by Shelby Bland
Special to The Leaven
ATCHISON — For Sister Barbara McCracken and the Benedictine Sisters of her community here, what started as a way to responsibly invest in the future of their community has now become a way to teach people around the world how to put their money where their mouth is.
Investing in a better future
As a religious at Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Sister Barbara has lived a life full of learning, working and loving those around her. On a day-to-day basis, she attends prayer and meals with her fellow Sisters and completes tasks for the community that help them continue to operate.
One such task primarily undertaken by Sister Barbara was that of the Sisters’ socially responsible investing. According to an article written by AP News, their initiative really began in 2004 when the community of Mount St. Scholastica joined the Benedictine Coalition for Responsible Investment.
When the community began to age, the Sisters decided to invest what little money they had into companies that might provide them a high return on investment. Held in balance with this new effort was their mission to inspire these companies to practice more corporate social responsibility.
Partnering with other Catholic organizations who had been doing this for many years, the Sisters at the Mount worked hard to use their money to invest in companies where their stakeholding could give them a platform to advocate for more humane labor practices.
Response from around the world
Though they have been operating under the radar for years, the world recently caught wind of the work the Sisters have been up to. The Sisters at the Mount — specifically Sister Judith Sutera, who handles press relations — and Sister Barbara were approached by a news reporter from the Associated Press.
The reporter was interested in visiting the Sisters to learn more about their socially responsible investing as well as how they live. Happy to share what they have learned with the world and practicing the Benedictine hospitality their order is known for, the Sisters received the reporter with joy.
When the visit was completed, the Sisters waited to see how the article would turn out. It turned out far better than they had hoped. It was published last Aug. 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sister Barbara said that the date was quite fortuitous.
Soon after the article’s publication, Sister Barbara, who was the primary interviewee for the article, began receiving letters and emails from people across the country.
“I think I’ve gotten right about 50 emails from complete strangers,” Sister Barbara said.
Many of the people who reached out had no connection to the Sisters at the Mount but simply felt inspired by their story. Some even sent donations for the Sisters to invest in holding corporations responsible for their actions.
A woman from Michigan, for example, wrote the following:
“I am inspired from reading the article of your investments. . . . In my own ‘small way,’ I enclose this small check as my ‘thank you’ for your investment in good works.”
To Sister Barbara, these letters, even more than the worldwide circulation of their story, are what projects like these are really about. There is more to it than just the money; it is about practicing the Catholic faith in every aspect of life.
Impact on the community
When talking about how this publicity has affected the Mount St. Scholastica community, Sister Judith said that it is helping tell the world who the Sisters are and what they do. Both she and Sister Barbara also mentioned that they believe this story has even brought donors to the Mount.
“The aftermath of this has just been kind of amazing,” Sister Judith said.
A lot of the media attention was focused specifically on Sister Barbara. But she says the story is really all about the Sisters of the Mount.
“Whatever I do is on behalf of the community,” she said. “It’s not about me.”
This story has become about more than just stewarding finances. It is about sharing the Gospel — even in the most secular places of society. From the chapel to Wall Street, the Sisters of the Mount strive to keep Christ’s view of humanity at the forefront of their minds, while empowering others to do the same.
“One of the things we want to do is educate people,” Sister Judith said.
The true joy of this story going global is how it has opened up the conversation for people to reach out to the Sisters with their curiosity.
For the Sisters, their lives are so much broader than this one social justice initiative. They also fight for sustainability and responsible environmental practices, care for the sick and aging, and host those seeking solitude.
Through reading about the Sisters in one of the many news outlets that have shared their story, the Sisters hope that people will learn more about their community — and feel inspired to take up an initiative of their own.
To learn more about the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, visit the website at: www.mountosb.org or send an email to: jsutera@mountosb.org.
