Clarke University blesses cadavers, new facility

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Officials at Clarke University say the school’s annual blessing of cadavers for anatomy study reminds students that the bodies once belonged to loving people.

The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports faculty and students gathered Wednesday to bless the 10 cadavers as well as the school’s new $13 million science facility. The ceremony included a prayer in the anatomy lab where the cadavers were covered in sheets.

Campus Ministry Director Anastasia Nicklaus says the blessing is a reminder that people made a great gift in donating their bodies so others could learn.

Some professors say the ceremony calms students’ nerves about classes involving the cadavers, which were donated by the University of Iowa’s anatomy and cell biology department.