Join us as we celebrate 150 Years of Service!
It is a Joy for us to be together on this blessed feast of our Holy Father Dominic. It is a gift to celebrate the transfer of leadership within our Sparkill congregation as it connects us to the lineage of Dominic and the worldwide Order of Preachers, especially to the Dominican women of Prouille, the […]
Mustard Seed Faith: Our Time Is Now Read More »
Sister Mary Ann Collins, OP, of the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Blauvelt, offered the following reflection on John 9:1–41 during Evening Vespers for the Fourth Week of Lent. Have you ever looked at someone and not really seen them? I’m reminded of my first day ministering in a maximum-security prison for women. Although I
From the earliest days of Christianity, the Church has commemorated the forty days preceding Our Lord’s public life as a season of transformation for His faithful followers, during which we are encouraged to follow His example of prayer and fasting. During His desert experience, Jesus was presented with temptations that were both physical and psychological,
Ash Wednesday 2026 Read More »
First, I would like to thank Sister Diane and the Dominican Sisters for inviting me to give a reflection today. I admire all the work that you do for our community and the world, and I am honored to be speaking today Two weeks ago, we began the season of Advent by lighting the first
Hope, One Day at a Time Read More »
The original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe impressed on the cloak of St. Juan Diego is seen in the basilica in Mexico City February 13, 2016. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) Today, the Church celebrates Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and one of the most tender expressions of God’s closeness to all people.
Our Lady of Guadalupe: A Mother for All Peoples Read More »
The first verse from the Isaiah reading (Isaiah 11:1-10) we heard this evening said: “Then a shoot will sprout from the stump of Jesse; from Jesse’s roots, a branch will blossom.” According to Google, the stump of Jesse is a biblical prophecy that symbolizes hope for a future ruler from the line of Jesse, the
Advent: Returning to Our Roots Read More »
Today, we enter the season of Advent, a time of longing, watchfulness, and hope. The readings place us right at the threshold: God is coming. We are invited to prepare, not by fear or anxiety, but by opening our eyes, our hearts, and our world to the transforming presence of Christ. Isaiah stands before us
Answering Advent’s Call Read More »
Social Justice Ministry has been active in my home Archdiocese of St. Louis for my entire life. As I look back over my lifetime, I am saddened by the events that made a ministry for social justice a necessity, while being grateful for the active involvement of the sisters and priests of the St. Louis
There but for the grace of God… Read More »
And then the soldiers stripped Jesus of his clothing. They made a crown of thorns and placed it on his head and a reed in his right hand, shouting insults and making fun of him. They began spitting on him, taking the reed and beating him with it. – Matthew 27:28-30 During our Border mission
The Miracle of Shoelaces Read More »
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” – Matthew 25: 35- 36 These words best describe my five-day experience serving the migrant
Matthew 25 in Laredo, Texas Read More »
Traveling anywhere with one or two little ones is quite a feat, especially with each ones’ supplies for the journey. Can you imagine having four or five children and traveling through extremely dangerous foreign land, unable to communicate and having no help? At first you might have a little luggage, money, and energy, but by
From June 28 – July 7, 2021, I was blessed to travel to Laredo, Texas, as part of a Dominican Sisters (OPSCC) mission team to Laredo with seven amazing women: Sister Patricia Daly (Caldwell), Sister Patricia Ginty (Blauvelt), Fiona Kyle, Sister Valorie Lordi (Sparkill), Sister Carolann Masone (Amityville), Sister Diane McSherry (Sparkill), and Sister Margaret
Courage and Compassion at the Border Read More »
In early 1884, our Mother Dominic Dowling purchased a plot of land on the west side of the Hudson River in Rockland County, New York. This was to carry out the Dominican Sisters’ plan to provide a healthier environment for the homeless children in their care. In June of that same year, four Sisters and
Rockland County’s best kept secret Read More »