Reclaiming Catholic Medicine

Reclaiming Catholic Medicine

The Mullallys

Meet Dr. Andrew Mullally (2009), and his wife, Veronica Mullally (2010), AMU alumni whose Catholic faith is at the heart of their work. Andrew, with an MD, and Veronica, with an MBA specialized in healthcare management and accounting, started Credo Family Medicine in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in 2016. Their clinic serves the community while adhering to Catholic ethics.

Recently, Andrew— with two other pro-life, Catholic physicians— founded and cohosts a radio show focused on faith and medicine called Doctor, Doctor, which is broadcast nationally on EWTN Radio every Saturday. Additionally, the couple are busy with a growing family, as they are excitedly expecting their 6th child in December. They are grateful for their time at Ave Maria University, to which they attribute the depth of their appreciation of the Catholic faith.

Can you tell us how you ended up attending AMU?

Veronica: As a high school freshman or sophomore, I attended a talk in Michigan for the National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools. Tom Monaghan spoke about starting Ave Maria University and highlighted Ave’s mission statement, which was exactly what I was looking for. It was at that moment that I decided Ave Maria was where I wanted to go for college.

Andrew: I wanted to have a vast exposure to philosophy and theology in college, in addition to the sciences, I wanted that breadth of knowledge. When my parents attended a Call to Holiness weekend in Detroit, where Fr. Joseph Fessio spoke about AMU, they were impressed by the liberal arts curriculum and suggested that I attend. I was also excited to go to a Catholic University. I had attended a public high school and I had a longing for a peer group who appreciated the faith that was so important to me.

Veronica, How did you two meet and fall in love?

During my first semester at Ave, Andrew was studying abroad in Ave’s Austria Program. We first spoke when he called via Skype from Austria to talk to his friend whom I was dating. When he returned second semester (I was no longer dating his friend) we were introduced. About three weeks later we started dating and it didn’t take much longer for us to discover that we were a match. During my junior year, Andrew proposed and we married after I graduated.

What impact did AMU have on your faith?

Veronica: We both value the education we received at Ave, mainly in our moral theology and philosophy training. We were so lucky to have attended a Catholic college and received the training in our faith that we did. Our formation at Ave gave us the tools to tackle many topics, especially medical ethics, extremely effectively.

Andrew: My time at Ave permeates my daily life in the strength of my convictions and my ability to defend my beliefs in an articulate and persuasive way. My faith was galvanized at Ave, as was my desire to pursue medicine, to care for patients in a way that respects their dignity and to advocate for our Catholic faith in medicine. As part of the New Evangelization, we need to go into the secular world with competence and clarity. It has always been my goal to work toward this in medicine. I truly value the opportunity to help people on a daily basis and view medicine as an opportunity to grow in holiness. It is such an awesome blessing to practice the works of mercy in my daily work.

What are some of your best AMU memories?

Veronica: We always enjoyed trips to the beach and meeting friends at the Ave Maria Bean and the Pub. I valued being able to go to daily mass and adoration (that’s not so easy when you can’t just walk to it at any time of night!). My most fond memory of Ave is seeing Fr. Garrity riding his bike and saying hi to everyone he met and yelling, “God bless you!”

Andrew: I really enjoyed all the intramurals! I participated in student government, and worked as an RA and campus security guard. My favorite way to spend my free time was the random philosophical debates that would spring up at a late night bonfire or a day at the beach. Even our free time was very educational. I made such great friendships and I look back fondly on those times.

What advice would you give prospective AMU students?

Veronica: Pursue the classes that are useful to your career, but don’t forget to value the opportunities you have to develop your faith. It may be tempting to say “I’ll do those things when I am older and have more time,” but it only gets harder as you get older. Now, daily Mass, confessions, and adoration are happening everyday at AMU; you won’t have those same opportunities later!

Andrew: Looking back, I cannot express enough the benefit of a supportive, positive, and Catholic peer group on a college student. It was very formative for me and I wouldn’t want anything else.

Can you tell about relatives who also attended, or attend, AMU?

Veronica: I am the youngest in my family, so I am the only one of my siblings that attended; but my mother decided to pursue her Master’s in Theology through Ave, and graduated in 2009.

Andrew: I am the oldest of 9, and several of my siblings have attended Ave Maria. Matt (2011) is now a dentist with his own practice in Indiana. He married fellow Ave grad, Alicia Lalak (2011), who manages the practice, and they have 5 children. Kathleen (2015) went on to graduate from Ave Maria Law School in 2018. She married this September, and will be practicing in the Attorney General’s office in Kansas starting this fall. Thomas (2017) worked at Matt’s dental practice, and just enrolled in dental school in Detroit. Marie (2019) is now in optometry school in Big Rapids, Michigan. Joe is currently a junior and Monica hopes to attend in a year once she completes high school. My two first cousins, Maureen and Angie Mullally, also attended Ave.