Ten years ago, when Mary Beth Erickson came to Fitzgerald Hall
to interview for a job in Campus Ministry, Saint Louis University
laid down the red carpet.

“Gee, you didn’t have to go to the trouble to roll out a red
carpet for me,” she told the interviewers.
Erickson recalls the memory with fondness but admits that the
occasion for such regality was the opening of an exhibit at Cartier
Hall, not her job interview.

But had the University known the contributions that Erickson
would make to the SLU community, adorning the walkway with red
carpet would have been just the beginning.

In 1993, while working as a secretary in the Mehlville School
District in South Country, Erickson’s mother died suddenly of a
heart attack. The next month her best friend told her that she and
her husband were relocating to Texas because of a job transfer. To
top it off, Erikson’s 40th birthday was quickly approaching.

She felt a need for change.

“Work was such a large part of my life, and I wanted to do
something I enjoyed,” she said.

Erickson shared her career-changing plans with her father, who
paid the Benedictine nuns $100 to pray for his daughter to land a
job she loved.

The leads came quickly. Erickson’s friend told her of a job
opportunity at Aquinas Institute. She interviewed for the position
and was offered a job.

Unfortunately, her new office was located at the top floor of an
inaccessible building, and her bad knees wouldn’t be able to make
the daily climb.

So she continued with the job search.

An individual in the Aquinas Institute suggested she investigate
the opportunities available for working with students at SLU, and
informed Erickson about an open position in Campus Ministry. Days
later she interviewed for the job, was offered a position and
officially began working for SLU on July 13, 1994.

Director of Campus Ministry, Michael Doody, S.J., was among
those involved in the interviewing process and was blown away by
Erickson’s personality.

“She catches on so fast…she has a great wisdom,” Doody
said.

After hearing the good news, Erickson’s dad returned to the nuns
and told them next time he was only forking over $50. It seemed
that his daughter didn’t need as many prayers as he originally
thought.

Almost 10 years later, Erickson has made her face known in the
SLU community by serving as the president of the SLU Women’s
Commission, a committee member for SLU stars, a religious retreat
leader and a regular at Campus Ministry’s 4:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
liturgies.

“I feel like I’m part of the community,” she said.

A St. Louis native, Erickson is the proud mother of two
college-aged daughters, but those students working in campus
ministry note that’s not the extent of her family circle.

“She treats us like we’re her own kids,” said junior Elliott
Kavanaugh. “Coming to work is like being at home. Mary Beth is
always there to give you a hug.”

Erickson’s open relationship with students often impedes her
productivity.

“Sometimes she has to close her door to get work done,” Doody
said.

But Erickson says the students enrich her lives in extraordinary
ways. “If I’m tired and I feel like my energy level is going down,
I can step outside with the students and other campus ministers and
I am re-energized,” she said.

And despite the obstacles she’s encountered in life, Erickson
believes there’s a grand plan for how things should fall into
place.

“I really believe God leads us in many different
directions…something good comes out of everything,” she said.

A mom to many and a friend to many more, Erickson fulfills the
Jesuit mission and leads the march as a “saint” of SLU.