Nursing students in the class of 2028 participated in the annual Blessing of the Hands ceremony at the Abbey Church on Saturday, January 31. During the ceremony, 118 sophomore nursing students received a special blessing, acknowledging their courage and wishing them success as they begin their first clinical experiences. This cherished Anselmian tradition reflects the importance of the college’s Benedictine values, inspiring future nurses to act with empathy and integrity.
Proud students donning their navy-blue scrubs lined the pews as Father Francis McCarty, O.S.B, conducted this year’s blessing. As in years prior, each student was presented with the medal of Saint Raphael, patron saint of nurses, signifying their commitment to helping people heal and offering them protection in their future nursing endeavors. Professor Anne Knight called up students individually to the altar during which their hands were blessed by Nursing professors Hilary Childs ’11, Necole Gabris, Michele Moreau, and Jennifer O’Neill. They then received prayer cards from Nursing professors Allison Richardson and Jessica Wine.
“The art of nursing comes from within you. It is rooted in presence, compassion, adaptability, humility, and humanity. Our role as faculty is to give you the tools: clinical skills, critical thinking, ethical grounding that allow you to become the nurse your patient needs you to be in any given moment” said Prof. Carrie MacLeod, director of Undergraduate Nursing and associate Nursing professor.
Before the ceremony concluded, healthcare professionals in attendance were given the opportunity to have their hands blessed as well.
Much joy filled the Abbey Church during this esteemed ceremony as sophomore nursing students were honored and uplifted for taking the next significant step in their nursing career. With clinical rotations on the horizon, students are eager to help the community by applying their learned skills to the real world in a hands-on manner.
“[The Anselmian nurse] has the ability to meet each patient where they are and to care for them with both skill and grace, always with the goal of maximizing health, recovery, and growth,” said MacLeod.