You'd probably have trouble keeping up with the pace set by the Sisters of Charity of New York, but if you check here regularly, you'll at least be able to keep track of their milestones.
¡Gracias a Dios, Aleluya!
In Guatemala, Land of Eternal Spring, on Sunday, March 30, the Sisters on mission, and our Postulants and Aspirants, were joined by Sisters Dorothy Metz, Margaret O´Brien, Nora Cunningham, Anne Denise Brennan and Maria Iglesias for the Blessing of our House of Formation in Chajbal, Quiché. (To read more and see pictures, click here)
Coming Soon
Charity in the City: Download the application for the
Congregation’s two-week service program for young women 18-21
years of age. Working with the Sisters in their ministries to the poor
will be your most memorable summer yet.
Benefit: Join us at the Yale Club, opposite Grand Central Station in
New York City, for the first annual Sisters of Charity Benefit on
Thursday, May 8th, 6-9pm. Proceeds will benefit smaller ministries
where Sisters work to improve the lives of the homeless, new
immigrants and women in general. Enjoy an evening of delicious hors
d’oeuvres, music, and good company. Bid on a collection of great
auction items, including stays at resorts, theater tickets, restaurant
passes, tickets to NYC pro sports teams and more! Meet award-
winning playwright and director John Patrick Shanley (the play Doubt
and the film Moonstruck), who will be the guest of honor.
For more information, contact Bill Hurley at 718-549-9200 x 234 or
Rights Discussion: Sr. Claire Regan will be a featured panelist at the
“Women and Immigrant Rights” seminar on Monday, April 7th at the
College of Mount Saint Vincent. Sister is the Justice Effectiveness and
Corporate Responsibility Coordinator for the Sisters of Charity of
New York.
The discussion begins at 4pm. It is being held in the President’s
Reception Room on the 2nd floor of the Administration Building of the
College, which is at 6301 Riverdale Avenue @ W. 263 St. in the
northwest Bronx.
Other confirmed speakers include:
· Maria Muentes, co-founder of Families for Freedom, a New York-
based multi-ethnic defense network by and for immigrants facing
and fighting deportation.
· Myriam Jaidi, an immigration attorney and an associate with the firm
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, a leading provider of
corporate immigration services and solutions.
Come and learn more about the unique roles women play in the
struggle for immigrant rights. Refreshments will be served. For more
information about this event or the Women’s Studies Program at the
College, call 718-405-3235.
Recent Developments
Our Spirituality
April: Read the Spring updates to the Charity Wisdom
from Our Founders and Prayer, for Real sections of our web site.
Sister Honored: Sr. Peggy McEntee has been named one of the Top
100 Irish-Americans by Irish America magazine. She was singled out
in the Education category.
One of Sr. Peggy’s first grade students grew up to be award-winning
playwright John Patrick Shanley. He based the character of the
younger nun in his play Doubt on Sr. Peggy, and even used her
religious name, Sr. James. You can read the full article on Sr. Peggy
in the April/May issue of Irish America.
Sister’s current ministry is campus minister & religion teacher at
Notre Dame H.S. for girls in Manhattan. She also served as technical
adviser for the film version of Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip
Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams.
Sister Honored: The City of Yonkers paid tribute to one of its own
with a day of her own! Sr. Theresa Luciano was honored for her life
in, and contributions to, this city along the Hudson River. Sister was
born and raised in Yonkers. The mayor’s proclamation referred to
her Italian immigrant parents who owned a candy store in the heart
of the city. It declared that “In her five decades as a member of the
Sisters of Charity, Sr. Theresa Luciano has forged a legacy defined
by compassion and unselfishness, which will endure for generations
and which will forever inspire the countless individuals she has
encouraged and motivated throughout her lifetime.”
Sr. Theresa has been a computer science instructor at St. Mary's
School in Yonkers since 1989; she also had taught there from 1971
to 1976. Another Yonkers parochial school that benefited from
Sister’s presence in the classroom was Christ the King (1986-89).
Lenten Message
February 11: Sr. Dorothy Metz and the SC Council issue a
reflective message for the Lenten season.
Feast Day Service: Celebrate the feast day of St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton with the same prayer service that the Sisters of Charity of
New York will use. It's available online in both English and Spanish.
Fall Vision: Sisters celebrate their Jubilees, silver, golden and
diamond – a total of 2,495 years of service to others! Essay
compares the spiritual experiences of Mother Seton and Mother
Teresa. Our first golf benefit was successful and fun. Many Sisters
are honored for their works. VISION wins Lumen Award as “Best
Publication.” Plus, Justice & Peace issues, Associate activities, farm
report, book and film reviews!Read it on line.
40th Anniversary
November 10: Sr. Pauline Cinquini, co-liaison and representative
of the renewal on the Council of Ecclesial
Movements, served as general chairperson and leader of
workshops at the 40th Anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic
Renewal (CCR) in the Archdiocese. Over 500+ attendees from
around the US attended the day of prayer and conference at Saint
Helena Church in the Bronx. Sr. Nancy Kellar, who has been a
leader of the CCR for the past 40 years, gave the opening talk in
which she described the origin and growth of the prayer movement
in the Church.
Sisters Honored
November 3: Sisters Nora Cunningham and Muriel Long were
among those recognized for contributing to the growth of the
Hispanic Catholic community in the NYC area. They were cited for
their work at the South Bronx Pastoral Center at Our Lady of
Victory. The recognition took place at Cardinal Spellman H.S. in the
east Bronx, where over 1,200 parish and diocesan leaders of the
Spanish Apostolate gathered to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of
the Archdiocese of NY. The Sisters of Charity information table was
visited by Oscar Cruz, the Archdiocesan Director for Adult
Catechesis/Catechumenate, who voiced gratitude to all his
teachers at St. Athanasius School, where our Sisters have been
since 1913.
Memorial Mass
November 4: At our annual Memorial Mass, we remembered all our
departed Sisters, Associates, family members and friends,
especially those who entered eternal life over the past year.
Nursing Sister Honored
October 26: Sr. Marianne Robertson, RN, who is Nursing
Administration Coordinator at St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan, was
honored at the hospital’s annual Angelus Award Gala. She received
the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Award which is presented to the
Sister of Charity who emulates Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton as an
advocate for the sick, the poor and the abandoned.
Sr. Marianne’s association with St. Vincent’s Hospital started in
Westchester, where, as a lay registered nurse, she cared for the
mentally ill. After joining the Congregation, she was assigned to St.
Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan as a staff nurse in the Reiss Pavilion.
After that, Sister Marianne was appointed to the Faculty of St.
Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing, once teaching classes
exceeding 160 students. In all, Sr. Marianne has been affiliated with
St. Vincent’s for 47 years.
AMSV Alumnae Remembered
October 20: Sisters Maria Goretti Wieser, Maria Thérèse Ruckel,
Marie Paula Holdman, Regina Regan and Constance Brennan
attended the alumnae luncheon for the Academy of Mt. St. Vincent,
formerly of Tuxedo Park in Rockland County. At this annual event,
AMSV graduate Laurie Clancy expressed heartfelt gratitude to the
Sisters of Charity. A statue of Elizabeth Seton by sculptress Sr.
Margaret Beaudette was presented to the Alumnae for their raffle,
but the reunion team decided to keep “Hazard, Yet Forward” and
display it at subsequent reunions as a tribute to the Congregation.
Sisters Honored
Several of our Sisters were honored for years of service to Catholic
education in the Archdiocese of New York at the annual Teachers
Institutes:
· October 18: Sr. Mary Kieran Mulligan, presently at St. Anthony
School in Yonkers, was honored at John F. Kennedy Catholic
H.S. in Somers for her 50 years of service.
· October 11: Sr. Mary Ellen Blumlein, currently on staff at
Mother Cabrini H.S. in Manhattan, was honored at a ceremony
at Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx for her 25 years.
Sister Honored
October 17: Sr. Florence Simpson was honored by the American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP) for her many years of service
to New Rochelle. Mayor Noah Bramson and Vincent A. Dunn of AARP
were among those who praised Sister Florence for her many
contributions to the city. Florence, a spritely 91 years of age, has
been a steady, caring and creative presence in this Westchester
County city for 26 years.
Golf Tournament
October 15: We sponsored our first golf tournament to raise funds
for the needs of our senior Sisters. Over 100 people turned out at
the North Hempstead Country Club on Long Island for a day of golf,
good fellowship, fine dining, a raffle, beautiful weather and fun.
One lucky player made a hole in one to win a new car!
Sister Honored
October 13: Sr. Georgette Dircks was inducted into the Hall of Fame
at her alma mater, St. Barnabas H.S. (SBHS ) in the Bronx. She
was honored at their Annual Alumnae Luncheon for her service to
schools, especially to Saint Barnabas, where she taught for 30
years.
Sr. Georgette has touched the lives of thousands of girls as a
teacher and as mentor in co-curricular activities such as the
newspaper, athletics and several religious organizations. Although
retired from the classroom, Sister continues to serve SBHS through
her work in the Development / Advancement office.
Sisters Thanked
October 12: The parishioners at Saint Athanasius in the south
Bronx closed out their centennial celebratory year by presenting a
beautiful 10” wood and brass plaque to the Congregation to thank
the Sisters for 94 years of faithful and loving service to the Parish
and School.
Summer Vision
September: The Sisters were busy over the summer. Leadership
for the next four years took office; Sr. Dorothy attended the
Plenary Meeting of the International Union of Superiors General in
Rome; and new laws to protect victims of human trafficking were
inacted, thanks to Sisters' lobbying efforts.
Look back at the events that led Mother Seton to send three of her
Sisters from Emmitsburg to her home town (New York City) in
1817. August 28th marked the 190th anniversary of the start of
the Congregation's good works within the NY Archdiocese. Plus,
book and web reviews, and an unusual recipe! Read all about it.
Associate Honored
September 14: SC Associate Marlene Jean-Baptiste received the
St. Agnes Medal from the Diocese of Rockville Centre. She was
honored for her extraordinary service in parish ministry at St.
Martha's in Uniondale.
Canonization Anniversary
September 14: Marked the 32st anniversary of the canonization
of Elizabeth Ann Seton, who founded the Sisters of Charity. She
was the first native-born American to be proclaimed a saint.
Broadway Blessing
September 10: We co-sponsored this annual service of song,
story and dance that brings the theatre community together every
September to ask God’s blessing on the new theatrical season. This
year marked the 11th anniversary of this event, which was the
brainchild of Retta Blaney, a journalist and author who is also an
Associate of the Sisters of Charity of New York. It was held at
the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Manhattan.
Jubilee Saturday
September 8: Fifty years to the day of their entrance, 15 Sisters
celebrated their Golden Jubilees: Sr. Janet Baxendale, Sr. Lorraine
Cooper, Sr. Margaret A. Donegan, Sr. Sheila Finucane, Sr. Jane
Iannucelli, Sr. Rose Jones, Sr. Teresa Kelly, Sr. Evyleen Larkin, Sr.
Veronica Liegey, Sr. Theresa Luciano, Sr. Mary Mc Cormick, Sr. Mary
Kieran Mulligan, Sr. Josephine Maria Rog, Sr. Patricia A. Walsh,
and Sr. Genevieve Wetmore.
The same day, Sr. Claire E. Regan celebrated her Silver Jubilee.
Friends and family celebrated the occasion with the Sisters at a
Liturgy and reception at Mount Saint Vincent. Learn more about
the Sisters and their ministries.
Good News about the Good Earth
August 22: Sr. Mary Ann Garisto was featured in a NY Times
article on faith-based farming. A photographer for the paper had
visited the Congregation's Sisters Hill Farm, and two photos of
Sister illustrated the piece: one of Sister driving a tractor, the
other of her standing in a field of greens.
The Sisters of Charity of New York are among the 50 or so
orders of nuns in the U.S. and Canada today who are involved in
environmentally sensitive farming. Sr. Mary Ann also is featured
in a recent book which covers this movement – Green Sisters: A
Spiritual Ecology by Sarah McFarland Taylor.
The Times story, which was featured on page 1 of the paper's
Dining & Wine section, is online. You may be able to access it
without a fee by reading it through a library's ProQuest link,
Sisters Honored
June 2: The Sisters of Charity who taught at Saint Patrick’s School
in Bedford were honored at a gala dinner on the occasion of the
Fiftieth Anniversary of the school.
Sister Honored
June: Sr. Eileen Martin was feted as she retired as principal at
Our Lady Queens of Apostles Regional Catholic School in Center
Moriches, LI. During her 25-year tenure at the school, Sister
started the pre-K program and expanded the kindergarten.
Thanks to Sr. Eileen, the students have computers and learn
software programs that enable them to create the school paper
and built web sites.
On June 7th, the school saluted Sister. Students and parents
performed musical numbers, put on skits about Sr. Eileen taking
care of children, and showed slides of Sister and students over the
years.
A reception honoring Sister and her many accomplishments was
held on the 23rd at a local club. It was attended by family, friends,
faculty, past graduates, elected officials from the area and
parishioners. The day was declared "Sr. Eileen Martin Day" in the
Town of Brookhaven and across Suffolk County. The school's
faculty presented their retiring principal with a trip to Ireland.
Spring Vision
June 20: The 10th anniversary issue of our quarterly newsletter
covers significant Congregational happenings, such as Assembly
2007 and our first golf tournament; Sisters working with high
school students, going to Albany for Public Policy Day, and
celebrating 60–75 years in religious life. Plus, appointments,
retirements, art exhibits, and a web review.
Read it online.