Saint Anselm College Presents Sophomore Nurses Blessing of the Hands for Nursing Students
MANCHESTER, N.H. (Feb. 27, 2018) – Local students who are studying Nursing at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire are concluding their school year following Blessing of the Hands, a college tradition that symbolically and literally pays honor to the hands of nursing students for clinical care, actually touching, administering to and caring for the sick.
A total of 81 students received the Blessing of Hands, marking the beginning of clinical rotations of the Nursing program at Saint Anselm. Local students honored include:
Lauren Folchetti
The students represent six states: Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York. To be eligible for this honor, a student must be in good academic standing and have completed three semesters of a liberal arts nursing curriculum.
Nurses whose hands were blessed were joined by faculty, family, and friends, listening to prayer and reflection. Ann Fournier, Nursing professor and college alumna advised the students to “prayerfully prepare themselves to be present with each person for whom they care, we are very blessed to call ourselves nurses and student nurses…it is a gift and a calling.”
Abbot Matthew Leavy, O.S.B. and Fr. Stephen Lawson, O.S.B. presided over the blessing.
ABOUT SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE: Founded in 1889, Saint Anselm College is a nationally-ranked four-year liberal arts college providing a 21st century education in the Catholic, Benedictine tradition. Located in the greater Boston region in southern New Hampshire, Saint Anselm is well known for its strong liberal arts curriculum, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, commitment to inclusiveness, a highly successful nursing program, and a legacy of community service.
