News & Updates
Monastery News and Notes
Mount St. Scholastica celebrates milestones and community events! Sister Linda Herndon’s promotion at Benedictine College, Dooley Center’s PEAK Mentor Award, Sabbath Sunday reflections, and visits from Abbey monks highlight recent happenings. Discover how the Mount fosters education, spiritual growth, and Benedictine traditions in a thriving community. Read more today!
Sister Linda Herndon Receives Promotion at BC
On August 1, 2024, Sister Linda Herndon was recognized for 35 years of service at Benedictine College (BC) and was promoted to the position of Senior Vice Provost. During her career at BC, Sister Linda was Associate Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics for 20 years and Chair of the Department for six of those years, and she was Registrar for 10 years. In her new role, Sister Linda’s major responsibilities include managing the College curriculum on a day-to-day basis, handling academic appeals of students, and serving as the Higher Learning Commission liaison and the U.S. Department of Education compliance officer. Sr. Linda said, “I really enjoy the challenge of this position with its variety of responsibilities. I am able to make use of my skills, talents, and gifts as I serve the Benedictine College students, faculty, and staff.”
Dooley Center Receives PEAK Mentor Home Award
Dooley Center received the PEAK Mentor Home Award at the Person-Centered Care Conference in Manhattan, Kansas, in October 2024. “PEAK” is an acronym for “Promoting Excellent Alternatives in Kansas.” Dooley Center is a mentor home and received the award because it has achieved all person-centered care criteria at a high level and sustained that level for at least 2 years. Dooley Center has mentored other facilities in the program to help them achieve high levels in person-centered care practices. The program fosters the ability of residents to voice their preferences relating to their care and encourages staff to honor those preferences to provide the best possible care to residents.
Sabbath Sunday and Topic Tuesday Presentations
Sister Therese Elias opened our celebration of the Church’s Season of Creation on September 1, 2024, with a presentation about Celtic spirituality, which is closely connected to the earth. She focused on the Celtic practice of saying a prayer to bless every activity of the day, such as making the bed, caring for our animals, and walking out the door to run an errand. At a Topic Tuesday gathering on October 15, the community watched the video Through the Storm and discussed how we grieve deaths of sisters and process other losses as a community. On November 19, the community listened to the parable The Little Tin Box by Fr. Edward Hays about the importance of honoring our memories and discussed how we keep our community memories alive. Sister Grace Malaney closed out the last Sabbath Sunday of 2024 on December 1 by sharing how her elder years have been enriched by writing poetry (see story on page 14).
Abbey Monks Visit the Mount
For many years, it has been a tradition for the Mount sisters and the monks from St. Benedict’s Abbey to pray together and share a meal on the Feast of Christ the King. The sisters hosted the monks on November 24, 2024, and gave them a blessing at the end of the evening to thank them for their friendship and spiritual support.
On the Second Day of Christmas, monks from the Abbey came to lead a songfest in the Dooley Center living area. They brought cookies, and Father Jay Kythe contributed special candy from India for the occasion.
Mount Hosts Conference of Benedictine Prioresses
From January 29 to February 4, 2025, the Mount sisters hosted 41 Benedictine prioresses and presidents of Benedictine monastic congregations for their annual meeting. Sisters Susan Barber, Esther Fangman, Maria Heppler, Alberta Hermann, Carol Ann Petersen, and Mary Elizabeth Schweiger handled arrangements for the gathering. Conference participants met at Sophia Spirituality Center and joined the sisters for Evening Prayer and supper each day.
Literature Lovers Gather for Book Discussions
Sister Jeanne d’Arc Kernion, a long-time teacher and former English professor at Saint Joseph Seminary College in Saint Benedict, Louisiana, is leading ongoing book discussions at the Mount. Most recently, a group of nine sisters has read A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines; Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe; A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler; and Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather. Sisters find that the book group helps them be more disciplined in their reading habits and motivates them to read classic literature they might not have encountered in the past.
