Happenings

The Class of 1959 made truly lifelong friendships during their years at St. Joseph Hill   Academy. Not only did they have one of the most successful 50th reunions 10 years ago, but they even coordinated a substantial group to mark their 55th class  reunion.

During the summer of 2019, a small group reunited on Staten Island again! With a couple of “locals” from New York State, Connecticut and some long        distance travelers from as far as California, their group may have been small in number, but the bonds they shared of the course of their lives have kept their friendships close. 

With a small group, their goal was to gather at the new  convent to visit the Sisters and to see the renovated chapel.     Thankfully, Sister William  McGovern was available to serve as their tour guide, not only through the building and chapel, but also on their journey down memory road. 

Conversations covered days in classrooms, unusual     moments shared amongst students and their teachers, and how some of these student –teacher relationships grew into friendships. 

Overall is was a lovely    afternoon together at St. Joseph Hill culminating with delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant, where the main course was served over stories about families, careers and enjoying retirement.

The Sisters  wish to remind all the graduates of St. Joseph Hill they are always welcome to come home and visit!

DAUGHTERS OF DIVINE CHARITY ASSOCIATES MAY CROWNING 2019.

[envira-gallery id=”2599″]

It is with great sadness that we announce that our first Daughter of Divine Charity

Associate has been called home to Our Heavenly Father. Mrs. MaryJane Truckenbrodt’s

relationship with the Daughters of Divine Charity began as a parent of students at St. Joseph Hill Academy.

Mrs. T, as she was endearingly called, truly attached herself to the Sisters and their

educational ministry. She served as a forensics coach, a teacher and eventually as the first lay principal of SJHA’s elementary school.

Her devotion to her students was evident in the classroom teaching junior high science. Inspiring teens through discovery was not her only gift. Through her strong friendship with Sister Raimonde she found another way to help teenagers develop practical skills through public speaking.

Mrs. T spent hours with junior high students honing their speeches for the Eddy TV

competition and other public speaking opportunities.

Alongside Sr. Raimonde, bonded by their shared love for theater, speech and debate, she devoted her afternoons and weekends to the SJHA High School Forensics Team. Under the guidance of Sister and “Mrs. T” the team became recognized both locally and nationally for delivering “quality, not quantity.”

This team moto became a mantra for most former members of the forensics team, a reminder always to have confidence in one’s ability and training and a reminder to deliver one’s personal best in all endeavors.

Mrs. T will be remembered by the Sisters for all her contributions to their ministry in education. She will be fondly remembered by hundreds of students for her creativity in the classroom. Last, but certainly not least, her forensics team alumnae will honor her each time they stand in front of an audience delivering a presentation with confidence and poise.

God Bless you, Mrs. T.

Sister Mary Coffelt, Provincial Superior, recently spent time visiting the Sisters in the Mid-West ministries:

• Franziska Residence and Leonora Hall in Akron, Ohio. Here the Sisters’ ministry serves elderly men and women and provides a safe home for women with special needs.
• Briarbank in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Here the Sisters oversee an assisted living facility for women.
• Corpus Cristi Parish in South Bend, Indiana where the Sisters assist in the elementary school and serve  the parish community throughout the weekends.

According to the Constitution of the Congregation, the Provincial Superior is mandated to visit every convent each year. During this visitation as the trip is called, Sister Mary speaks to each Sister individually. This provides the Sisters an opportunity to express directly to the Provincial how she feels about where she is living, the services she is providing to God’s people, her hopes for the future and anything else she wishes to share. Simultaneously, Sister Mary can   explain her vision for her Sisters individually and how each Sister contributes to the mission.

While first and foremost, Sister Mary’s responsibility is for the welfare of her Sisters in all the convents, visitation provides the Provincial time to assess the mission itself. Time is taken to   evaluate the infrastructure of the building, the administration of the ministry, services provided to the community, financial feasibility of the mission and convent, and so on.

With an aged population of Sisters, one of the most important aspects of the Provincial’s visitation is to assess the needs of the mission. This allows her to create a strategic plan for the future of the Province, convents, ministries and so on.

The Sisters and all their supporters look forward to the next steps Sister Mary and the Council will determine to be necessary in the coming months.