College of Saint Mary nursing students offered blessing of the hands

OMAHA, Neb. – College of Saint Mary (CSM) celebrated nursing students during a Blessing of the Hands ceremony, a reminder that nurses’ hands, along with their minds and hearts, are provide compassion, care and healing for their patients.

The ceremony honored Bachelor of Science in Nursing students and offered a prayer asking God to bless their hands to be instruments of healing. It was also an opportunity for students to reflect on the shared mission that inspires and calls them to the ministry of nursing.

“The Blessing of the Hands ceremony affirms that nursing is more than a career, it is a calling to serve with purpose and compassion,” said Christi Glesmann, assistant dean of undergraduate health sciences. “We hope this ceremony helps our students recognize the trust placed in them and inspires them to use their hands, hearts and voices for good in the lives of their patients, their communities and the world.”

Megan Ray, director of undergraduate nursing, presided over the ceremony, and nursing faculty provided reflections, read scripture and offered prayers.

“This ceremony is a deeply meaningful moment filled with encouragement, trust and pride. It reflects how honored I am to walk alongside our students and the confidence we place in them as they begin caring for others,” Ray said. “It is a reminder that their presence, compassion and integrity matter just as much as the clinical skills they are learning.”

CSM began the Blessing of the Hands ceremony in 2021.