Well the demolition continues. I am glad that I am an early riser since work on the site begins at 7:00am. Part of the Academy building must be demolished so that there is space to work between the new building and the old.
Construction has Begun!
The building is a go! All permits have been signed and our builder, Sal Tirro, is Johnny on the Spot! I have a bird’s eye view of the construction since my room is on the corner directly in the middle of the new addition. A bit of demolition had to be done prior to the start of the construction but you know just from watching that these guys are professionals! As I hear the jackhammers roar or the bulldozers start up, I do say a little prayer for everyone’s safety!
October 13, 2013 – Join Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan for our 100th Anniversary Jubilee Mass
2012-2013 is the 100th Anniversary Year of the Sisters in the United States. Please visit here to discover what celebrations the Sisters have planned to commemorate this once in a lifetime happening.
Jubilee Mass at St. Joseph Hill Academy
Date: October 13, 2013
Time: 2:00PM
Main Celebrant: Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York
Dismantling of the Pool
Oh, this is a very tough day for the Sisters. The pool was dismantled and the area is down to bare earth. Just think- we have to face a whole summer without the benefit of our old friend. Perhaps when all is completed a new pool could be installed. I, for one, certainly hope so!
Permits & Trees
I understand that the permits have been submitted and it is time to remove some of the trees that would impede the construction. It is nice to see that there is not a full blown clearing and many of the trees on the site will remain intact.
Sisters Lose a Beloved Member
Sister M. Ernestine Jeck, F.D.C. was called home to God on May 21, 2012. Born Josephine on October 16, 1916 in Manhattan, to Peter and Madelen Jeck. She was the youngest of three children. When she was just a baby her father died in a tragic accident and her mother needed child care for her little one. A friend told her that the Sisters who operate St. Mary’s Residence on 72 St. were opening a boarding school on what was then very rural Staten Island.
In 1934, drawn by the example of the Sisters who educated her and helped her mother raise her, Josephine entered the novitiate of the Daughters of Divine Charity and took the name Sister Mary Ernestine.
Her first teaching assignment after religious profession was in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Subsequently she taught in several schools in the East and Midwest. In 1952, she returned to her home on Staten Island, St. Joseph Hill Academy.
Today, there are many women who have happy memories of Sister Ernestine as their third grade or fourth grade teacher. Those who experienced her kindness in their early years were happy when Sister was assigned to the high school faculty as a religious studies teacher and the librarian in 1958.
During her entire career, her primary objective was to teach her students about God’s love for them and to foster a personal relationship with Jesus.
Anyone who knew Sister Ernestine either as a teacher, librarian or friend could always count on her to a smile and a kind word.
We hope that Sister Ernestine’s smile is now glowing with the sight of the Lord whole loved her throughout her long life and that she will be present to us with her prayers as we try to be, like her, messengers of God’s abiding love and care. All of us, Sisters, family and friends, thank God for the gift of the life of this lovely Sister!