Our Preaching_Vol2 Iss2.qxd - Dominican Sisters of Amityville

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Our Preaching
In Our Donors’ WORDS
Do you have fond memories of the Dominican Sisters of Amityville? Letters are published in Our Preaching as space permits.
Remembering a Familiar Smile
While reading the last issue of Our Preaching, I was drawn to
a smile that seemed familiar. Almost sixty years ago, I had seen the
same smile.
When I attended St. Patrick’s School, the last day of the term,
in this case 4A, included a procedure wherein the students put
their heads on their desks and closed their eyes as the nun wrote
the name of our next term’s teacher on the blackboard. It was a
highly significant event in our lives. Can you imagine how naive
and innocent we were? A kind, compassionate and personal
teacher was very important to us.
Our beloved Sister Sylvia, all 4′11″ of her, wrote the name of
our teacher for Class 4B—Sister Rosilda. Surely this was a mistake.
Who was Rosilda? We confidently expected Dismas to be ours and
we hers. Her reputation had preceded her and we were prepared
for another happy term. What had happened? To our chagrin, we
were informed that she had asked for and had been granted a
transfer to Puerto Rico, which to us was this side of Arabia and
that side of the Amazon. To ease our frustration, we were invited
to see her off as she and others piled suitcases into a car in front
of the old, overcrowded convent. About twenty of us, a bit more
Retired Sisters Look Forward To
“Red Hat” Afternoons Together
While many retired Sisters remain active in ministries at the
Motherhouse, they also enjoy having fun. To this end, some
of them recently began a chapter of the “Red Hat Society,”
an informal organization of women over 50 who meet for tea
wearing red hats and purple dresses. With S. Kate Braet, CSJ,
Carlin Hall Program Director, these Amityville Dominicans
are planning daytrips to museums and parks on Long Island.
Pictured below at their first official “Red Hat” luncheon, the
happiness of these Sisters can be seen in their smiles!
Pictured (L-R): S. Grace Smith, S. Therese Jayne, S. Kathleen Lindsay,
S. Ascension Lynch, S. Jonathan Lynch, S. Anne M. Gillen and S. Marie
Amata Wlodkowski.
than a third of the class, applauded and waved. She beamed at us,
told us that she would remember St. Patrick’s and its students in
her prayers, and was off. But as the car pulled away, she turned
around in the back seat and gave us her last broad smile, the same
one in the picture on page 3 [last issue].
How simple life was then. Sister Rosilda did a fine job easing
our hurt. How could anyone abandon Brooklyn for Puerto Rico?
What did we know about mission? Not much! To us, the Caribbean
and Spanish-America were exotic and mystifying places. Lo and
behold, Dismas is still there.
May you long continue in your modern day missions.
Robert R. Chambers
Sacred Heart School Success Story
My four children received a wonderful education by your Sisters
at Sacred Heart School in Cambria Heights, Queens, from the
first day the school opened in 1951. [My daughter] Teresa was
in the first graduation class in 1954. I thought you’d like to know
that she and my other three children did so well because of your
Sisters’ teaching.
Mrs. Catherine Mastropaolo
Grants
Recent
The Dominican Sisters of Amityville recently received generous
grants from several foundations in support of various ministries.
The Congregation gratefully acknowledges these benefactors for
helping to ensure the continued good works of the Sisters.
The following grants were awarded to expand Youth Ministry
outreach through leadership training preaching programs:
The Humanitas Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant.
The Koch Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant.
The Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, Inc. awarded
a $10,000 grant.
The following grants have been received for specific purposes
at the Amityville Motherhouse:
Support Our Aging Religious, Inc. (SOAR) awarded a
$15,000 grant to help complete a new outside elevator.
The JPMorgan Chase Foundation awarded a $15,000 grant
to Opening Word, a literacy program for adult women which
includes a social work component. Because of improved skills,
participants become active members of their community and
advance in the work force.
Thank you for partnering with our Sisters in mission!