Pope John XXIII convenes Vatican Council II, a landmark event in the life of the Catholic Church, initiating major changes in liturgy, parish life, religious life, Church governance, and the study of scripture and theology. The Dominican Sisters of Sparkill hear the call to return to their roots, to bring the spirit of their founder and early pioneer Sisters to the present moment, and to make the message of Jesus as recorded in the gospels the basis for all actions as individuals and as a community.