On Saturday, November 20, Sister Jeanne Shary, OP, Class of 1981, was inducted into the Albertus Magnus High School Hall of Fame.
Sister Jeanne was an active member of her class, playing varsity volleyball for four years, serving as captain of the team in her senior year, as well as junior varsity soccer. At the same time, she remained very involved in her parish, St. Anthony’s in Nanuet, where she played Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball and was active in Young Christian Students (YCS) After graduating, she became a YCS leader.
Sister Jeanne became a certified therapeutic recreation specialist after earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Recreation at SUNY Cortland and the University of Maryland, respectively. After four years working as an activity therapist at St. Vincent’s Hospital, she entered the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill in 1991. She earned dual certification in Digital Graphic Design and Web Design from Pace University’s Center for Business and Technology, as well as an MS in Interactive Communication from Quinnipiac University.
Since 1996, Sister Jeanne has ministered at Cardinal McCloskey Community Services. As coordinator of its Preparing Youth for Adulthood program, she works with adolescents and young adults in foster care to help them achieve their goals while providing a safe and happy haven during their most challenging and traumatic moments in life. In addition to her full-time ministry, Sister Jeanne has been actively involved in volunteer ministry, most notably in Haiti and, this year, working with refugees in Laredo, TX, at the southern border.
In her remarks, Sister Jean praised the faculty: “I am grateful to each teacher who helped open my mind to new ideas, beacons of light who were always there to help.” She continued, “That’s what it’s always been about here at Albertus: making each and every student feel like they can be a star and then equipping them with the skills to excel. Tonight, you have made me feel like a star—big time—and I thank you.”
Sister Jeanne also made a point of thanking the Albertus Magnus community for its support of the Dominican Sisters’ ministry efforts in Haiti. “Your generous donations of toys brought so much joy to our children.”
Built and founded by the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill in 1957, Albertus Magnus has been providing quality Catholic education for secondary school students in Rockland County.