s inauguration as the 27th president of Mount St. Mary’s on April 12 and a related symposium and Mass on April 11.
In her speech, Erin Joyce shared h
er journey that began a few years ago to find a better balance between her dominant Martha and the less present Mary. As told in Luke 10:38-42, Martha worked hard to prepare a meal and ready her home to welcome Jesus and his disciples. While Martha worried about preparing the home, her sister Mary of Bethany sat at Jesus’s feet and listened. When Martha complained that Mary should be helping her, Jesus advised Martha not to worry and told her that Mary had chosen the better path by seeking His presence.
Several years ago, on a date night with Jerry, Erin Joyce expressed frustration about her mental load with her career as a night shift nurse practitioner and active role as a dedicated mother. Her husband did not fully understand until they went into a bookstore after dinner and Joyce saw a book that explained her challenge: Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. Joyce exclaimed, “I’m a Martha!” and then Jerry Joyce laughed.
“If you wanted something done, I was your girl. The more packed my schedule, the more I got done and the more I felt valued,” she said. “I was not making time for Christ, and I used being busy as an excuse.”
Joyce made remarkable progress in becoming more like Mary by sponsoring her friend Cara's conversion to Catholicism. Joyce and Cara listened to Pruning to Prosper, a podcast by Gina Morton, which uplifted and calmed the friends. Joyce also found that the rosary gave her an opportunity to sit and focus on Christ and his Mother. “Such engaged prayer time left me feeling soothed and refreshed,” she said.
This prioritization of time with God became easier for Joyce to achieve as she recuperated from surgery by resting. She is happy that she has found peace in her quiet time with God. “God provides and sometimes he has an odd way of giving us what we need. My Mary heart is finally at peace with the Martha world. Brain cancer insists that you slow down, and what is truly important becomes clear,” Joyce said.
Recognizing that she will need reminders to “curb Martha and be a little more like Mary,” Joyce hopes that the reminder that God sends is less dramatic than another medical crisis. She then recited the “helpful list” she prepared for Him such as a flat tire or a kid needing supplies for a school project at 9 p.m.
“I like you am still on my journey. May we all continue to move forward, seeking our divine purpose while remembering to pull over along the way to rest with Him,” Joyce concluded as the audience rose from their seats to give her a standing ovation.