On April 14, 2024, more than 90 women from Kansas and Missouri came to the Mount for “Catholic Women’s Day: A Bilingual Benedictine Experience. “The day was facilitated by Mary Kay Whitaker, of Sophia Spirituality Center, and Karla Melgar, a consultant for the Archdiocesan Evangelization Office.
After gathering for coffee at Sophia Center, the guests joined the community for Mass in St. Scholastica Chapel. The Mount handbell choir performed a prelude, and the Mass included music and readings in Spanish and English, with a translation of the homily into Spanish by Sister Helga Leija. Following the Mass, guests enjoyed a catered lunch.
Three bilingual retreat activities were offered during the afternoon:
• During a tour of the monastery led by Sister Judith Sutera and Oblate Brenda Mortell, guests learned about the Benedictine values of communal prayer(chapels), love of learning (library), the common table (dining room), and care of the sick (Dooley Center).
• In the Choir Chapel, Sisters Micaela Randolph and Helga Leija explained how the sisters pray the Liturgy of the Hours and helped guests explore the images and symbols in the “Atchison Blue” stained glass windows.
• Guests received photos and short biographies of deceased sisters and were invited to pray privately with these sisters as they visited the cemetery and placed flowers at graves. The day was a celebration of unity and shared prayer for the sisters and retreatants, and Sophia Center looks forward to hosting this event again next year on April 27, 2025.