On September 8, the Sisters of Charity of New York celebrated 22 Sisters marking 60, 65, 70, and 75 years of religious life. Together, their lives represent more than 1,500 years of faithfulness, service, prayer, and love.
September 8 holds a special place in the life of the Sisters of Charity of New York. Each year on this day, we celebrate the anniversary of our Sisters’ entrance into the Congregation and give thanks for the lives of faith and service that followed their first “yes.”
This year, we joyfully celebrate 22 Jubilarians whose lives have carried the mission of Charity into classrooms and parishes, hospitals and ministries, neighborhoods and communities, and wherever the needs of God’s people called them.
Their individual stories are different. Their ministries have changed over the decades. But woven through them all is the same commitment: to respond to the signs of the times and to make God’s love visible through lives of service.
75 Years — Class of 1951
This year, four remarkable Sisters celebrate 75 years as Sisters of Charity:
Sister Winifred Goddard
Sister Barbara Srozenski
Sister Francis Marita Sabara
Sister Elizabeth A. Vermaelen
Three-quarters of a century.
For 75 years, these Sisters have lived their “yes” through faithfulness, prayer, service, community, and love poured out for others. Generations of people have been touched by lives dedicated so completely to God and neighbor.
We offer our deepest gratitude for 75 extraordinary years of living Charity.
70 Years — Class of 1956
Our largest Jubilee class this year is our “Lucky 13” — thirteen Sisters celebrating 70 years of religious life:
Sister Carol A. Barnes
Sister Mary E. Clancey
Sister Margaret Egan
Sister Anne Marie Fallon
Sister Mary Kay Finneran
Sister Joan Freer
Sister Mary Ann Garisto
Sister Mary T. Higgins
Sister Eileen Judge
Sister Helen McGovern
Sister Mary Ellen McGovern
Sister Dorothy Metz
Sister Mary Ellen O’Boyle
For seven decades, these Sisters have shared their gifts and walked alongside God’s people, touching more lives along the way than could ever be counted.
Their ministries may have taken them in different directions, but each has carried the same spirit of Charity wherever she was called.
Seventy years of faithfulness. Seventy years of service. Seventy years of living Charity forward.
65 Years — Class of 1961
Three Sisters celebrate their 65th Jubilee this year, marking a remarkable journey that began in 1961.
For 65 years, they have answered the call to love and serve, carrying the mission of the Sisters of Charity into countless lives and communities.
Their ministries have changed with the needs of the times, but the heart of their vocation has remained: a willingness to go where Charity calls and to recognize Christ in those they encounter.
We celebrate 65 years of prayer, presence, compassion, friendship, and service — and the enduring “yes” that has made it all possible.
60 Years — Class of 1966
Completing our 2026 Jubilee celebration are two Sisters marking 60 years as Sisters of Charity:
Sister Mary Ann D’Antonio
Sister Donna Dodge, President of the Sisters of Charity of New York
For six decades, Sisters Mary Ann and Donna have helped carry forward a mission entrusted to the Sisters of Charity more than two centuries ago — responding to changing times and changing needs while remaining rooted in the Gospel and the charism of Charity.
Sixty years of saying yes.
Sixty years of serving God’s people.
Sixty years of Charity lived forward.
A Legacy Still Being Written
A Jubilee celebrates the passage of time, but it is about much more than a number.
It is about all that filled those years.
The students taught. The patients cared for. The hungry fed. The grieving comforted. The communities strengthened. The prayers offered. The injustices confronted. The friendships formed. The countless quiet acts of kindness that may never appear in a history book but changed someone’s life nonetheless.
Most of all, Jubilee celebrates a promise made many years ago and lived again and again through ordinary days and extraordinary times.
To all of our 2026 Jubilarians: thank you.
Thank you for the lives you have touched, the communities you have served, the wisdom you have shared, and the love you have given so freely.
Thank you for saying “yes” — and for continuing to live that yes.
Happy Jubilee, Sisters. Your lives are part of the story of Charity in New York, and that story continues to be written through you. 💛
