Page 42 - Priorities #60 2014-November/December
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ANNIVERSARIES
Julianna Szekely
Serving healthy portions of food, smiles and warmth
by Sean McLain Brown photo by Jim Kirkland
Renowned for her generous helpings of food, Julianna makes everyone feel at home in
the Priory kitchen. Her infectious smile and heartfelt greeting, “hello, how are you?” is part of what makes the food at the Priory so tasty.
For 29 years Julianna has served the Priory community, not only heaps of delec- table food, but authentically positive care and concern. Juliana says, “the Priory feels like family and home. We are all one family and food is what brings us together.”
When recovering from surgery last year, Julianna says the Priory family reached out to her with visits and numerous “get well” cards and well wishes. When she re- turned, she said the Priory family “arranged for dinner for me everyday for weeks.” She added, “Father Maurus even brought me flowers and administered the Sacra- ment.” She says this with a happy lilt in her voice even as tears begin to well in her eyes.
Julianna lost her husband and son in years past and she said, “Everyone [Priory community] circled me with their care and love.” She attributes the Priory community and monks for helping her through her grief and healing. It’s said many times, but the Priory community puts faith into action everyday to which Julianna can attest.
Service to the students, faculty, staff, and to the monks is what Julianna says gets her up in the morning with a happy heart. Julianna says serving makes her happy be- cause it’s one small way that she can give back to those who have given her so much happiness and care. You’ve heard it before. It’s the Priory Way. The perfect blend of the five Benedictine values makes for a perfect recipe and model for how we should treat each other. And nowhere is this more apparent and apropos than what happens in the Priory kitchen day-in and day-out.
“Julianna is “mom” to so many kids as she loads mounds of food on their plates and greets them with a kind word and a smile.”
—Fr. Martin
