Mathew N. Schmalz

I am an associate professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. I am married with two daughters, a large standard poodle named Harold, and a gecko named Mr. Wiggles.

I have recently written a book for the Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy. The book, Mercy Matters, examines how we can bring mercy to experiences of adoption, addiction, martial disagreement, suffering, and violence. The book is autobiographical and I hope that by sharing my own experiences of mercy, I can empower others to share their own experiences of mercy as well.

Mercy Matters, a book that focuses on Catholic spirituality for a broad audience, represents a new kind of writing for me. Most of my work is scholarly and focuses on Roman Catholicism, South Asian Studies, and modern religious movements. My work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including: The History of Religions, Method and Theory in the Study of Religion, Religion, The Religious Studies Review, and America's Best Spiritual Writing.

I am also co-editor of "Engaging South Asian Religions: Boundaries, Appropriations, and Resistances" (SUNY Press, 2010), and am on the editorial board of the Journal of Christian Higher Education, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, and the Catholic theological journal Asian Horizons.

I also write regularly for the website Crux: Covering All Things Catholic. I have published opinion pieces in the Washington Post, Commonweal Magazine, The National Catholic Reporter, and The Huffington Post, and have provided expert commentary to USA Today, The New York Times, the Washington Post, ABC's Good Morning America, The Boston Globe, NPR, CNBC, MSNBC, and U.S. News & World Report, among others. I was fortunate enough to be quoted in more than 500 media outlets across the country in 2013-2014.