An insurance industry lobbyist with a calling.(profile of Mary Lanning, ML&G Associates Inc.)

Anyone who thinks that an effective insurance industry lobbyist has to be a cigar-puffing, whiskey-swilling operator who doles out campaign contributions hasn't met Mary Lanning.

At first glance, she appears to be everybody's favorite Irish aunt-a 5-ft. 2-in. dynamo whose blue eyes sparkle as brightly as her quick wit.

Listen to her talk, and you hear street smarts combined with a profound understanding of human nature. Those characteristics have made New York-based ML&G Associates Inc., her lobbying and consulting firm, an effective advocate and mediator for her insurance industry clients, according to leading legislators, regulators and industry representatives.

But that is only half of her life.

Mary Lanning is also a Roman Catholic nun, who in 1970 left a Dominican monastery after 13 years to live independently as a member of the service-oriented Sisters for Christian Community.

Ms. Lanning calls on her decades of experience as the eldest daughter in a family of 11, a hospice volunteer and grief counselor, to provide a compassionate ear and practical advice to those who face life-changing losses or problems. She also develops and coordinates free services for the elderly and terminally ill, regardless of their religious beliefs.

In what one friend calls ``her 36-hour days,'' Ms. Lanning is especially devoted to helping the homeless with food and necessities. For decades, she has coordinated scores of volunteers-including insurance industry executives, legislators, firefighters, stockbrokers, senior citizens, students and church groups-in the preparation, serving and sharing of an outdoor gourmet feast on Thanksgiving Day. Last year, nearly 1,200 people gathered for food and fellowship at a blocked-off street near her one-room …