Sisters and Volunteers Celebrate the Season of Creation 

The Church’s Season of Creation from September 1 through October 4 is a key period for sisters of the Mount to witness to the sacredness and interconnectedness of creation. Sisters, oblates, and volunteers prayed and worked together in a variety of ways during the 2024 Season of Creation and throughout the autumn season.

September 7 was a picture-perfect day to weed gardens, collect fallen branches and leaves, cut down spent sunflowers, and plant spring bulbs. Many hands made light work as 20 sisters, three oblates, and four volunteers from the family of deceased Sister Seraphine Tucker (her nephew Alan and his wife Patti and nieces Beth and Patti) tackled autumn clean-up chores. Sister Alberta Hermann, with the help of other members of the Wangari Committee, provided a picnic lunch at the gazebo, featuring watermelon from the garden and Sister Loretta McGuire’s homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Sisters Elizabeth Carrillo, Elaine Fischer, Helga Leija, Helen Mueting, Patricia Seipel, and Barbara Smith collected and extracted 650 pounds of honey from our 12 beehives; wax also was saved and processed for future craft projects. From September through December, sisters and volunteers picked up black walnuts and pecans from trees on the Mount grounds. A total of 240 pounds of pecans were collected, and Sisters Bernelda Nanneman, Mary Agnes Patterson, Marilyn Schieber, Martha Schweiger, and a number of other sisters have been diligently picking out the nutmeat from the cracked nuts. More than 2400 pounds of black walnuts were collected. 

Jenny Reardon, a sociology professor at the University of California-Santa Cruz, visited the monastery on October 2. She was biking across her native Kansas to conduct a survey on attitudes about and involvement in prairie management and restoration. She met with Sisters Elizabeth Carrillo, Barbara McCracken, and Judith Sutera and spent the night at the monastery.
Tree Planting Continues

In the past several years, 35 ash trees on the Mount grounds that were infected by the emerald ash borer had to be cut down. As part of an ongoing effort to establish new trees, which are critical to a healthy environment, Sister Elaine Fischer and the maintenance crew planted 23 trees at various places throughout the property in October 2024. Among those planted were several varieties of maple and oak trees, redbuds, horse chestnuts, gingkoes, and golden raintrees. Having a diversity of trees makes it less likely that a large number will be wiped out at one time by disease or an insect infestation.

On October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi and the end of the Season of Creation, Sister Barbara Conroy led a blessing of animals (our dog, Sophie, and a number of turtles from the Dooley Center turtle patio) after Midday Prayer. The Wangari Committee hosted a prayer service in the Choir Chapel at 7 pm, followed by a reception in the monastery dining room. The prayer service was planned by Sisters Susan Barber and Elizabeth Carrillo, and Sisters Alberta Hermann and Barbara Smith coordinated the reception. A number of oblates and friends of the community joined the sisters for this conclusion of the Season of Creation.

The community garden established at the north end of the Mount campus in 2024 had a very successful first year, generating more than 1000 pounds of vegetables for the Catholic Charities Atchison Family Support Center. In November 2024, members of the Merrywood Garden Board of Directors, including Sisters Elaine Fischer, Helen Mueting, and Barbara Smith, along with Sister Elizabeth Carrillo, attended a workshop to learn how to build “biochar reactors.” This composting tool breaks down tree leaves to create a carbon-rich material that attracts and holds soil nutrients. The group also is exploring the possibility of installing a hoop house to extend the growing season in 2025.