Threshold Winter 2007

Spotlight on Golden Jubilarians

"From That Day She Is Counted As One of the Community"
(RB 58:23)

The chapel of Mount St. Scholastica was filled with a large crowd of well-wishers who came to celebrate with the sisters who marked their golden jubilee of profession on July 8, 2007. Sister Anne Shepard, prioress, spoke warmly of them. “All are bright, articulate, looking out for the needs of others and nurturing in their own unique ways. Each values family, her Benedictine one, her family of origin and the friends over the years who are considered as close as family. All rely on and are models of God’s love.” The honorees, Sisters Dorothy Wolters, Janelle Maes, and Thomasita Homan, were also joined in the celebration by Sister Marilyn Carpenter, who made her profession with them and is now a member of the Benet Hill Monastery in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which was founded from Atchison.

(l. to r.) Sisters Dorothy, Janelle, Thomasita and Marilyn

Sister Dorothy Wolters
I was the tenth of eleven children in an Atchison family, some of whom still live here. During my teaching career, I served as principal/president of Mount St. Scholastica Academy for eleven years. I have also spent many years in administration at the monastery and am currently director of human resources for employees of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica.

My life has been very graced by God’s presence and guidance, beginning with the family into which I was born and nurtured, to the community of sisters I now call my family.

Serving so many years in administration of the community has given me an interest in all facets of the community and our life together. The years I taught, prefected and served in administration at the Academy of Mount St. Scholastica hold some of my best memories and most wonderful experiences with students and faculty.

I feel very blessed to be part of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica. The Lord brought me to this community, though I looked at other religious communities, and drew me into this “busy” but contemplative environment, where we seek God together. Community living is an integral part of Benedictine life and has helped me become the person I now am.

I was the tenth of eleven children in an Atchison family, some of whom still live here. During my teaching career, I served as principal/president of Mount St. Scholastica Academy for eleven years. I have also spent many years in administration at the monastery and am currently director of human resources for employees of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica. (S. Dorothy is pictured above visiting with several of the monastery cooks.)

My life has been very graced by God’s presence and guidance, beginning with the family into which I was born and nurtured, to the community of sisters I now call my family.

Serving so many years in administration of the community has given me an interest in all facets of the community and our life together. The years I taught, prefected and served in administration at the Academy of Mount St. Scholastica hold some of my best memories and most wonderful experiences with students and faculty.

I feel very blessed to be part of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica. The Lord brought me to this community, though I looked at other religious communities, and drew me into this “busy” but contemplative environment, where we seek God together. Community living is an integral part of Benedictine life and has helped me become the person I now am.

Sister Janelle Maes
I was born and raised as a member of St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee, Kansas. My childhood was spent there and I attended the parish school. That was where I met the Benedictine nuns who have had a strong formative influence on me. I taught grade school for nine years in Kansas schools, important years for me as I enjoyed my teaching very much.

I attended Mount St. Scholastica College in the summers, getting a degree in music and still play the organ for community liturgy. (Sister Janelle is pictured here at the organ.) After receiving a master’s degree in elementary education, I was able to train teachers at Mount St. Scholastica College, another ministry I thoroughly enjoyed. Believing I would be more effective with counseling skills, I pursued a master’s degree in counseling psychology.

While on the community’s ministry team, I became convinced that we had a responsibility to Atchison. This is the reason I went to Dallas to do an internship in pastoral counseling and returned to set up All Faith Counseling Center. The center has been in operation for almost 25 years and I have been administering it as a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist.

I know none of this would be possible without the strong bond I have with my Benedictine sisters. Community life has been very important to me as has been my prayer life and our liturgical life together. I cannot believe 50 years are here! What more is there? I feel so blessed and am enjoying the 200 fold!

Sister Thomasita Homan
I was born in Nebraska, one of eight children who loved to read and enjoy family vacations. I attended the Mount Academy, and shortly after graduation, I entered the monastery. Since then, I have taught at all levels of education, currently as English professor at Benedictine College. Besides teaching, I have been Director of Formation for our community, Director of Alumni and Campus Ministry at the college, and on the editorial board for American Benedictine Review, Benedictines and, currently, Threshold.

My sabbatical year in 1997-98 was profoundly educational. I divided my time. In India, I was a consultant at Woodstock International School in the Himalayas and the Tibetan school in Happy Valley. In Kazakhstan, I copy-edited Almaty’s local English newspaper, was consultant for the new high school and an advisor for the American Program at the university. I also made a literary pilgrimage to England, and spent time in Omaha where I helped my father care for my ailing mother.

Sometimes people ask me why I entered the monastery. All I can say is that it seemed that my heart went ahead of me. I followed. The journey is profound. As Benedictines, we seek God, and that takes a lifetime of careful attention to others, to ministries, to people on this earth, to the land and its environment, to ourselves, and to our God. I think I need at least fifty more years … of listening, then I can complete this statement.

Pictured above is Sister Thomasita with her siblings at her jubilee.