About Us:
Our Leadership

The four-member congregational Leadership Team is composed of the President, Sr. Mary Malone, and three Councilors: Sisters Cathy Howard, Pat Howell, and Dorothy Maxwell. Together, these Sisters share the administrative, pastoral and planning responsibilities for the entire congregation. They work collaboratively, with each member of the Team assuming responsibility for a specific area of the congregation's life and mission.

Sister Mary Malone, O.P.
As President, Sister Mary’s role is to serve as the spiritual leader and unifier of the Congregation.  It is her responsibility to lead and challenge the members in their efforts to live the gospel message and facilitate their response to the Church’s mandate of mission and service.  Sister serves on the Board of the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate and other boards associated with the ministries of the Congregation.

Sister has served the Congregation on the Leadership Team from 1999-2005, as Formation Director from 1977-1981 and as Regional Coordinator from 1970 -1974.

In addition, Sr. Mary has served the people of God as:  Social Worker/Supervisor at St. Dominic’s Home, Principal of St. Nicholas of Tolentine and St. Benedict’s Schools in the Bronx, Pastoral Associate at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Manhattan, and teacher at St. Luke’s, Bronx, New York, St. Paul’s, Dayton Beach and St. Anthony’s Oceanside.  Sister also served the Archdiocese of New York as Director of Adult Basic Education. 

Sister Catherine Howard
Sister Catherine Howard has been a Dominican of Blauvelt for twenty-eight years.  She served in the Peace Corps in the West Indies where she met the Blauvelt Sisters.

She holds a Ph.D in Social Work from Fordham where she received the Nicholas J. Langsfeld Award for distinguished doctoral scholarship and the Social Work Department’s Award for most outstanding Doctoral dissertation.

As a social worker, Cathy spent many years working in different capacities with homeless and HIV infected adults in New York City.

She has been on the faculty of the College for Human Services for fifteen years and is an adjunct faculty member at Fordham Graduate School of Social Service.  She taught at Dominican College in Blauvelt.  She also served as the Director of Development for the Sisters of Saint Dominic in Blauvelt.

As a member of the Leadership Team she facilitates the Strategic Planning Process; Revitalization, Theological Reflection and Integrative Circle activities.  She serves on the Board of Saint Dominic Home.

Sister Dorothy Maxwell
When Dorothy Maxwell came to Rockland County to teach in Tappan Zee High School, she planned on having a good life.  Little did she know that the Convent across the street would be the place where this became realized.  A summer job of working with the children and experiencing the joyful sisters resulted in her entering the Congregation.  Ministries in teaching, principal of an elementary school, pastoral care to the dying and their families, and nursing have prepared her for the varied roles she performs on the leadership team.

As a member of the Leadership Team, Sister Dorothy coordinates the retreat and spiritual direction programs sponsored by the Congregation.  As Director of Later Life she serves as liaison to our Martin de Porres Infirmary and Marian Woods Residence in Hartsdale.

Sister also serves as leadership liaison to the On-going Formation Committee and the Blauvelt Preaching Team.

Sister Patricia Howell
Sister Pat Howell graduated from Dominican College with a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Religious Studies from Providence College.  She holds Permanent Certification in Teaching and Administration.

Sr. Pat has ministered in St. Dominic’s Home and taught at St. Luke’s and Visitation Elementary Schools and St. Pius High School in the Bronx.  Sister was Principal at St. Luke’s School for the last nineteen years.  Sister Pat serves as the Director of Ministry which is intricately related to the mission of the Congregation. She also oversees the Congregation’s property at Blauvelt, Goshen, and Ventnor where the Sisters maintain a vacation house.  Sister is a member of the Steering Committee for the Dominican Sisters of the Northeast and serves a leadership liaison to several congregational committees.