Sister Rose M. Mulligan found God early in life.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary sister and Jim Thorpe native always admired her Catholic schoolteachers, most of whom were IHM sisters.

“I was blessed to have the IHM sisters in grade school,” she said. “In Marian High School, I was also taught by quite a few sisters. A sister that I had in grades 5-7, Sister Mary Eileen, really inspired me at that time.

“I admired how involved the sisters were and how much they really cared about the students. I had a sister who taught me chemistry and I remember thinking, ‘There has to be a God behind all of this. It is too complex but elegant.’

“From that moment on, I started to daydream and wondered why in the world the sisters teaching me ever became a sister? I became very curious and tried to learn about their life. I saw how their love for God spilled over in their love for people and helping us as students. The sisters had a joy about them and a wonderful community spirit.”

Those inspirational moments led Mulligan to her vocation, while the teacher who taught her chemistry led her to her career.

Now, Mulligan is using her two loves and has recently joined the faculty of the Natural and Computational Sciences Department as an associate professor in chemistry at Immaculata University, while also serving as the director of vocations for the Immaculate Heart of Mary Vocation Office.

“I am thrilled to be a part of Immaculata’s faculty,” she said. “The education I received and the friendships that I formed here as a student changed my life.”

Born to Eugene and Alice Mulligan of Jim Thorpe, Mulligan received a Catholic school education her whole life, first at Immaculate Conception, then Marian Catholic High School, where she graduated in 1984, and finally at Immaculata University.

Mulligan credits her family with instilling her faith early on and creating a strong foundation for the path she has taken.

“Over the years a lot of little things inspired me and pointed to this vocation,” she said. “Growing up, some stories captured by imagination such as the ‘Chronicles of Narnia.’ I remember thinking, ‘If Jesus is like Aslan the Lion, he’s wild!’ ”

In eighth grade, Mulligan remembers passing a disabled person in the grocery store and something in that moment spoke to her.

“I remember thinking, ‘God, I don’t know what I want to do with my life, but whatever I do, I just want to help people.’ ”

After graduating from Marian, Mulligan ventured out into the world of college for two years, which she said was a wonderful experience, but something still didn’t feel quite right.

“I still had the nudging of my heart, mind and soul to consider religious life,” she said. “Eventually I attended a discernment retreat, and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. I returned quite a few more times and eventually applied and entered the congregation.”

Mulligan entered the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Immaculata University during her sophomore year and served as a novice until she professed her first vows in 1989.

“The first vows are made for one year and then we renew them each year for five years,” she said. “After five years of being a temporary professed sister, I professed my final vows for life. This is known as perpetual profession. My perpetual profession was in 1994.”

Mulligan’s first love led her to continue to pursue her second love, and in 1999, she received her master’s degree in chemistry from Drexel University. Mulligan continued her studies at Drexel, where she was a teaching assistant in the chemistry department and earned a Ph.D. in chemistry in 2002.

She joined Immaculata’s faculty for four years as an assistant professor of chemistry before serving a vocation ministry in 2007.

Since then, the science teacher has taught students about the importance of paying attention to the clues, both visible and invisible, that may lead you through life.

“Looking back on my life, I realized that God spoke to me in the same way, by giving me both visible and invisible clues,” she said. “When I first entered the religious life, I thought that it was because I loved God. Over the years, I have come to learn better how much God loves each of us.

“Through my years teaching (10 years teaching seventh-eighth grade, the years in vocations and teaching chemistry) I have come to realize what a privilege it is to be a part of young people’s lives and to help within their families.”