When “a plague of mice” became an issue at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in 2021, the Rev. Elisabeth Malphurs, Rector, jokingly said “I hadn’t known that setting mouse traps would be part of my ministry!”

A divine answer came at the same time when a tiny calico kitten showed up at the church and decided to call the place “home.” It wasn’t long until she became a part of the ministry at St. Alban’s.

“In our liturgical calendar, the day she arrived is the feast of Mary, Joanna, and Salome, the myrrh-bearing women who went to the empty tomb to tend to Jesus’ body,” Malphurs said. “We suspected Sallie Mae was female because she is a calico, so we knew we had three names to choose from. She became officially known as ‘Salome,’ which was later shortened to ‘Sallie’ as well as the Southern version of Salome, which we can confirm is ‘Sallie Mae.’”

Since that time, Sallie Mae has become a symbol of hospitality and love at St. Alban’s. A church member built an outdoor “cat house” for Sallie Mae, complete with a heating pad to keep her warm in the winter. In the fellowship hall of the church, she has an elaborate cat condo and can often be found peacefully resting in the sunlight that streams onto her bed atop the cat condo.

Malphurs said, “She (Sallie Mae) has been a source of so much laughter and joy over the years. She is quite possibly the most social cat I have ever met, and she relishes greeting everyone who comes to the church, old and young, strangers and long-time members. Whenever a group meets at the church, Sallie Mae wants to be included, and she often goes from lap to lap.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Sallie Mae provided comfort to Malphurs.

“Personally, Sallie Mae has been a balm to my soul in ways I wasn’t aware I needed,” she said.

“The summer of 2021 was a difficult time for many church leaders,” Malphurs reflected. “We had made it through the worst of the pandemic, and St. Alban’s was completely back to a normal schedule of services and activities, but like other churches, we had far fewer people attending and participating as volunteers. I felt stretched thin and was getting discouraged about how the church would bounce back from the pandemic. Sallie Mae not only provided both companionship during that lonely period but also renewed my sense of joy and awareness of God’s provision during good times and bad.”

Like most cats, Sallie Mae enjoys time outside the church building. In May 2024, it was a cause for alarm when she was bitten by a venomous snake.

“By the grace of God, she got herself to the church yard before she collapsed, and our parish administrator spotted her,” Malphurs said. Church members sprang into action, and she was taken to the Animal Medical Clinic of Vicksburg, where Dr. Rachel Potter tended to her.

“She was gravely ill and spent two weeks at the vet, then had to return several weeks later for further treatment of her wound, “Malphurs recalled. “We became very close to the staff at the Animal Medical Clinic, and Sallie Mae may have received a record number of visitors during her convalescence.”

Sallie Mae’s recovery took time.

“Through the summer, we continued to tend to her at the church, with everyone pitching in,” Malphurs said. “Many of her friends also donated money to cover her vet bill, which was a huge blessing.”

Sallie Mae had a close call, losing much of her fur from the venomous bite. She has fully recovered, and the fur grew back. But since then, the congregation feels very protective of their special church member.

“We have been more cautious with her since then, keeping her mostly inside,” Malphurs said. However, when fall arrived with cooler weather, Sallie Mae was anxious to be outside again, and she was gradually allowed more outdoor time.

As Sallie Mae lounged idly in her sunny spot in the fellowship hall, Malphurs stroked her silky head and said, “Sallie Mae is a daily reminder of God’s welcome and unfathomable love for us.

“She also keeps us mindful that God’s creation includes not just humanity, but all living things, and that we have a role in stewarding our little corner of the world for the good of all creation.”