The Order of Preachers sharing the Gospel for over 800 years.
DOMINICAN SISTERS OF BLAUVELT
Mission Statement
As women of hope, our mission is to proclaim the Name of the Lord in service to the people of God: whether this service be the preaching and teaching of Dominic, the caring for the temporal and spiritual welfare of needy children as did Mother Mary Ann, or other works of mercy. The Dominican motto -”to praise, to bless, to preach” the Word in response to the signs of the times -provides motivation for our apostolic commitments.
Charism:
Our charism is our consciousness of and presence to people who are poor and marginalized. The charism is rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ and is expressed in our ministries through compassion, justice, hope and healing.
A Piece of History
For eight hundred years, the Dominicans or Order of Preachers (laity, sisters, brothers, priests and contemplative nuns) have proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We, the Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, are part of this worldwide order founded by Dominic de Guzman in Europe in 1216, Devoted to prayer, study, and the preaching of the Gospel, St. Dominic was intensely involved in the issues of his times, and had a particular sensitivity to the poor.
As Blauvelt Dominicans, we continually strive to live our
mission for justice as expressed in our 1987 Belief Statement:
“We believe that as women of compassion, we are called to use our power to help create an economic system in which the basic needs of all are met. We oppose unjust systems, which cause and sustain poverty, hunger and homelessness.”
Our Legacy to the Church
For 130 years the Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt have lived out their Dominican call to preach the truth of the Gospel through service to the people of God. Our founding work, St. Dominic’s Home continues today, serving over 2,000 children, adults and families annually.
Our lives are shaped by the four pillars of Dominican tradition: Prayer, Study, Common Life and Ministry/Preaching.
Our particular charism is to preach the compassionate love of God for each person, in particular the poor and those on the margins of society.
Sister Mary Ann Sammon, a young immigrant inspired by the life of St. Dominic, walked the streets of New York City, gathering orphaned and homeless children. She brought them to her cloistered Dominican convent in New York City. The number of children needing care continued to grow. Eventually, Sister Mary Ann was sent to establish a home for these children. She began a new congregation of active Dominican Sisters in Blauvelt, New York.
The skyline of New York may have changed, but the needs remain the same. Today,
Blauvelt Dominican Sisters and Associates are committed to continuing Mary Ann Sammon’s compassionate presence and ministry to people who are poor and on the margins of society. While maintaining our commitment to social services, the Blauvelt Dominican Sisters are also teachers, pastoral workers, chaplains, and health care professionals. We serve in schools, parishes, hospitals, community-based agencies and homeless shelters. Whether our service is the preaching and teaching of St. Dominic, the caring for needy children, works of compassion, our mission of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues.
“In the days to come, in the age of transition...we must be imitators of St. Dominic, not defenders of the status quo, not embalmers of a rich but dead heritage. We must be seekers of the truth, champions of faith, studious, willing to learn, to change, to adapt, but always obedient servants and instruments of the Church for the sanctification of souls and the honor and glory of God.”
- Mother Lawrence Marie, BlauveltA Heart That Does Justice
Our Foundress, Mary Ann Sammon, responding to the plight of orphaned children in the late 1800s, founded our congregation to promote the welfare of destitute, homeless and unprotected children. We take our founding mission seriously and respond by our works of charity and our struggle to understand the causes of injustice so that we can work for systemic change.
At our 2005 Chapter we made a commitment:
- to be a source of healing, compassion and justice in our world
- to deepen awareness of the heresy of dualism as it affects our own lives and as it exists today in our church and world.
- to seek truth and engage in theological reflection and social analysis with others on issues in the church and world.
- to affirm our relationship with all creation and commit to actions that safeguard Earth
- to address specific justice concerns such as the rights of women and children, immigrants, unjust structures, care of the earth, human rights.
- to encourage those activities that will critically address unjust systems particularly in areas where we minister.
