Reflections – Contemplatio
SOWing Hope: Albertus Students Make a Difference
From June 28 – July 3, ten students from Albertus Magnus High School, accompanied by Mrs. Maureen Costello and Sr. Diane McSherry, participated in Summer Outreach Week (SOW), a summer service experience organized by Capuchin Family Ministries. They were part of a group of sixty-five volunteers who worked alongside each other in various ministries to […]
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha whose feast we celebrate today is generally known as the “Lily of the Mohawks.” While she is a patron saint of ecology, the environment, and Native Americans, I would like to also suggest that she could be a patron of persistence. Kateri was born in 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon […]
Feed My Lambs, Tend My Sheep
I recently saw on Facebook a photo of a village in Portugal where the lambs are not strong enough to climb the high mountain. And so they are placed on small pouches on a donkey’s back and carried up to the green pastures to be fed. This gospel came to mind. In our Gospel reading, […]
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 2025
Many of us have memories of a picture of the Sacred Heart displayed in our homes when we were growing up. Perhaps we still say the prayers that we learned at that time. Perhaps we have different thoughts and prayers now What follows are random jottings for you, dear Reader, to ponder. My hope is […]
Feast of the Ascension
Sr. Helen Robert Boyd offered the following reflection on the Feast of the Ascension at Mass in Dominican Convent. If you long for the power, presence, and promise of Christ, read on.
Foundation Day and Jubilee 2025
A few months ago, while attending physical therapy in Rivervale, New Jersey, I noticed a large picture of Lucy and Charlie Brown in the waiting room. Lucy was holding the famous football for Charlie to kick. If you are familiar with that particular cartoon, you remember that Charlie Brown fails to kick the football many […]
Sparkill Dominicans Remember Pope Francis
Pope Francis (d. April 21, 2025). May he rest in peace. With heavy and hopeful hearts, we mourn the passing of Pope Francis, a humble servant who led with love, compassion, and courage. His life was a living example of the words often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times, […]
Earth Day 2025
On April 22, 2025, we will celebrate the 55th anniversary of Earth Day. While we’ve come a long way since that first Earth Day in 1970, we still have a very long way to go as we respond to the call of Laudato Sí, the encyclical by Pope Francis which will mark its tenth anniversary […]
Reflections for 5th Sunday of Lent
As we draw closer to commemorating the events of Holy Week, we are confronted this weekend with a story that encapsulates what Jesus had spent three years trying to teach his disciples: the importance of mercy and compassion over judgment. He emphasized the overall Mosaic Law, which taught that justice was to be tempered with mercy (Micah 6:8), and which the religious leaders of the day had conveniently forgotten.
Reflections for the 4th Sunday of Lent
Fourth Sunday of Lent, 2025 This Sunday’s reading from the Hebrew Scriptures describes a key transition moment in Israel’s history. Joshua records a huge event, the Lord saying, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt,” in a measured and powerful proclamation. The exodus period of wandering is over; the time/or settlement […]