Honoring the Ultimate Gift

For first-year medical students at the Stritch School of Medicine, gross anatomy class is more than just a rite of passage. Deeply rooted in the Catholic tradition and Jesuit heritage, it’s a time for reflection on the sanctity of life.

As part of that reflection, a dedication and blessing ceremony is held every year to honor those who have donated their bodies to the education of Stritch students.

“Our medical center’s mission is inscribed in its mission statement: ‘We believe in God’s presence in all our work.’ Apply that to what you begin today as you work in the laboratory,” said University Ministry Chaplain Fr. Jack O’Callaghan, SJ, during the blessing ceremony. “Loving God, we ask you to gift us with reverence for these bodies as we work with them, and with keen understanding of what they have to teach us.”

The ceremony is also an opportunity to give thanks to those who even in their death bring life to others through the education of future physicians.

“There is no greater gift, no larger measure of support than to give one’s own body. These people who have gifted their bodies to us must have had a great deal of faith in us,” said Colette Harrington, first-year medical student. “To receive such a profound gift should not only garner our respect, but spur us on to excellence in our pursuit to help others.”