Making a Joyful Noise

Music always has been important to the community of Mount St. Scholastica — in fact, it helped ensure that the mission of the first sisters would continue. Several months after they arrived in Atchison, Kansas, in response to religious prejudice, the city mayor and prominent citizens decided to meet to determine whether the sisters could stay in the town. Before they held their meeting, the sisters mounted a counteroffensive; they issued written invitations to the men and their wives to attend to an open house at their school. The sisters displayed their textbooks and needlework, played the violin and sang for the visitors, and provided a buffet supper. The guests were delighted and dropped their opposition to the sisters’ presence in the town.

In the early decades of the community, teaching music lessons was an important source of income for the sisters. The community was consistently blessed with excellent vocalists, instrumentalists, and composers. Sacrifices were made to purchase organs for St. Scholastica Chapel and the Choir Chapel.

Today, we honor this history by decorating the community Christmas tree with finely wrought miniature musical instrument ornaments — various horns, violins, guitars, and harps. It is a way of celebrating what we value and acknowledging what matters to us: to “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16).

May Christmas be a time for you to celebrate and proclaim that which matters most to you!