2011 - Dominican Sisters of Amityville - Development Office

Our PreachingIn Our Donors’ WORDSDo you have fond memories of the Dominican Sisters of Amityville? Letters are published in Our Preaching as space permits.Three St. Boniface Alumnae Recall the Sisters Who Taught ThemThese three lifelong friends were taught by the DominicanSisters of Amityville at St. Boniface School in Elmont. Theirdevotion to the Sisters has continued with Motherhouse visits,volunteer work and the annual Beauty of the Spirit Luncheon.6Their faces are still so clear to me—S. Jean Thomas, S. MarieFernanda, S. Francis Irene, S. Rose Eleanor and S. GraceMaureen. These were the Sisters who introduced me to theDominican teachers when I came to St. Boniface in May, 1939after moving to Long Island from the Bronx. Not only theirlessons, but their kindnesses have stayed with me throughoutmy life. I still remember December 6, 1940, when we arrived toclass, fourth grade, and S. Fernanda had put a piece of candy oneach of our desks because it was the feast of St. Nicholas. I stillthink of it every year on December 6.The multiplication tables are certainly ingrained in methanks to S. Frances Irene. S. Grace Maureen taught our class forseventh and eighth grade. She invited us to write to her brotherin the service during World War II, which developed a love ofcorrespondence that has stayed with me. All in all, these Sistershad a lasting influence on my life which I treasure today. I wisheveryone could be so lucky.Dorothy Becconsall HansenSt. Boniface alumnae, together at theBeauty of the Spirit Luncheon in 2011.(Counter clockwise from bottom left):Dorothy Hansen, Adele Lederer, JoanHochstrasser and their friend Ursula Utz.Iattended St. Boniface inElmont for eight years.In the fourth grade, we hadSister Fernanda. She wasgreat at teaching us how tomemorize by use of a wheelin the front of the classroomthat repeated the times tablesand the cities and countriesof the world.I remember that SisterFernanda would sit and sewon the back porch of theconvent and put strands of thread on the porch railing for thebirds to make a nest. How thoughtful!For the seventh and eighth grades we had Sister GraceMaureen Duffy. She was a good teacher and very kind. I alsotook piano lessons from her for two years. The lessons weregiven in the convent. I loved it and enjoyed learning to play.Many students from our class remained friends with Sister untilher death. I doubt there are many people who enjoyed givingtreats to others like she did.Adele LedererSt. Boniface Graduation Day, June 1944. Recognize anyone?Asmile comes into play whenever I think about the years Ispent at St. Boniface, from 5th grade to 8th grade—only4 years, but what wonderful years! I look back on them as suchan important part of my life. Not only did I learn to appreciatebeing a Catholic, but I learned so much about the religion thatI was privileged to be born into. The Church, the people, theSisters, the priests…how can I explain the influence all of thishad on me? It is difficult to describe what a special time that was.I received a great education and a dedication to my God andalso to my fellow students. The gift of those years at St. Bonifacehas carried over throughout my life. It will always be memorableto me. How lucky I was to have been a student of the Sisters ofSt. Dominic!Joan Strutt Hochstrasser (a lucky girl)RecentGrantsThe Sisters would like to thank these generous benefactors:The Harry Chapin Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant toThe Opening Word for general operating support.The Long Island Foundation for Women and Girls awarded a$7,500 grant to The Opening Word to provide literacy, lifetraining, job readiness, and computer instruction to participants.Zonta Charities of Suffolk County has granted a special financialaward to The Opening Word to assist with its language programs.The Patricia Koenig Fund has awarded $2,500 to the North ForkSpanish Apostolate, to help provide women and their children withthe tools needed to cope with and escape domestic violence andovercome the obstacles that prevent them from moving ahead.