Sister Judy Caps St. Matthew’s Teaching Career with Spirit of Montana Award
Gov. Greg Gianforte paid a visit to the school to present the veteran educator, who has spent 70 years teaching, with the honor. As she looks down the pike to retiring, she encouraged students to make good choices.
By Mariah Thomas
As Sister Judy Lund sat and spoke with Marygrace Knuffke, a St. Matthew’s alumna who is serving out her year as Miss Montana’s Outstanding Teen, Knuffke told her she’d be attending the University of Alabama on a scholarship after she graduates in June.
“That’s a good choice,” Lund said.
“I’ve already reached out to some Catholic students there,” Knuffke added.
“Another good choice,” Lund told her.
The conversation came after a schoolwide assembly where Gov. Greg Gianforte presented Lund with a “Spirit of Montana” award. The governor created the award to honor Montanans who have served their communities and inspired others to do the same, he said, adding that Montana’s best asset is its people. Susy Peterson, the St. Matthew’s principal, nominated Lund for the award.
During the Wednesday assembly, Gianforte lauded Lund’s 70 years in the classroom, more than 30 of which saw the Dominican nun serving in various positions at Kalispell’s St. Matthew’s Catholic School.
“In the Gospel of Matthew, we are reminded: ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me,’” Gianforte said. “Sister Judy, you have lived that mission faithfully. Through your humility, your service, your devotion, you have reflected Christ’s love to generations of Montanans. As the last Dominican sister serving here in the Flathead Valley, your legacy here is even more profound.”
Community leaders like city councilman Kyle Waterman and Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino attended, along with the entire student body and staff at the school. Lund didn’t know she’d receive the award Wednesday morning, her colleagues said. But they viewed it as a well-deserved accolade for Lund’s decades of serving as the school’s spiritual leader, in addition to acting as a bridge between the school and the wider community, leading on efforts like founding Sparrow’s Nest, a local non-profit focused on helping youth experiencing homelessness. Wednesday’s assembly served as the second one held in Lund’s honor this year. The first, in September, honored her 90th birthday.
In impromptu comments after the governor presented her with the award, Lund spoke about making good choices. She said she imparted the same message to the school’s fourth through eighth grade girls at a tea party the day before.
“Listen, first and foremost, to what our Lord wants you to do, and listen to your own heart,” she said. “And as I told the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade girls, make choices. Make good choices. Look for the opportunities and the choices, and then decide with our Lord what’s the best for you. What’s the best for this moment, and the next moment? I’ve had a lot of moments, haven’t I?”
And Lund points to several choices that have shaped her own career and life.
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They were choices like the one to walk away from her fiancé more than 70 years ago, instead dedicating herself to the Dominican sisterhood, at a time when women more often got married and didn’t have many options for careers.
There was also the choice to stay in Montana and teach for a year after initially coming to the state intending only to stay for one summer. That was followed by another, to stay for more than 30 years, helping to shape generations of students in the Flathead Valley.
She views her job today as helping her students (especially the girls, who have more options when it comes to careers than Lund did when she was their age) navigate the world with what’s good for them at the forefront.
“You know, I think today, the emphasis is: how can you live the life you want to live as a good Christian, whether you’re married or whether you’re single, or whether you want to choose a vocation,” Lund said.
For her students, Lund’s words and lessons have made a lasting impact. Knuffke, Miss Montana’s Outstanding Teen, said her service project as she completes her year with the scholarship program is titled “Grace in Action.” It focuses on visiting and connecting with Montana’s senior citizens.
Her commitment to service got a jump start during her time at St. Matthew’s, where Knuffke said Sister Lund helped “shape me into the young woman I am today.” (She said Lund still comments on nearly all her Miss Montana’s Outstanding Teen Facebook posts.) Part of her motivation to connect with Montana’s elderly population stemmed from a fear of growing old, Knuffke said. But she pointed to Sister Judy as an inspiration for aging, citing the nun’s continuing impact and activity at the school and in the community.
And for Lund, the latest choice of many is her retirement, which will come at the school year’s end. She intends to join a retirement center for Dominican nuns come August, when she’ll take an Amtrak train from Montana, back to Wisconsin. In the meantime, Lund is busy preparing for the school’s graduation ceremony, along with helping her colleagues at the school get ready to fill her shoes after her departure.
“When I get to Wisconsin, I’m going to have to find some kids somewhere to at least interact with,” Lund said.
She said she feels excited to connect with her sisters. But it hasn’t hit her yet that her time at St. Matthew’s will draw to a close soon. She anticipates the emotion will likely come as she travels across the country this summer.
“I know I carry closest to my heart the boys and girls that I have met in Kalispell, Montana, and all the people I’ve met who have been so supportive of me,” Lund said.