Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt
Sister Theresa Maillet, OP
www.catholicdominicansisters.org
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Stories of Our Sisters
bring the Charism to Life

Here are Our Stories for February 2008
My vocation story began at my birth. My birth mother, a non catholic, gave me up for adoption and I became the child of two French Acadians who had me baptized at four days old.

My adoptive parents lived in a small French village in Nova Scotia.  My first teacher was a religious sister and I knew then that I wanted to be like her. When I was eight years old, my family moved to City Island in the Bronx, New York. There, at St. Mary Star of the Sea School, I met the Blauvelt Dominicans.  I did not know it then, but Mary, under that title, is patroness of French Acadians, certainly a good omen.
I got to know the sisters at school and particularly admired Sr. Ancilla, my 5th and 6th grade teacher, for her kindness and ability to make each student feel special. The work of her congregation, caring for orphans, also attracted me. I had been blessed with a good family and wanted to give something back to those children who were less fortunate and so I entered the congregation.

However, God had other plans. After completing college, I was assigned to teach elementary school and continue in that ministry today.  Looking back over the years, I know I have always been blessed. Even when things were difficult, God has been with me, lifting me up, even carrying me. I am forever grateful to those who have walked with me on my journey in response to Jesus’ call, “Follow Me.”

Dominican Sisters of Hope
Sister Maureen Sullivan, iOP
“Long-term memory” is not one of my gifts.  Yet, there are certain events in my life that require no prodding to recall vividly.  October 4, 1964 is one such memory.  It was the day I told my parents I wanted to enter the convent.  This was my “official” announcement to my parents, but, given what my life had been like up to that point, neither was really surprised and supported my decision completely. 

Entrance Day into the Novitiate was August 30, 1965, another event I vividly recall…perhaps because it was bittersweet.  I was so overjoyed to be entering the convent – but the ensuing separation from my family would be far more difficult than I anticipated! 
Fortunately, the Second Vatican Council would come to a close in December 1965 and this event paved the way for many wonderful changes in religious life, changes that would “soften the blow” of my separation from my family.

For the last forty years, teaching has been my ministry – a task that has brought me more happiness than I could ever describe.  The first eleven years found me teaching first and second graders.  But once I completed graduate studies in Theology, it was clear I would not be returning to my little angels.  God was obviously grooming me for “bigger” angels, the college students I now teach at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. 

We read in 1 Peter 3:15:  “Always be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks for the reason for the hope that is in you.”  After forty-two years in religious life, I believe this passage sums up who I am and why my ministry is so central to my life.
Dominican Sisters of Sparkill
Sister Marilyn Dunn, OP
I was asked nicely to leave St. Simon Stock H.S. because of my mischievous ways.  I then went to Thorpe Secretarial H.S. and met Dominicans for the first time.  It was a CALL.  I knew there and then that God made a mistake.  NOT I, God must have meant the girl behind me.  Well, the CALL never stopped.  I was dating and having fun but . .  . that CALL.

I entered at 19 and was even asked to leave the Congregation due to health reasons.  Now I am a Nurse Practitioner whose life has been blessed over and over because I said YES.

I have been in the company of a Guru, a Sufi master and so many holy people.  I have seen the ONENESS of our God answering to many names and being painted in so many forms.  Never doubt the CALL is quite specific for many.  

I have seen God in my first grade pupils; when I started nursing in an emergency room I saw God in eyes of people bearing great pain and hardship.  I have seen and heard my God in the silence of the night or in the quiet woods.
I said YES and have never stopped being grateful for this great journey that has God showing many mischievous ways and boundless love and direction.

“Why did you become a Sister?” a question asked by a member of my Misericordia School of Nursing class.  I gave an answer I was not comfortable with at the time.  I thought about it and the next day I told her that she needed to hear my TRUE reason.  The reason I became a Sister was because I fell in love with God.  Now I was red-faced but feeling better.
At a young age I recall looking at a large crucifix in Holy Rosary church in the Bronx.  Something happened to me and tears came.  Was that the CALL or merely a whisper?
Dominican Sisters of Caldwell

Sister Peggy Ann Clinton, OP
During July, Amityville Dominican Sisters Diane Capuano, Marion McLinden, and Peggy McVetty joined efforts with the Dominicans of Hope, Sparkill, Caldwell and Blauvelt to assist the Diocese of New Orleans. Offering their time and talents in response to the ongoing needs in that devastated area, each went with a willingness to be available to those who asked for volunteers. Over a five-week period, 26 Sisters served in housing, food pantry service, tutoring in a summer children’s camp, home visiting, clerical assistance, library assistance and special services. They spent time visiting affected areas of the region, particularly the Lower 9th Ward where the Eucharistic Missionaries serve. 
Sisters Diane, Marion and Peggy ministered in the parish of St. Joseph at the Harry Thompson Outreach Center, located just miles from the heart of the city. Sharing impressions, they noted, “”There is a tangible value when individual gifts and talents are blended together for those in need".

“No matter where we went, a story presented itself,” Sister Peggy explained. “The people were so gracious and thankful for our presence that we soon realized it was we who were changed, not we who changed the situation. Imagine meeting a man who spent days floating in salt water and heat, thanking you for your generosity. Imagine being 89 years old and bending under a hotel sink to fill a soap dispenser because your family needs the salary.”

The Sisters proclaim that when they unite with others for the sake of mission, an energy and deeper passion for their shared Dominican life takes on new life and new forms. In post-Katrina New Orleans, countless stories of compassion and service illustrate the simple belief that the world is indeed connected and we are family to one another.
So when the cries are heard over and over again, “Don’t forget about us, don’t forget New Orleans,” the Dominican family responds with both prayer and with action. It is an example worth following.

For more about the Dominicans in New Orleans, www.domlife.org/KatrinaProject/TOC.html.

I entered the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell on September 8, 1981.  I came to see.  I stayed.  My first grade teacher told us the story of Dominic and Francis and the switching of the belts.  Was it a legend?  Who cares?  It was a great story of collaboration. 

Farther down the Boulevard I eventually went to St. Dominic Academy.  It was a place I did not want to go.  I was going under protest.  My horoscope on the day I listed my high school choices said, “You will make a decision today that will change your life and set the stage for your career.”  I cut that out and saved it.  What did it mean?

At age 24 I decided I needed to get this question over with—to Caldwell I went.  Where would the journey lead me?  I spent eight years teaching elementary school.   I thought I might do something in Theology.  Six summers I spent in Providence.  A phone call came one day.  Could I come to the Mt. St. Dominic to teach high school?  Was the time right?  Who knows?  I went to do theology in the adolescent
world.  I thought I would try it for a year to see if I liked it.  That was in 1990.  I’m still here.    It draws me.    It gives me energy.  I like to think I make a difference in the lives of the young women I have walked with.

Have there been tradeoffs?  What would I have done if my life unfolded differently?  I would have loved to run for the United States Congress.   I think I might have made a pretty good soccer mom.  

Is my life always perfect?  Of course not.  Do people ever tap dance on my nerves?  Naturally.  Does this life still continue to draw me after 26 years?  Absolutely.