About Us:
Our Ministries

Ministry is at the heart of our vocation as Dominican Sisters. Our service to others is deeply rooted in our relationship with God and our call to be preachers of God's compassionate message. We serve in a variety of ministries from childcare, education, and pastoral ministry to health care, social services, and ministry to the blind and developmentally disabled. We believe where one Blauvelt Dominican Sister serves, we all serve.

Over the years, our Sisters have generously and graciously responded to the needs of the Church in a changing world. Here are a few of the Sisters who are continuing the mission of the Blauvelt congregation today...


Sister Joan Agro, O.P.
Principal, Our Lady of Victory Academy, Dobbs Ferry, NY

Sister Joan has been an educator for most of her life, first as teacher, then as principal. "I live in a world of adolescents," she states, regarding her current ministry as principal of Our Lady of Victory Academy, an all-girls high school in Westchester County.

"My experience with adolescents tells me they need to be praised in truth - encouraged and validated that they are precious gifts and creations of God. Typically speaking, adolescents have very low self-worth. They are fragile as they struggle at this stage of development. Along with authentic praise, they need to be 'blessed' - prayed for and with," says Sister Joan.

Sister Joan knows the impact of being blessed. She entered the Blauvelt Dominicans after having been both educated by them, and having taught with them. Reflecting on the Dominican charism she says, "My preaching charism is also blessing. It is through the grace of God that I can become aware of the teachable moments that can raise someone up. Working with adolescents is never easy, but the energy of God drives me to find laughable moments, connections, and breakthroughs. It is the preaching charism that gives me the strength to call on God to be with me every day."



Sister Margaret McDermott (Sister Bridget Patrick)
Executive Director, Tolentine-Zeiser CLC, Bronx, NY

Sister Margaret, or "Maggie" as most people know her, grew up near St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish in the Bronx. She went to both the elementary and high school in the Parish, where she was taught by the Blauvelt Dominicans. Sr. Maggie recalls, "They were always so kind and did so much for people. I just wanted to be like them." After entering the Blauvelt Dominicans, Sr. Maggie spent many years teaching before returning to her home parish. In 1979, had a desire to, "help people help themselves," which led her to ask the pastor of St. Nicholas about starting a Senior Center in the Parish. In 1980, the Tolentine-Zeiser Senior Center opened its doors. Today, it serves seventy people daily.

Sr. Maggie realized that there were many other needs in the area and couldn't help but respond. Over the years, she has added many programs under the umbrella of Tolentine-Zeiser, including Day Care; Universal Pre-K; Siena House, a shelter for homeless women who are pregnant or have one child; Paradise Housing, a residential program for people living with AIDS; a Youth Center; Summer Day Camp; Food Pantry; and transitional housing. Sister Maggie certainly, "helps people help themselves."



Sister Ruth Mitchell, O.P.
Addiction Counselor, Emmaus House, NJ

"Meister Eckhart once defined wisdom as the following, 'Wisdom is to do the next thing that needs to be done, to do it with all your heart and to take delight in it.' So, no matter what comes next in my day, I think and try to live out of that great wisdom. I remember that in all my tasks and in all my meetings with those who come to Emmaus House that our 'job' is to represent the One who sends us," says Sr. Ruth about her ministry as an addiction counselor at Emmaus House, where she has been ministering for the past 11 years. Sr. Ruth continues, "For me, preaching encompasses all I do every day - the manner in which I meet and greet every person I meet each day, the way I tend to the asks I have been entrusted with and the way I speak of our gracious and generous God whether at liturgy, in teaching or in the simple interactions I have with those God sends into my life. And it is good!" .



Sister Miriam Catherine Nevins, O.P.
Archivist for Dominican College and Community Historian for Sisters of St. Dominic, Blauvelt, NY

Sister Miriam Catherine is "semi-retired," although you wouldn't know it from her daily activity. For many years, Sr. Miriam Catherine was a teacher and librarian. In 1974, she joined the English Faculty at Dominican College, where she made sure students knew how to diagram sentences, were well read in classic literature, and could write papers like professionals. In 2008, she retired from teaching at Dominican to become the Archivist. She daily goes through the boxes of Dominican College history, sorting through the treasures. In case that wasn't enough to keep a woman in her 80's busy, Sr. Miriam Catherine also assists with keeping the history of the Blauvelt Dominicans, leads "Coffee and Contemplation," serves on the Preaching Committee, and any other committee that requires a professional proof-reading eye.



Sister Grace Augustine Canevari, O.P.
Assistant Principal, St. Luke School, Bronx, NY

The motto of St. Luke's is, "St. Luke's, the place to be." For Sr. "Gracie", this is definitely the truth. Although she has been assigned to other schools, she keeps coming back to St. Luke's, as teacher, principal, and now Assistant Principal. In total, Sr. Gracie has spent 19 years serving at St. Luke's. As Assistant Principal, she takes care of many of the less-glamorous duties at the school including coordinating testing, preparing reports and taking care of finances.

Although she is highly organized and efficient at administrative level, Sr. Gracie also works one-on-one with students who are struggling academically, helping to ensure their success. Whenever a teacher is out sick, Sr. Gracie jumps at the chance to be a substitute teacher, which is her true love - working with the students. She loves the students, and they love her. Always looking out for the future of the school, Sr. Gracie is usually selling used odds and ends to raise money to keep the school open.



Sister Catherine Patrick Cassidy, O.P.
Activities Associate, St. Martin de Porres Infirmary, Blauvelt, NY

Like her namesake, St. Catherine of Siena, Sister Catherine Patrick works with the sick and dying on a daily basis, showing great compassion. When sisters are no longer able to live independently, they come to the St. Martin de Porres Infirmary, where they receive loving care from the nursing staff. Sr. Catherine Patrick and the activities staff ensure that they also receive care regarding social, physical, spiritual and mental activities. You can often see Sr. Catherine Patrick playing card games with an elderly sister, or pushing a wheelchair to bring one of the sisters to a party, or outside to enjoy a sunny day. With extreme patience, she deciphers the words of sisters who have trouble with speech after having suffered from a stroke. She listens to stories told many times by those who have forgotten that they told the same story earlier in the day.