in Praise of and Gratitude for Sister Mary McCarthy

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words in Praise of and Gratitude for Sister Mary McCarthy

“Sister Mary is beloved to the Mercy community, and her important work has shaped the lives of so many. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to help honor her, and to have contributed in some small way to the celebration of her legacy.”

—Jen Casey Romer ’08

Sr. Mary McCarthy, RSM announced her retirement at the end of 2019, just months ahead of the pandemic. After scheduling and repeatedly rescheduling her retirement dinner due to COVID-19, the necessity of continuing safety protocols led us to go forward with a joyful but relatively small reception in June 2021.

In a charming gathering of reflection, current and past board of trustees, faculty and members of Sr. Mary’s family were in attendance for the formal presentation of her portrait. Jen Casey Romer ’08 created a spectacular oil portrait of Sr. Mary that will have a prominent place in our auditorium gallery, in enduring appreciation for Sr. Mary’s extraordinary forty-five years of dedication and service. The next time you join us at Mercy, please be certain to take a look. It’s not to be missed!

Jen Casey Romer ’08

Founder, Ugly Mother, Creative Marketing Agency; Brooklyn, New York

Designing a Meaningful Future

“For me, this last year was a lesson in managing stress, practicing resourcefulness and a sense of strategy that sometimes felt very much tied to our survival,” explains Jen Casey Romer. “It also provided us with a very keen understanding of what and who were important, and what was not. Our lives grew smaller and more restricted, but we learned to live more intentionally. I called my parents every morning and night to ask how they were and remind them how much I loved them (still do).”

Jen Casey Romer and Mercy High School have a shared history. Alumnae in her family include her mother, Nancy Keithan Casey ’78, as well as aunts Susan Keithan Peak ’67, Rosemary Keithan Launay ’73 and Sarah Casey Dell ’88. Jen remembers Mercy as a safe environment where she was “not rushed to grow up, but allowed to glow!” Helen Mooz, Jen’s art teacher, had a significant influence—her shining light.

Following her graduation from Mercy, Jen attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to pursue her interests in art, graduating with a BFA in Painting. She then moved to New York City to be Creative Director at a start-up company. “I had the great fortune of being given a lot of responsibility very early in my career. I was entrusted with overseeing and producing all aspects of the brand creative—developing our identity, operations, conceptualizing brand growth well into the future and working alongside our founder to build from the ground up. Within five years, the business grew to become a national franchise, which now operates throughout the U.S.,” Jen recalled. “While I loved this work in many respects, the hours were grueling and the work was endless.” Her next career stop was a transition to agency work, where “the demanding work hours shrank only slightly. I love creative and design work—I love the challenge of it and the ability to impact a large group of people, evolve brand ethics and their means of communication from the inside out.” The incredibly long hours as Creative Director of the Brooklyn agency, however, were less alluring—particularly for someone who appreciates sleep! Then came the pandemic, and change. She and husband Lucas Romer had weathered the course of COVID-19 together in their Brooklyn apartment. In March 2020, Lucas became “incredibly sick, as did many people we knew. Thankfully he recovered—but we watched our city change, our community be deeply impacted and the trajectory of our lives shift dramatically.” By the start of this year, Jen and Lucas partnered to launch Ugly Mother, a creative marketing agency that “merges our networks, talents and shared passion for creating meaningful relationships between brands and their consumers.” She leads the creative output and the trajectory of the growing business, which focuses on digital events, talks and forums, online web series, digital events and website designs/builds. (Lucas is a partner in The Commodore Restaurant in Brooklyn—Mercy alums are welcome!!!) It was shortly afterwards that Mercy contacted Jen to determine if she would be interested in painting a portrait of her former principal, Sr. Mary McCarthy, who retired in June 2020. Jen graciously accepted, saying she’d be honored to take on the project. The spectacular result was soon unveiled for all to see.

For those seeking a career in her field, Jen suggests: “Nourish your sense of creativity—seek out culture when you can, make time to detach from your phone and the rush of content online. Read books, get invested in people, grow your hobbies.” She recalls similar advice she received in college “from an artist I greatly admired. He told me to always keep a hobby—that these seemingly small or marginal interests can help expand what you know, give you perspectives that stand out against others and often lead you into new opportunities professionally.” Jen advises current Mercy students to “Be mindful of your relationships —of who you decide to invest yourself in and who you give your time to. You're building the community around you, the people that will help you grow or force you into stagnation.” “I've been lucky,” Jen adds, mentioning that she remains best friends with fellow Mercy grad Brie (Brittany) Campochiaro ’08. “Always choose to walk away from those who drain you, and nurture those relationships with the people who lift you up.”