Sacred Heart Chapel is welcoming new life to the Dominican Convent campus in Sparkill as the Sisters open their doors and build new connections with the wider community.
Since August 30, St. Thekla Malankara Orthodox Church has been worshiping at Sacred Heart Chapel. When the congregation’s previous worship space in West Nyack closed, its members reached out to the Sisters about using the chapel. Today, Sacred Heart is once again a place of regular worship and community gathering.
Each Sunday, the St. Thekla community gathers for prayer and Holy Qurbana, followed by refreshments and fellowship. The congregation welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds.
“We made a commitment at the Chapter to be more in collaboration with outside groups,” said Sr. Margo, Administrator of Dominican Convent. “The Sisters were thrilled that their chapel would be used.”
The welcome will extend beyond Sunday worship this fall. Sacred Heart Chapel will be one of the sites featured in “Piermont Places & Sparkill Spaces,” the 2026 Historic Homes & Landmarks Tour, on Saturday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Presented by the Historical Society of Rockland County and the Piermont Historical Society, the self-guided tour will highlight significant homes and landmarks in and around Piermont’s Rockland Road Bridge Historic District and nearby Sparkill. Visitors to Sacred Heart Chapel will be welcomed by one of the Sisters’ volunteer docents.
Sacred Heart Chapel was rebuilt in 1914 after the original buildings were destroyed by fire in 1899. Over the years, stained-glass windows, terrazzo floors, mosaics and Stations of the Cross were added, creating the beautiful space that welcomes visitors today.
For the Dominican Sisters, sharing the chapel with new communities is a meaningful way to carry its history forward. More than a century after it was rebuilt, Sacred Heart remains a place where people gather, pray and build community.
As the Sisters look beyond their 150th anniversary, the chapel offers a glimpse of what it means to be rooted in history while facing forward in hope—honoring a treasured part of the past while opening its doors to new life and new connections.