Sister Joan began her career teaching at Mount Saint Vincent Academy in Halifax. From there her teaching ministry brought her to Bridgewater NS, then across Canada to British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, before returning east to Ontario and then New York.
Sister Catherine received her BSc in Home Economics from Mount St Vincent College in 1948. She taught Home Economics in New Waterford, and later at Mount Saint Vincent College from 1958-1965. Sister Catherine spent four years as the Dietician at the Halifax Infirmary. In 1968 Sister earned a master’s degree in nutrition and management from Cornell University, N.Y. In 1970 when the call went out from the congregation for the Sisters to go to Latin America, S Catherine volunteered and first went to Chiclayo, Peru for six months. From there she went to Bani, Dominican Republic where she would spend the next 40 years.
Since the early 2000’s, 12 of us have been present at Bread and Life. Its mission and ours resonate.
A spectacular balloon sculpture, music, two artisanal cakes, but most important of all, about 150 friends old and new marked the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Centro Corazón de María, the ministry to the Latino community in Hampton Bays, New York.
I invite each of you to join me in my exploration of my home space, my heart space, my God space where I live my truth as an African Nova Scotian woman and a member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul, Halifax.
A sense of peace and serenity welcomed fellow Long Island/Queens Associates Betty Erdos, Helen Ogden, Mickey Madden, Ann Masters and me when we arrived at the tranquil and cozy house on the eastern bay for the weekend of May 20–22, 2022.
“Subversive Habits” is a clever title, but the subtitle that scholar Shannen Dee Williams chooses for her superb book states her theme much more cogently: ‘Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Freedom Struggle.”
The inspiration for this article came from a recent delve into the history of one of the most inquired about teachers in the community, Sister Marie Clotilde Douglas.
Sister Ellen Stephen entered the Sisters of Charity, Halifax in 1944 and began her ministry as a teacher at Saint Joseph School in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Moving to New York, she served as a skilled mathematics teacher at Saint Sabastian School, Woodside, NY; Saint Nicholas of Tolentine School, Jamaica, NY; Seton Hall High School, Patchogue, NY; Saint Francis Prep School, Fresh Meadows, NY; Monsignor Ryan Memorial High School, Dorchester, MA; Keith Hall High School, Lowell, MA; Saint Mary's Girls High School, Manhasset, NY; Dominican Commercial High School, Jamaica, NY; Saint John's University, Queens, NY; Archbishop Molloy High School, Briarwood, NY. In between teaching positions she served briefly at the Catholic Medical Center, Jamaica, NY. Upon her retirement to Marillac Residence, Wellesley in 2006, Sister Ellen Stephen welcomed several volunteer ministries as Eucharistic Minister, Assistant Librarian, account assistant for special needs as well as visiting sisters at Elizabeth Seton Residence.
Sister Winifred entered the Sisters of Charity, Halifax in 1957 and was missioned to New York where she began her ministry as an elementary school teacher at Saint Sylvester School in Brooklyn. Following this assignment, she served as teacher and vice principal at Seton Hall High School in Patchogue, NY. Sister Winifred subsequently moved into parish ministry, in Saint Barnabas Parish, Bellmore, NY; Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish, Forest Hills, NY; Saint Mary Magdalene Parish, Springfield Gardens, NY; Saint Laurence Parish, Brooklyn, NY; Saint Gabriel Parish, East Elmhurst, NY and Our Lady of Loretto Parish, Hempstead, NY serving at different times, as the Director of Religious Education, Pastoral Associate and Retreat Director.