Reflections – Contemplatio
In God’s Good Time
Saint Augustine was born in present day Algeria, where, presumably, his mother Saint Monica, lived. Here is a painting of Saint Monica by artist John Nava. It has been said that behind every great man there is a great woman, and surely this is true of the saint we honor today, St. Monica, the mother of […]
EPISODE 5 – Holy Ground: Brother Michael Harlan’s Dominican Roots
Welcome to Sacred Stories, a podcast celebrating the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill and their enduring legacy of faith, service, and community. In this episode, we meet Brother Michael Harlan, OFM, a Franciscan friar and longtime friend of the Sisters. His connection to Sparkill began in childhood. His grandfather, Edward Harlan, worked for the Dominican Sisters […]
Mustard Seed Faith: Our Time Is Now
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 […]
Mary, Mother of Hope
Vigil of the Assumption 2026 Our first reading for the Vigil Mass begins: “David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the Lord to the place which he had prepared for it.” The Ark of the Covenant and the Assumption of the Queen into Heaven are two invocations from the Litany of […]
Mary Magdalene: Tower of Faith and Witness
Today we honor Mary Magdalene, patroness of the Dominican Order. It has been ten years since Pope Francis raised the liturgical celebration of the Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene to the dignity of a Feast, the same rank given to the liturgical celebration of the Apostles. A special Preface was created for the feast, highlighting […]
Living with the Heart of Christ
Jesus Forgives Peter On this feast day of the Sacred Heart, I invite you to listen to the advice of the great St. Ignatius Loyola, who encouraged his followers to frequently use their imaginations during prayer and to place themselves in the time of Jesus, using their sight, hearing, and all their physical senses. Today, […]
A Journey of Faith and Love: Reflection on the Feast of the Visitation
The Visitation by Jacopo Pontormo The Feast Day of Visitation is an event of faith, compassion, joy, gratitude, and love. This event has great significance in the Bible. If a woman goes to visit her sister, what is unusual about it? Family visits are normal. It could not have been the first time that Mary […]
Ascension Thursday, 2026
The Ascension Into Heaven, by Eldre Delvie There is a lovely true story that reflects somewhat on today’s feast day that I would like to share with you. It concerns the completion of the opera Turandot by Puccini, the composer who was dying of cancer in 1928. He was aware that he probably would not […]
Celebrating a Living Legacy
Today’s readings speak with remarkable clarity to this occasion – one hundred and fifty years of Sparkill Dominican ministry and the joyful celebration of 32 women whose vowed lives have become living chapters in that story. We read in Acts that the early Church is facing a crisis: the needs of the community of believers […]
