Holy Hands

In some cultures, folk art depicts hands with holes in the center to indicate that we should permit some of the blessings we receive to flow on to others. Based on the generosity the Mount community experienced at the Night of Dreams fundraiser, our benefactors have very holy hands indeed!

As I have learned through my class on the History of Mount St. Scholastica, the community has been sustained by the kindness and generosity of others from its earliest days. The seven sisters who arrived in Atchison on November 11, 1863, found that Catholic families had already built a convent for them. Correspondence from early prioresses and bishops frequently mention that they sent “begging letters” to various benefactors. The Mount could not have survived through the years without the support of persons who valued and chose to support the work of the Sisters.

Today, in our American culture, self-sufficiency has become so highly regarded that we may cringe at the thought of begging. However, Christians know that there is no such thing as self-sufficiency, for we depend on God for our very breath, and all blessings flow from the Trinity. Likewise, those in the Body of Christ support the needs and ministries of each other, because, as Sr. Anne Shepard noted at the Night of Dreams, our work is your work. Through my donations to Habitat to Humanity over the years, I have helped to build houses, although I have never picked up a hammer. Likewise, persons who support the Mount are right alongside us in the chapel, classroom, Dooley Center, Sophia Center, and Keeler Women’s Center.

We are very grateful to all those who gave us a holy hand at the Night of Dreams, and we will work to ensure that those blessings will flow on through our ministries—the work of our hands.