Mount Marty College Reunion: Tea & Treats with the Sisters

Sr. Marielle (front, left) and Sr. Cynthia (back, left)
visit with students and their families.

Greetings,

Srs. Rosaleen (far left), Aurthur (second from right),
and Phyllis (far right) gathered with their MM class...

Sr. Angeline (center) enjoying a break in their
laughter and stories with her high school
 classmates from 1948.

The end of June heralded Mount Marty College's All-Schools reunion.  Alumni from our school in all its forms from Mount Marty Academy, to Sacred Heart School of Nursing, and Sacred Heart Hospital School of Anesthesia, from Mount Marty High School, to Mount Marty Junior College, through Mount Marty College gathered at 'The Mount' for a weekend of tradition, remembering, and celebration.

Sr. Ann (center) with former history students
and their families.

Srs. Kevin (front left) and Jeannette (front right)
with former students and friends

Saturday afternoon, the sisters hosted a "tea & treats" in the Monastic Chapter room.  We joyfully opened our doors to the alumni, for the Rule of Benedict says "Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, "I came as a guest, and you received Me" (Matt. 25:35). And to all let due honor be shown, especially to the domestics of the faith and to pilgrims" (chapter 53).

Our sisters have been and continue to be students, teachers, and professors at the college throughout the years.  The tea was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with friends and students from the ages. We weren't sure how many alumni to expect, but soon the room was filling with alumni waiting to share stories with the sisters.  As our sisters began to arrive, alumni would call them over to a group so they could introduce 'their teacher' or 'their classmate'.  Other sisters were welcomed with hugs and the beginning of a tall tale, "I remember when...." So many memories and so much joy to share, the laughter and voices filled our Chapter Room and spilled out into the halls, bringing in more sisters and alumni.  

Srs. Patricia Ann (front left) and
Corrine (back right) reconnecting
with students.

Over the years our sisters have sought the value of supporting education through every possible work in our school on 'The Mount': teachers, professors, presidents, maintenance, cooks, dorm resident assistants...  This service can be seen in Saint Benedict's call to manual labor: "And if the circumstances of the place or their poverty should require that they themselves do the work of gathering the harvest, let them not be discontented; for then are they truly monastics when they live by the labor of their hands, as did our Fathers and the Apostles. Let all things be done with moderation, however, for the sake of the faint-hearted" (chapter 48).

There were no 'faint-hearted' on that joy-filled Saturday.  Only a lightness of spirit that celebrated our ministry of education and love for our students and friends.

Blessings,

Celebrating our Centenarian!

Greetings,
Yesterday, we celebrated our centenarian, Sister Virginia!  A few of her close family, some cake, and the love of her sisters.  The following 'story' is from her 80th jubilee...

Sr. Virginia is the 3rd of 13 children of her parents, who supported her call to religious life.  She attended St. Mary's grade school where she was influenced by the Benedictine sisters and monks.  She entered Sacred Heart Monastery on September 2, 1929 at the age of 15.  After graduating from Mount Marty High School in 1932 she was invested as a novice.  She made first profession on August 16, 1933 and final profession on June 26, 1939.

After a year of teaching and loving 53 first graders, Sr. Virginia was called into the field of nursing.  She graduated from Sacred Heart School of Nursing in 1937.  She was a nurse from 1937-1978, she then worked in hospital administration in South Dakota, receiving a credential in Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1972.  She received a degree from Mount Marty College and became certified in Pastoral Care in 1979.  She then served in Pastoral Care ministry in Colorado from 1979 until her retirement to the monastery in 2001.

Reflecting on her 80th jubilee, Sr. Virginia says, "God's blessings have truly overwhelmed me these 80 years for which I am deeply grateful.  Time has passed quickly amidst joys, sorrows, complexities but always accompanied by an awareness of God's abiding peace, grace and assuring love.  I am most appreciative that God called me to Sacred Heart Monastery in Yankton to be a member of this Benedictine community."

The Heart of Our Home

 Greetings,

The Rule of Benedict calls upon the prioress and the community to a particular love and care for the elders in their midst.  At Sacred Heart Monastery, we are blessed to have St. Joseph's Care Center in the heart of our home.  Our elders, the sick, and those recovering, all receive care and comfort not only from our nursing help, but also our own sisters in the monastery at home.

 The Volunteer Valentine party celebrated the sisters and friends who volunteer around the monastery and the sisters receive their joy-filled care.

"Although human nature itself is drawn to special kindness towards these times of life, that is towards the old and children, still the authority of the Rule should also provide for them.

Let their weakness be always taken into account, and let them by no means be held to the rigor of the Rule with regard to food. On the contrary, let a kind consideration be shown to them, and let them eat before the regular hours."
  (RB 37, 1-3)

 The sisters, volunteers, and staff of the Care Center enjoyed an annual soup supper organized by Barb, coordinator of activities for the Care Center.

"Before all things and above all things, care must be taken of the sick, so that they will be served as if they were Christ in person; for He Himself said, "I was sick, and you visited Me" and, "What you did for one of these least ones, you did for Me".

"But let the sick on their part consider that they are being served for the honor of God, and let them not annoy their sisters who are serving them by unnecessary demands. Yet they should be patiently borne with, because from such as these is gained a more abundant reward. Therefore the Abbess shall take greatest care that they suffer no neglect."
  (RB 36, 1-10)

Sisters Margo, the junior, and Leonette, the senior, preparing veggies for a weekly soup supper in the Care Center activity room.

"The juniors, therefore, should honor their seniors, and the seniors love their juniors." (RB 63, 10)








The monastery's retreat house for the sisters has recently been refurbished! After tearing up the old carpet and laying a new floor, the sisters stocked the rooms and cupboards and added some finishing touches. The changes have made the retreat space available to our sisters of all ages and abilities.

It is wonderful to have a home away from home to take some time away from the hustle and bustle of the 100 sisters around to house; to be with God in the silence of creation.

Blessings,

Weather Watchin'

"Natures Fireworks" by bde296 in Estelline, SD

 Greetings,

 

 There has been quite a bit of wild weather in the last few days.  While the monastery has stayed high and dry, South Dakota to the north of us has seen destructive straight line winds and Nebraska to the south of us has already been visited by a few tornadoes!  This has prompted some storm preparation at home.  Each section of the monastery has a designated 'storm shelter' within the lower level of the house and many of the sisters are assigned places.

Assignment 1: Care of our elders is paramount; in the case of a storm, many of our nursing sisters and a few others would go to our care center to help the staff guide our elders to safety.  Once settled, the various elders take charge in leading a rosary and invoking St. Scholastica to protect us from storm.  I was tucked into an inner hallway with Sister Rosary leader during one storm; their prayer is serious business.  Assignment 2: Our mostly-mobile sisters have a different shelter and their own set of assigned sister storm guides, complete with flashlights and weather radios.  Assignment 3: We never forget our Benedictine Hospitality; the guest department sisters gather with our visiting retreatants, friends, and family.

Those of us on the upper floors of the monastery have practiced dashing down stairwells to our windowless sanctuaries.  Assignment 4: One or two sisters are in charge of a final room-check on each wing before descending the halls themselves and counting us again at our shelter.  We're a big family and it gets pretty warm and cozy in some of the lower halls.  Just like any family, we have our wide variety of storm responses...the storm watchers are always sneaking a bit closer to a window or door to 'see the action', the news fiends have their own weather radio to listen in, the intercessors usually gather for a quiet Rosary or Litany of the Saints (sometimes I'm here), and finally, the easily distracted (usually my group).  If a storm is predicted, I prepare a go-bag of flashlight, socks, billfold, umbrella, shawl, a good book, and some games.  Yup, a summer storm shelter is the prefect place for some Pinochle cards, Farkle or Yahtzee dice, and other easy travel games.  A little distraction and before we know it, the all clear alarm has been rung and we can return to our beds.  Thank God for family.

Blessings & Keep Watchin' the Skies!