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.
Coming Soon
Golf Outing: Our 2nd Annual Golf Outing will be on Thursday,
October 9th this year. Its purpose is to raise funds for the needs of
our senior Sisters.
Over 100 people turned out for last year’s event and enjoyed the
course, the company and the food. One young man even won a new
car with his hole in one!
Join us again at the North Hempstead Country Club in Port
Washington on Long Island for a good cause and a day of great golf,
good fellowship, and fine dining – brunch, lunch, a cocktail reception
and a buffet dinner. You’ll get to meet some of our Sisters, too.
Register by August 31st and you’ll be entered in a drawing for an
iPod. Sign up right now, online.
Jubilees: Sr. Maryellen Blumlein will celebrate her Silver Jubilee
on October 18th with a Liturgy at Mount Saint Vincent. Sister has
been teaching at Mother Cabrini High School in Manhattan since
1998.
Sister to be Honored: Sr. Rita King will be inducted into the Hall of
Fame at St. Barnabas HS in the Bronx. The ceremony will take place
at the Annual Alumnae Luncheon on Saturday, October 18th.
Sr. Rita is both an alumna (class of 1948) and a former assistant
principal (1973-87) at Barnabas. She is being honored for “her time
spent learning, teaching, assisting the principal and volunteering at
St. Barnabas…(and for) demonstrating her dedication to our mission
and for living her life the Barnabas way – with charity, grace and
spirit.”
Sister celebrated her 60th anniversary in the Congregation in
September.
Parish Homecoming: St. Raymond Parish in the east Bronx will hold
a parish reunion and homecoming on Sunday, October 19th. There
will be a Mass at noon, followed by a reception and open oouse at
the elementary school and the separate high schools for girls and
boys. Sr. Mary Ann D'Antonio is the principal of Saint Raymond
Academy for Girls. The Congregation began its service to the parish
140 years ago.
Walk-a-thon: Our Sisters will among those walking to raise money
for the John A. Coleman School on Sunday, October 19th. The event
will take place 11:30am - 4pm at Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers. The
Coleman School, which is sponsored by the Sisters of Charity,
provides educational, therapeutic and medical services to children
with special needs at two campuses.
Sr. Ellen O’Connell is the Director of Mission Integration and
Pastoral Care at the White Plains campus; Sr. Kathleen Aucoin is her
counterpart at the school in Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center,
Manhattan. For information, contact Sr. Ellen at 914-597-4022
Statue Dedication: Two life-size bronze statues by St. Margaret
Beaudette will be installed sometime this fall. One will be at Iona
College in New Rochelle – a group sculpture featuring Blessed
Edmund Ignatius Rice, the Irish missionary and educator who
founded both the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the
Presentation Brothers. The other will be at the Passionist Spiritual
Center in the Bronx. This work depicts Jesus being comforted by an
angel in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Fabulous Farm Fun: It’s the 10th anniversary of our Sisters Hill Farm
in Dutchess County! To celebrate, we’re having a series of special
events through the fall, including a chance to win a wonderful farm-
style dollhouse. Learn more about these events.
2009 Bicentennial Year
July 31, 2009 will mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of the
Sisters of Charity by St. Elizabeth Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The
Sisters of Charity of New York stem directly from this foundation,
though we became a separate congregation in 1846. Special events
are being planned throughout the year by Charity communities
across the US and Canada. Watch this site for more information
about events in the NY metropolitan area. For Emmitsburg events,
go to www.setonlegacy.org
Recent Developments
Convent Anniversary: The main retirement convent for the
Congregation, Mary the Queen in Yonkers, has been celebrating its
Golden Jubilee this year. It was dedicated on October 23, 1958. The
anniversary of this special place has been observed with a series of
special events that began in March. It concluded with Jubilee Liturgies
on September 12th (at the Convent’s chapel) and on the 13th at Old
St. Mary’s Church in Yonkers. Many old friends were in attendance.
Sister on Panel: Sr. Rita Nowatzki,SC, was part of a 3-woman panel
that discussed the historical, contemporary, and future role of women
religious. The September 9th program, entitled “Catholic Sisters and
the Crisis in the Orders,” took place at The Museum of the City of
New York.
Broadway Blessing: SC Associate Retta Blaney once again directed
this evening service of song, story and dance. Since 1997, this annual
event has brought the theatre community together to ask God’s
blessing on the new season. Among the performing artists who
appeared September 8th at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in
Manhattan was actress Lynn Redgrave who offered a theatre
reflection. An estimated 450-500 people attended this year’s
Blessing.
Jubilees: We celebrated the entrance anniversaries of 12 of our
Sisters on Saturday, September 6th with a liturgy and reception at
Mount Saint Vincent. The Golden Jubilarians in St. Joseph Circle
included Sr. Pauline Cinquini, Sr. Margaret Dennehy, Sr. Eileen
Gallagher, Sr. Margaret Mary Kelly, Sr. Katherine King, Sr. Marguerite
McGilly, Sr. Mary Lou McGrath, Sr. Kathleen McHugh, Sr. Inez Mela, Sr.
Elaine Owens, and Sr. Patricia Sullivan.
Our Diamond Jubilarian was Sr. Florence Simpson who observed her
75th anniversary in the Congregation!
Sister Published: America magazine, the national Catholic weekly,
published an article by Sr. Regina Bechtle in its September 1, 2008
issue. The piece is entitled “An American Daughter: Elizabeth Ann
Seton and the birth of the U.S. church.” There is an accompanying
podcast to the article in which Sr. Regina is interviewed by Tim Reidy
for America magazine’s web site.
You can both read the article and listen to the podcast online.
Disaster Assistance: The Sisters have taken up collections for
those affected by storms in the south. They’ve sent relief to the
victims of hurricanes that hit Texas and Haiti. A donation also was
made to the Daughters of Charity, West Central Province who are
assisting those along the Mississippi who lost everything due to the
summer storms.
New School: The New York Foundling welcomed the first class of
students to its MottHavenAcademyCharterSchool in the South
Bronx on August 28th – the birthday of Elizabeth Ann Seton. This
new school draws two-thirds of its students from the city's child-
welfare and foster-care systems. It was created by the Foundling to
meet the unique challenge of ministering to children in the child
welfare system, while setting the standard for academic excellence in
a supportive environment.
The Sisters of Charity started the Foundling on October 11, 1869,
to care for babies abandoned in the devastating wake of the Civil
War. Sr. Carol Barnes is the Director of Mission Integration there
these days.
Sister Honored: Sr. Katherine Seibert was be honored as
Alum of the Year by her alma mater Notre Dame University on June
17th. Learn more about Sister’s distinguished career.
Statue Dedication: A new statue by Sr. Margaret Beaudette was
dedicated on June 15th at Our Lady of Mercy parish in Park Ridge, NJ.
Benefit: Our first Spring Benefit was a great success. It was held the
evening of May 8th at the Yale Club in midtown Manhattan. Several
hundred friends of the Sisters enjoyed good company, delightful
music and delicious food – and had fun bidding on a great selection of
silent auction items. Award-winning playwright and director John
Patrick Shanley (the play Doubt and the film Moonstruck), was the
guest of honor. He had the Sisters of Charity in grade school, most
notably Sr. Peggy McEntee, his first-grade teacher. The proceeds of
the evening will benefit ministries where our Sisters work to improve
the lives of the homeless, new immigrants and women in general.
Guatemala
March 30: Over 300 family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors,
and the religious of a several congregations joined our Sisters at the
Blessing of our House of Formation in Chajbal, Quiché, Guatemala. Sr.
Maria Iglesias reported on the occasion.
Winter Vision: The end of 2007 and beginning of 2008 found our
Sisters as busy as ever, and being honored as usual. Read our
award-winning newsletter online.
Sister Honored: St. Vincent’s Hospital Westchester paid tribute to Sr.
Anne Mary Regan by naming a new facility after her. Sister began her
ministry at St. Vincent’s in 1966. During her 16 years as assistant
administrator, Sr. Anne developed many new programs and oversaw
the construction of new and the renovation of existing buildings. In
her “retirement,” Sister continued her work with the hospital
Auxiliary, supervised the purchasing department, and worked on the
hospital’s archival collection.
The Sister Anne Mary Regan Residence will provide a safe
community for chemically dependent women making the transition to
abstinent living. The dedication ceremony took place on April 7th.
Rights Discussion: Sr. Claire Regan, the Justice Effectiveness and
Corporate Responsibility Coordinator for the Congregation, was a
featured panelist at the April 7th “Women and Immigrant Rights”
seminar at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. This event highlighted
the unique roles that women play in the struggle for immigrant rights.
Our Spirituality
June: Read the updates to the Charity Wisdom
from Our Founders and Prayer, for Real sections of our web site.
We celebrate all the events during what the Church calls
“ordinary” times.
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).
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.
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.
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.