Sister Hannah Teaches Students to Break Stereotypes

This month, we had the privilege of hosting our dear friend, Sister Hannah, Prioress of the Community of St. Mary in Sewanee, Tennessee, for a Chapel talk.

“I love to break nun stereotypes,” Sister Hannah said. “To set the record straight, we do watch Netflix, Disney Plus, and other streaming services, and I’m a big fan of the show ‘Andor’ from the Star Wars franchise.” 

In the series, a rebel fighter, Nemik, concludes his manifesto for the resistance with just three powerful words:

“Remember this. Try.” 

Connecting this message to Biblical scripture, Sister Hannah recalled the apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians in the New Testament: 

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

While founding several churches in southern Galatia, Paul learned that people in the area had been attempting to convince these churches to follow confusing and divisive laws and commandments to be considered Christian. In the verse Sister Hannah recited, Paul encouraged his listeners to continue striving for unity, openness, and inclusivity, remembering God’s equal love – an act that would also break stereotypes of their time.

Both stories emphasize the importance of trying, even in small acts. Although we might grow tired and our struggles may feel too challenging, performing small acts of kindness for ourselves and others can be, as Nemik might say, “the one single thing that breaks the siege.” 

Read Sister Hannah's full Chapel talk below. 

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St. Mary's Chapel Talk from Sister Hannah, Prioress of the Community of St. Mary

"One of the things I love to do when I go out and get to speak at places is to break nun stereotypes. Some common stereotypes are that nuns wear habits and veils – that all nuns are stern and mean – and carry a ruler with them wherever they go. But I also have been asked if we have electricity or internet and if we have heard of Netflix. To set the record straight – we do have electricity AND internet and we also use Netflix, Disney Plus, and other streaming services to watch tv shows and movies. And one show that I’m a big fan of is from the Star Wars franchise and it’s a show called “Andor.” Andor is the story of a Rebel spy named Cassian Andor and it shows his formative years of the Rebellion and his difficult missions for the cause. He goes on to be a main character in the movie, Rebel One – which reveals how the resistance fighters were able to steal the plans of the Death Star which they passed on to Princess Leia and the rest is history.

One of the rebels who worked with Cassian was someone named Nemik. He was a young man who had only known Cassian for a few days but trusted and believed in him when others in his group did not. Nemik was an idealist - and a writer and a thinker. He wrote a manifesto which contained his philosophies about the rebel cause in the face of the Empire. This manifesto was passed down to Cassian after Nemik’s death and I’d like to share his beautiful words with you all today. He wrote:

'There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy. Remember this: Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction.

Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they’ve already enlisted in the cause. Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.

And then remember this: The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

And know this: the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empire’s authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege. 

Remember this. Try.'

Nemik’s message of courage, resistance, and perseverance is a timeless message. People of all generations, cultures, ages, and backgrounds need to be encouraged to do the next right thing when life becomes difficult and just getting up each day can be a challenge. The apostle Paul understood this. In his letter to the Galatians, he told them. 'Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.'

Paul had started several of the churches in southern Galatia whom he was writing to now. He learned that others had come in after him, trying to throw them off their mission. Groups of people had been trying to convince these churches that they had to follow a variety of laws and commandments in order to become a Christian and this led to further confusion and division about what it meant to be part of Christ. He is reminding his listeners that they should be erasing distinctions between each other and practicing inclusiveness and unity rather than isolating anyone. Earlier in his letter he wrote,'There is no longer Gentile, no longer slave nor free, no longer male and female, for you are all one.' They were all equally loved and valued more than anything that could divide them. Back then, as in now, there was a cultural of disunity. So being a person that continued to show up with openness, and kindness, and unity, and compassion was countercultural. Fighting for the dignity and value of those on the margins continues to be an act of resistance. 

We are all living in times of fear, anxiety, and despair. But we are not in the struggle alone. We have people everywhere who want to support us if only we can ask for help. We are called to keep showing up for each other. We can be resilient by having people we can open up to and share how we are doing. We can practice learning to not be so hard on ourselves. The advice I was given as to show yourself the same compassion you would towards your best friend. We also need to have spaces in our lives where we can go to unplug from technology for a while and just have stress free zones. When I was in middle school, I would go to the chapel on campus when I needed just 5 to 10 minutes of alone time just to become more mindful and centered. Having certain routines I did every day also grounded me. 

When times get really stressful, it can be helpful to make a list of just the things you need to do for the day. Writing them down and checking them off felt like big victories. I did a lot of journaling and I still do, to this day, just to process all of what I am going through in my day-to-day life. When it was hard for me to get out of my head when I was in a rough time, I always felt more connected to others when I helped someone out. Sometimes this can be just getting in touch with someone who was lonely or volunteering in a service project but that helped get me out of myself and kept things in perspective. It helped me realize we all have difficult times in our lives. We can also learn from mistakes – and realize that everyone has them – and not let them hold us back but help us learn new tools for the future. Reading about people who have gone through hard times and come out stronger can help inspire others. I had a friend someone tell me that you shouldn’t call any mistake that you made a failure, just an opportunity to grow. I’m also a big fan of Spotify playlists for certain tasks. One of our Sisters has a playlist of songs when she’s cleaning her room that get her in the cleaning mood. Different kinds of music help us feel different things. Also just getting out and moving your body and exercise can help us get a new frame of mind. 

So, I want to remind you to keep on showing up for yourself and for each other. I want you to not give up doing the next right thing. Keep on checking on your friends. Keep on keeping the faith that whatever you are facing, you are not alone, you have support, and you have people cheering you on. We are sometimes unaware of the light that is within us and the power our light has to impact others. I hope these words of reflection remind us that even in the darkness of our lives and our world that we can hope and trust in all the light that we cannot see – and share that light with others.  

'There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already.

But let us not grow weary in doing what is right. Let us never give up.

Remember this. Try.'"