The Order of Preachers sharing the Gospel for over 800 years.
DOMINICAN SISTERS OF SPARKILL
Our Mission
We are joyful women of prayer and compassion
who proclaim the reign of God through a ministry
for justice and reverence for all creation.
Our Goal
We commit ourselves to the goal
of proclamation of the reign of God
through the ministry for justice
wherein we focus on enablement
of the poor, of the powerless,
of the oppressed, and of the
spiritually deprived people
of our times.
A Piece of History
Our Congregation traces its gift of life to St. Dominic’s faith and belief in people. Six hundred years later Alice Mary Thorpe and her sister Lucy
responded to the Dominican ideal and spirit. Converts from the Anglican Church and immigrants
from England, they began to live and work among poor people in New York City.
Under the leadership of Alice Thorpe, now known as Mother Catherine M. Antoninus, their mission took shape on May 6, 1876 in the Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary, dedicated to provide refuge for needy women and to serving people in poverty.
After the death of Mother Antoninus in 1879, Mother Dominic Dowling played a leading role in the preservation of the Congregation. The urgent need to provide for destitute children influenced her to suspend the care of indigent women in favor of neglected children. Property was purchased in Sparkill, New York to provide a suitable environment for boys under their care, and the Motherhouse and Novitiate were moved there in 1895.
By 1900 the sisters’ work included teaching in elementary and high schools. Eventually, a commitment to education made this the Congregation’s principal ministry.
Although their ministries have expanded since the Second Vatican Council, the founding spirit of Mother Antoninus Thorpe still inspires the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill.
Our Ministries Today
Healthcare (Pastoral Service)
“I hear people in pain, crying out for someone to be present with them during this time of suffering.Spiritual care is our primary mission. I provide support by listening, praying with our patients, and by
attending to the feelings expressed by them, their families, and even the hospital staff.”
Sr. Margaret Teresa Oettinger, OP
Director of Chaplaincy, Hospital for Special Surgery, Manhattan
Spiritual Direction
“I sit in amazement at the degree to which people, both lay and religious, take seriously the desire to come to know the God who dwells within. This usually begins at a time when they are at a crossroad and the one thing they know is that things are shifting. My role is to simply listen as they discover the wealth of the gift of God they are and come to a new fullness of life.”
Sr. Mary Pius Fagan, OP
Spiritual Companion,
Retreat Ministry, St. Louis
Our Legacy to the Church
Loyal to its heritage,
and to the gifts of its members
Our Congregation meets the challenges
of the present day
in many diverse works of faith and love
which manifest belief in others
and in the bounty of God’s creation.
-Mission #16
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