National Catholic Sisters Week
Catholic sisters to be recognized March 8–14

Amityville Dominicans celebrate National Catholic Sisters Week

In celebration of the first National Catholic Sisters Week March 8–14, the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville, New York, invite you to learn more about their history, life and continuing mission. National Catholic Sisters week is being launched at St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Minnesota, through a grant from the Conrad Hilton Foundation. The program is taking place during the second week of Women’s History Month, and it is intended to shine a national spotlight on the good works and good will of Catholic sisters.

The Sisters of St. Dominic and Catholic sisters from religious orders around the globe proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through care of the poor and marginalized in society, and through consecrated lives of prayer and devotion to God. Since their founding 160 years ago, the Sisters of St. Dominic in Amityville have responded to the needs of the times, all in service to God. Our current ministries include an organic farm that provides food to the hungry, a literacy program for immigrant women, a culturally diverse Catholic high school for young women, advocacy work at the United Nations which brings the Dominican perspective to the UN/NGO community and collaborates with other NGO representatives to focus attention on UN issues and initiatives dealing with the concerns of families, women and youth, the environment, the refugee crisis and peace-building, a Peace and Justice Committee that promotes justice, peace and care of creation, an active youth ministry, as well as a Province in Puerto Rico and mission in the Dominican Republic.

WHO: Sisters of St. Dominic (Dominican Sisters of Amityville)

WHAT: Celebrating National Catholic Sisters Week

WHEN: March 8-14, 2014 (Tours/interviews by appointment)
As always, all are welcome to join us for Vespers (evening prayer), which will take place on Sunday, March 16 at 4 p.m.

WHERE: 555 Albany Avenue, Amityville, NY 11701

*Please let us know if you will be joining us by calling (631) 842-6000 ext. 226.

• For more information about the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville, visit our web site www.amityvilleop.org or view our Heritage site on YouTube.
  
• For more information about Catholic Sisters Week, read the article in the Feb. 7 issue of the National Catholic Reporter (“Inaugural Catholic Sisters Week set for March”)
• You may also follow the program on Twitter:
  https://twitter.com/ncsweek
• If you are a parish or university seeking to participate, please visit the web site of St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Minnesota, the launch site of National Catholic Sisters Week.
  

About the Dominican Sisters of Amityville

History
The Dominican Sisters of Amityville have ministered in the Diocese of Brooklyn since we arrived from Germany in 1853. Our ministries were for many years in education and health care and always closely knit to our life in the local parish. The Diocese of Brooklyn grew in population and area as more people moved east towards the Island’s end. In the late 1950’s the diocese was split and the new Diocese of Rockville Centre was formed. As time went on and new needs of God’s people were perceived by the Sisters we spread to other dioceses in other states and Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. In all our ministries we remain committed to ministering to the marginalized and to care of creation.

Motherhouse
The Motherhouse Complex of the Sisters of St. Dominic is located on the east side of Albany Avenue, just north of the Village of Amityville, Long Island, in the Town of Babylon. It sits on an approximately 19-acre site that includes the original Motherhouse, Rosary Hall built in 1876-1878, with its historic chapel and pipe organ, the Potato house, the Boiler House, the grotto, St. Dominic’s Chapel and the Sisters’ cemetery. The site also contains the original novitiate, a house that was on the site when the Sisters took ownership in 1876 and the connection to the St. Albert’s building, built as a new novitiate in 1964. A former garden/orchard space was located within the grounds.

Ministries
We are a preaching/teaching community ministering in response to the needs of our age. Many of our Sisters are retired or current educators, or minister in parish programs, health care, human services and other fields dedicated to helping those in need. For both working and retired Sisters, ongoing Spiritual Formation is a lifelong journey, both personal and communal prayer are a constant source of strength and deepened connection with God.

Province of Puerto Rico
Our Sisters have ministered in Puerto Rico since 1910, serving the poor, the very young, and the elderly. Our Sisters in the Province continue to teach in schools and run after-school programs, and invite youth and young adults to preach along side of us as high school and college preachers. The island of Culebra off Puerto Rico became a special area of ministry for our Sisters following the destruction of Hurricane Hugo. They have brought hope to these people whose needs are great.

Dominican Republic
As the new millennium dawned, an idea for a joint mission of Puerto Rico and the states was underway. Sisters Zaida Gonzalez and Dismas Marschhauser from the Province are currently in mission in the Dominican Republic. We in the States assist with prayers and funds.

Associates
Amityville Dominican Associates are women and men, single and married who live out their Baptismal call to follow Jesus Christ in the spirit of St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena. Associates are companions to the Sisters in the journey of "Holy Preaching,” and bonded to the congregation through this commitment.

Associates are invited to participate in the prayer and mission of the Dominican Sisters of Amityville in a non-vowed way. They live the Gospel life through the lens of the Congregation’s Vision Statement. They pray with a local community monthly, and join us in Vespers, Community Assembly, and Congregational days of prayer and study. They participate in the ministry of the Dominican Family.

Sponsored Ministries
The following are sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Amityville.

• Dominican Village www.dominicanvillage.org — a non-sectarian, not-for-profit Independent and Assisted Living Retirement Community, with Respite Care (located next door to the Motherhouse).
• The OPening Word www.openingword.org — a literacy program that teaches English to women who are part of an immigrant population which is under-educated and/or under-employed, with sites in Wyandanch, at the Amityville Motherhouse, and Huntington Station.
• Homecoming/Sophia Garden www.homecomingearth.org — a certified organic farm on the grounds of the motherhouse. This Community Supported Agriculture Farm (CSA) grows fruits and vegetables without the use of chemical pesticides. A portion of the yield is donated to the INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network) in Hempstead, NY to help nourish needy Long Islanders.
• St. Agnes High School, College Point, NY www.stagneshs.org —a culturally diverse Catholic high school for young women that develops a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

Preaching Ministries: In addition, many of our sisters work in a variety of preaching ministries, including: “Artafire” and other ministries in which sisters preach through the arts; Bethany House, based in Roosevelt, Long Island, was founded by the Sisters in 1978 in response to the need for shelter for homeless women and their children; The Fort Greene Strategic Neighborhood Action Partnership, advocates for change where needed in Brooklyn neighborhoods and conducts direct strategy sessions to help bring about this change to benefit people’s lives; “Harvest Houses” – residences for the well elderly directed by the sisters; ministries integrating spirituality and wellness; as well as retreats and presentations led by sisters in parishes/schools or for special groups.

Dominican Volunteers USA www.dvusa.org: We currently have two young adults from Dominican Volunteers USA working with us in our ministries. Dominican Volunteers spend a year in full-time ministry, sharing our mission of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, especially through serving the poor and marginalized.

Dominican Young Adults (DYA) www.dya-usa.org: supports and teaches our young people the skills necessary to fulfill their baptismal commitment to “Preach the Good News.”

Peace and Justice Committee: works to protect the dignity of all persons and to promote the care of creation.