Celebrating the Dominican Sisters
Photo by Lee Ferris
More than 20 Dominican Sisters of Hope attended Mount Saint Mary College’s 14th Annual Leadership Gala Reception, honoring the Dominican Order, on Friday, December 1.
The Mount’s 14th Annual Leadership Gala Reception on Friday, December 1 celebrated the religious order that founded the college: the Dominican Sisters of Hope.
The sisters were honored with the Joseph A. Bonura Award for Leadership Excellence, which recognizes individuals or organizations whose professional accomplishments, service to the community, and leadership reflect the same commitment to quality, concern for neighbors, and shared prosperity that have exemplified the career and character of local restaurateur Joseph A. Bonura.
The Dominican Sisters of Hope have devoted their lives to living and preaching the Gospel message of Hope. The sisters are committed to actions for justice and fostering the Dominican charism. In the tradition of Saint Dominic, they focus their lives on prayer, study, ministry, and community.
Sr. Catherine McDonnell, OP, Prioress, accepted the award on behalf of all the Dominican Sisters.
“Over the years, Mount Saint Mary College has offered an education that leads our students down a deep and rewarding path,” said Sr. McDonnell. “But there is more. In our Dominican way of thinking, a college experience needs to be an opportunity to recognize one’s individual talents, and go beyond the basics for a genuine search for truth.”
Sr. Joann Boneski OP ’65, a member of the Mount’s Gala committee, then honored William Kaplan, a Newburgh-based philanthropist and businessman, and the Kaplan family.
“We, the Dominican Sisters of Hope, owe you a huge debt of gratitude,” said Sr. Boneski about William Kaplan and the Kaplan Family. “You are a very important part of our legacy, aiding us to continue providing a quality education to all students, because they are our future leaders.”
The honor was accepted by Kaplan’s daughter, Joan Kaplan, Executive Director of the William and Elaine Kaplan Family Private Foundations.
Photos by Lee Ferris
Fr. Gregoire Fluet, Interim President of the Mount, then announced that the Dominican Sisters have committed $1 million to endow and name the college’s Campus Ministry, now known as the Dominican Sisters of Hope Campus Ministry. The endowment will be used to fund vital efforts, such as the Student Emergency Needs Fund, the annual Toy Drive, Ministry retreats, and more.
Michael Horodyski, president and CEO of Wallkill Valley Federal Savings and Loan and board chair at the Mount, revealed two additional endowments, both scholarship funds. The first is the Sr. Ann Sakac Endowed Scholarship, named after the college’s fourth and longest-serving president. This scholarship was established with a $100,000 gift from Penny Ducker, Class of 1973, and will be used to support new incoming students with financial need and academic aptitude.
The second is the Sr. Leona Deboer Endowed Scholarship for Nursing, named after a seminal Professor Emerita of Nursing. The scholarship was created by an anonymous donor to support new incoming Nursing students, with financial need and the desire to serve our community through nursing.
In addition to these gifts, the Gala raised more than $100,000, which will be used to support the Dominican Sisters of Hope Empowerment Scholarship. Established by the sisters, this scholarship is awarded to academically strong female students with financial need.
Nikki Khurana-Baugh, vice president for Advancement at the Mount, noted that Mount scholarships provide an affordable, values-based education to thousands of deserving students, many of whom are among the first in their families to attend college.
To donate to any of these funds, please contact Khurana-Baugh at 845-569-3216 or Nikki.Khurana-Baugh@msmc.edu.
Khurana-Baugh thanked the local leaders who sponsored the event, including The William & Elaine Kaplan Family Private Foundation; Advance Testing Company, Inc.; the Bonura Hospitality Group; Catania, Mahon & Rider, PLLC; The Padre Pio Foundation of America; Marlboro Group International; Mental Health America of Dutchess County; PKF O’Connor Davies; Wallkill Valley Federal Savings and Loan; and the many other local businesses and friends that sponsored the event.
Video by Matt Frey and Lee Ferris
A blessed history
The Dominican Sisters of Hope as we know them today were founded in 1995 from communities in Newburgh, N.Y., Fall River, Mass., and Ossining, N.Y. They are now based in The Center at Mariandale, with sisters living in nine states and Puerto Rico.
But their story – and the story of the Mount – started long before that.
It was on April 9, 1883, 140 years ago, that Sisters Hildegarde, Justina, DeSales, and Egbert disembarked in Newburgh from the steamship Mary Powell. The four Dominican Sisters went on to establish Mount Saint Mary Academy. The academy was soon flourishing, followed by the five-story Greater Mount Saint Mary in 1927.
In 1954, Sr. Christina Marie and Sr. Mary Vincent Ralph went to Albany to discuss opening a junior college. The Villa Madonna was the Mount’s first home, and the sisters gave 23 acres to the cause.
The state charter that declared Mount Saint Mary College a four-year institution, the seed of the wonderful college we know today, was signed in October of 1959.
Sr. Ann Sakac, OP, served as the president of the college from 1976 to 2008, and Sr. Agnes Boyle, OP, served as the Vice President of Academic Advancement for 30 years. Other sisters served as faculty, and many earned their degrees from the Mount.
The sisters continue to minister to students, as the college continues to bring life to the sisters’ legacy and mission.
In 2018, the Dominican Sisters preserved 34 acres of the Mariandale property, conserving a nearly one-mile stretch of shoreline along the Hudson River. The retreat center and the land make Mariandale a source of healing for body, mind, and spirit, as well as a place of refuge for all of creation.
