by Shelby Bland
Special to The Leaven
ATCHISON — Invitation is critical for evangelization, and the Sisters at Mount St. Scholastica here have been fostering a unique program for more than 40 years that encourages just this.
It all began years ago when Sister Connie Krstolic, OSB, hosted a group of young women from Benedictine College in Atchison for a come-and-see weekend. At the end of their few days together, the students expressed their desire to return to the Mount again to pray — and on an ongoing basis.
After hearing their request, Sister Connie obtained permission from the prioress for the women to visit the Mount more frequently. Over time, the permission was expanded to include men, faculty and non-Christians from the college.
With a larger group now coming multiple times a week, the Sisters saw a need to integrate an aspect of community building. “We did all kinds of fun things together; it was beyond just praying together,” recalled one of the early student/participants Sister Susan Barber, who returned to join the order some years later.
The program began to offer a space for men and women, students and faculty, old and young, to come together as one universal family. Sister Susan recalled how one Sister often gave her fresh baked bread, providing her with a sense of joy and comfort.
Partners in Prayer, as the program came to be called, has continued to grow over the years, taking only a brief break during COVID. After restarting in 2023, the program now invites participants to come once a week to join in praying vespers and to share a meal with the Sisters.
Now on the other side of the program, Sister Susan said, “It’s a way we can reach out, and I think it’s a good opportunity for students.”
The impact
One example of the legacy of this continued invitation to prayer is Patrick Green, a senior theology major at Benedictine. With two family members who were Sisters at Mount St. Scholastica, the Greens often drove out from their home in Colorado to visit the community of women in Atchison.
“Pretty much every year since I was born, I’ve been coming to the monastery,” said Green. Green’s great-aunt Benedictine Sister Evangeline watched the Green children grow up on their visits. When the two oldest boys, Andrew and Michael, became students at the college in 2009, she happily took them on as her partners in prayer.
Before her death in the spring of 2010, Sister Evangeline asked Sister Martha Schweiger, her caregiver, to take the Green children on as her prayer partners. Sister Martha did just that.
She has since partnered with five Green children over the years and remains a partner in prayer to Patrick.
Starting out
The Sisters’ prayer partnership program starts with orientation at the beginning of the academic year. Students attending the orientation learn more about the Liturgy of the Hours and the Psalms.
Sister Susan recalled how influential praying the Psalms was when she was a student in the program and how they continue to impact her life even now.
“I think we come to know God more deeply and who he is through praying the Psalms,” she said.
Another testament to the fruit and longevity of the program is the story of Father Meinrad Miller, OSB, a monk of St. Benedict’s Abbey since 1985. When he became a student at the college, he joined the Partners in Prayer program and was partnered with Sister Corona Kaiser, OSB.
“She was always a very good influence on me,” said Father Meinrad.
Throughout his year and a half in the program, he was encouraged by Sister Corona to join St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison. Forty years later, he is happy she did.
“I think every chance we get to grow in prayer is an opportunity to grow our relationship with God,” Father Meinrad said.
