Nursing Department Holds First Blessing of the Hands Ceremony

Marywood nursing students initiated a new tradition on campus, participating in a Blessing of the Hands ceremony as they prepare for clinical practice. This inaugural ceremony, held in the Marian Chapel, honors sophomore nursing students who will begin to apply their classroom studies to direct applications in the field. Junior and senior nursing students also participated in this first ceremony, which begins a new tradition at Marywood.

Sr. Anne Munley, IHM, president of Marywood University, and Barbara S. Higgins, Ph.D., APRN, FAANP, were among the faculty and administrators who welcomed and addressed nursing students, families, and friends.

For the ceremony, Sr. Anne Munley, IHM and Sr. Catherine Luxner, IHM, blessed the hands of nursing faculty members, who in turn blessed the hands of nursing students and other caregivers among the guests. "The ceremony recognizes the tremendous work undertaken by nurses and the sacredness that they bring to patients, their loved ones, and to our community," said Dr. Higgins.

Pictured, from left to right:

Front row: Theresa Tulaney, MS, RN, GCNS-BC, assistant chair of nursing, clinical faculty; Deanna Cavallaro, Staten Island, N.Y.; Ashly Lenzer, Gouldsboro, Pa.; Charlotte Caskey, Warwick, N.Y.; Maureen Royce, Bushkill, Pa.; Christina Hernandez, Dickson City, Pa.; Katye Trexler, Harrisburg, Pa.; Michael Nigro, Smithtown, N.Y.; Mary Ann O'Brien, MSN, RN, CCRN, CNE, clinical instructor; and Cheryl Burke, MSN, RN, CNS, CPHQ, nursing lab manager.

Back row: Kathleen Healy-Karabell, DNP, RN-CNS, CSN, assistant professor of nursing; Judith Williams, Ph.D., MSN, MS, RN-BC, assistant professor of nursing; Stephanie Holohan, Scranton, Pa.; Kristina Grennon, Lake Ariel, Pa.; Lillian Applegate, Carbondale, Pa.; Samantha Flynn, Brookfield, Conn.; Natalie Wasko, Scranton, Pa.; Alyssa Marmo, Old Forge, Pa.; Kerry Cantreva, Scott Township, Pa.; Emily Foster, Mechanicsburg, Pa.; Elizabeth Galioto, Tobyhanna, Pa.; Jamie LaPointe, Scranton, Pa.; Adrian McClendon, Clarks Summit, Pa.; and Barbara Higgins, Ph.D., APRN, FAANP, chair of Marywood University's department of nursing.