On February 2, 2025, World Day of Consecrated Life, Sister Miriam Kevin Phillips celebrated her 75th Anniversary as a Sister of Charity of New York during a special Mass in her honor in the chapel at Mount St. Vincent Convent.

World Day of Consecrated Life recognizes the profound contributions of vowed religious women and men to the Church and the world.

During Mass, Father Duffell shared a heartfelt testimonial from some of Sister Kevin’s former Nurses and students at St. Vincent’s Hospital and St. Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing:

“There are hundreds of nurses in this City, probably thousands, who will tell you that Sister Kevin was the most important person they met in their nursing career. Not just because she taught us to be Mets fans. Because she taught us to be nurses, and to be nurses in everything we do.

She taught not only through words but by how she lived. She taught us to listen by listening to us. She taught us to understand by working to understand us. As one nurse reported, when she thought that she would lose her profession because she could not pay the tuition – because her father was a union man and the union was on strike – Sister Kevin found a scholarship. She lived with her nursing students. Those lucky enough to have been in the School of Nursing, and in the residence, in 1986 will still tell you about her ear-to-ear smile when the Mets won the World Series.

Sister Kevin encouraged us. Well ahead of her students, she saw that the school’s two-year diploma program would not be enough to get them hired. She encouraged her students to get their Bachelor of Science of Nursing. 

When the School of Nursing had closed, and St. Vincent’s Hospital was closing, Sister Kevin must have been grieving more than any of us. Still she remained our rock. She reminded us to have faith, and that we would be okay. She held us together by holding us close. And always with a smile. 

Sister Kevin is the reason that even today, it still means something to be a St. Vincent’s nurse. It means something to patients, who know they will get a nurse who is not only well-trained but one who cares. It means even more to us, her nurses. We know that we are part of an important profession and an honored tradition, because we know that we belong to Sister Kevin. And on this great anniversary, we want Sister Kevin to know that she is respected, and she is loved.“

Sister Kevin, a former St. Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing student herself, later served as Director of the school (1991–1999). Her dedication, compassion, and unwavering commitment to nursing education shaped not only the lives of her students but also the countless patients they went on to serve. The impact she made on her students, nurses, doctors, and hospital staff continues to be felt today.

At the conclusion of Mass, Sister Kevin renewed her vows, reaffirming her lifelong commitment to God and to the mission of the Sisters of Charity. The celebration ended in joyful song as everyone joined together in “Jubilate”, a fitting tribute to a life of faith, service, and love. It was a moment of gratitude, recognition, and deep appreciation for a woman whose influence has spanned generations—a true reflection of the enduring spirit of the Sisters of Charity.