Sisters Celebrate Anniversary of Monastic Profession
July 13, 2008


(l. to r.) Sisters Chris Kean, Jo Ann Fellin, Micaela Randolph, Barbara Ann Mayer, and Deborah Peters.

The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas, had five good reasons to celebrate on Sunday, July 13. Their annual jubilee celebration honors those sisters marking twenty-five or fifty years of monastic profession, and is attended by many friends and family members of the sisters in addition to the monastic community. Sister Anne Shepard, prioress, spoke with gratitude of their commitment, saying, "today is a feast wherein all gathered are touched by your fidelity and generosity, your hope and your steadfastness." (Read Sister Anne's reflection given at the Jubilee Mass.)

Sister Chris Kean has been professed for twenty-five years. She came from Longmont, Colo., to attend Mount St. Scholastica College, which became Benedictine College, and entered the monastery a few years later. Her interest in pastoral care of the sick and dying eventually led to a career in mortuary science. She is a licensed funeral director currently employed at Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home in Atchison. She believes her life in community is a daily gift, "I could not have picked a more holy, diverse and talented group."

There were four golden jubilarians this year: Sisters Jo Ann Fellin, Barbara Ann Mayer, Deborah Peters and Micaela Randolph. Sister Micaela is on the staff of Sophia Center at the Mount. A former director of the spirituality center, she now mainly coordinates the Souljourners program, which trains spiritual directors. A native of Hastings, Nebr., she attended Mount St. Scholastica College and, after entering the monastery, went on to a career in teaching and in parish work. Beyond this, however, she says simply, "My vocation as a Benedictine is who I am."

Sister Barbara Ann Mayer came originally from St. Louis, Mo., and has been involved in both education and journalism. After some years of teaching, she became associate editor of the archdiocesan newspaper, The Leaven, and is also editor of Benedictines magazine. The last several years, she was able to unite the two loves of education and writing as the director of public relations for Donnelly College. She looks forward to spending more time in freelance creative writing, and continuing to enjoy the "support and inspiration of my sisters who encourage me in my search for God."

Sister Deborah Peters is also a lover of education and writing. After her upbringing in Belleville, Ill., she has devoted her life to teaching English at all grade levels. She has been on the faculty of Benedictine College in Atchison since 1975 and got to spend the past semester teaching in the study abroad program at Florence, Italy.

Sister Jo Ann was born in Marshfield, Mo., and also came to Atchison as a student at Mount St. Scholastica College. A year after graduating, she returned to enter the community and has devoted her life to teaching mathematics. She retired as professor emerita from Benedictine College in 2004, after having spent the last 34 years in the Math and Computer Science Department there. Since then, she has been working in the monastery, primarily managing the monastery's gift shop. She used her artistic talent to design the invitation for the anniversary and to sum up her experience of these 50 years. All the honorees agreed that it expressed their sentiments about their many years of Benedictine life. It shows an interlocking circle of people with the Psalm quote "Strong the love embracing us."