Honoring the Gifts Shared by Anatomical Donors
(November 21, 2025) — Georgetown students honored the profound gifts they received from their anatomical donors during a special Mass in Dahlgren Chapel on November 7. Family members and friends of those who donated their bodies to advance the education of future healers were surrounded by dozens of medical and nursing students who came together to offer their gratitude.
Learners from Georgetown’s Berkley School of Nursing Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) program and the School of Medicine’s MD program processed into the chapel carrying lighted candles, marking the start of a solemn ceremony with student-led offerings, prayers and songs.
Students processed into Dahlgren Chapel carrying lighted candles.
“It was an incredibly beautiful and moving experience,” said Ariel Fernandez (G’30, M’32), an MD/PhD student who delivered the student reflection.
Graduate nursing student Hannah Fitzgerel (G’28) shared prayers from the Jewish faith at the service. She said having the medical school and nurse anesthesia students together to honor the donors made her feel proud to be a student at Georgetown.
“It was a beautiful service and I felt honored to be a part of it,” she said. “I was able to meet some of the family members of those who donated their bodies. They told me how touched they were with the interfaith service.”
Ariel Fernandez (G’30, M’32) delivered the student reflection.
Hannah Fitzgerel (G’28) shared prayers from the Jewish faith.
Anshule Takyar (M’28) shared prayers from the Hindu faith.
Nader Mujtaba (M’27) and Julia Hakeem (M’28) shared verses from the Quran.
Infinite Legacy
Norman J. Beauchamp Jr., MD, MHS, executive vice president for health sciences and executive dean of the School of Medicine, reflected on the significance of gathering to honor the donors’ magnanimous contributions and to celebrate those whose “extraordinary generosity has allowed us to teach and learn in ways that could not happen otherwise.”
Addressing the standing room only gathering, he said, “Your loved ones help us teach our physicians and nurses the foundational lessons of anatomy, the lessons that will soon guide their hands, their judgment, and their presence at the bedside,” he said. “Their work will continue for decades, and in every patient they serve, your loved ones live on. I often think of this as an infinite legacy, a legacy that moves forward through memory and also through action.”
Norman J. Beauchamp Jr., MD, MHS, addressed the standing room only gathering.
Father James Shea, Georgetown University Medical Center chaplain, presided over the Mass and also joined students on the first day of their journey in their anatomy labs.
Fernandez also shared the gratitude of his fellow students. “Our donors and you, their families who supported their decision, have allowed us to become more knowledgeable and compassionate health care professionals and have allowed us to form stronger bonds with our colleagues,” he said. “We should follow their examples of creating a legacy of generosity and living in a constant remembrance of the magnificent nature of life.”
Fitzgerel also deeply valued the opportunity to learn from the donors’ gifts. “It was a great learning experience working with cadavers in anatomy. There is no better way to learn about the human body than with cadavers. I feel especially grateful to have learned with them, as not every nurse anesthesia program has the same opportunity.”
At the conclusion of the Mass, students presented each family with a white rose before gathering for a reception in appreciation of the donors and their families.
View a recording of the November 7 Anatomical Donor Mass held at Dahlgren Chapel on the university’s campus.