By Tyra Jackson

The Selma Times-Journal

Selma’s Edmundite Missions was awarded a historic marker Tuesday to honor its role as an important site during the Selma to Montgomery marches. The marker commemorates the mission’s place in history, during Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery marches. Nuns from the mission helped to nurse the wounded at Selma’s Good Samaritan Hospital.

“The plaque is to commemorate the mission’s historic place in history, as it has served since 1937,” said Edmundite Missions director Chad McEachern. “The marker tells a story from 1965 that we were pivotal at that time, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement. It also speaks to our history, since 1937.”

The hospital closed in 1983, but the Edmundite Missions still have a strong presence in Selma. The missions started in Vermont in 1930, but arrived in Selma seven years later.

Now Congressman John Lewis and dozens of other Bloody Sunday marchers were treated at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Before that, the Sisters of St. Joseph partnered with the missions in 1943 and started a nursing program, the first in the area for black students.

The resting spot for the marker is undecided, as McEachern decides whether it should be placed in the main office, or at the Center of Hope, where more people may be able to view it.

“I think the mission itself is much larger than a plaque, and it continues to serve about 1,300 meals a day,” said McEachern. “We help about 600 people a month with utility assistance. I think for the community of Selma, we’re one of those legs of the chair that makes sure those who are poor are taken care of and loved everyday.”

McEachern said being a part of the mission, allows its workers to feel fulfilled after they’ve given back to the community.

“Working here, you always carry with you the weight of what folk have done since 1937,” said Joe O’Quinn, who serves as assistant director of mission advancement and manager of strategic initiatives.