Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Reading books + New Friends = Big Smiles

July 16, 2019

I don’t think anyone or anything can put a bigger smile on the faces of the residents at St. Cabrini Nursing Home in Dobbs Ferry, NY, than when children visit. This was the case when five of our Cabrini Kids who attend Springhurst Elementary School in Dobbs Ferry, came to the nursing home to read a story to some of the residents.

Each child along with his/her mother, read a special book to the residents. They have been reading and practicing different stories with the help of their teacher, Mrs. Judy Sanseverino, who is the English Language Learning Teacher at Springhurst.

We had families from Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Tajikistan. All of the children are bi-lingual. The children and their moms were so proud to be able to read the story to the residents. Needless to say, they had a very receptive audience. All the residents were so supportive of the hard work that the children and moms put into the story.

For many of the residents, it brought back happy memories of when they were teachers, principals and raising their own children.

Summer Celebrations with Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry, NY

July 9, 2019

It’s that time of year when the grills come out and the aroma of hamburgers and hotdogs cooking on the grill permeates the air. Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY wanted to celebrate the summer with some barbeques. On June 11^th, our tutors and adult students came together to celebrate at St. Cabrini Nursing Home. Despite the prediction of heavy rain, the weather was perfect. As we sat on the patio, we enjoyed delicious foods, desserts and conversations. It was wonderful to be able to be together and enjoy some fun time.

One June 25^th, our Cabrini Kids were enjoying a wonderful BBQ at the nursing home. The Kids, who love to visit the nursing home, were having a great time as they enjoyed some delicious food. The sounds of the Kid’s laughter brought smiles to the faces of the residents. After eating the hamburgers, hotdogs, veggie burgers, mac and cheese, watermelon, etc. etc., the Kids enjoyed playing different games. Once again, the fan favorite was Pantyhose Bowling however, they also played Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Twister, the hula hoop, different toss games and hopscotch. Nora Maher, one of our storytellers, shared another one of her talents, making balloon sculptures. The Kids loved to make the different animal shapes.

We ended the day with a variety of novelty ice cream bars. I know the children were exhausted after a full day of eating, playing and just being together. All the kids received a gold medal and a gift bag filled with items such as slime, bubble wands, a Rubik’s cube and a paddle ball.

A special thank you to Bonnie Burke, Vice President of Operations and Administrator of the nursing home for always welcoming us and making us feel right at home. A big thank you to Joseph Bisaccia, Director of Food Services and his staff for doing an amazing job for both BBQs.

Movin’ with the Spirit

June 27, 2019

If you walked past the Chapel at St. Cabrini Nursing Home in Dobbs Ferry, NY, on the afternoon of June 20th, you knew ‘the Spirit was a movin.’ Residents, family and friends gathered to praise the Lord through scripture, song and movement as part of the Heart and Soul series. Scripture tells us that our bodies can praise God. Using our arms, hands, legs, feet, our entire body and our bones, we moved to the rhythm of music. While our bodies were moving and swaying, scripture passages relating to each section of the body was read. In addition to the scripture, the poem, Adoration, Praise and Thanksgiving by Elizabeth Craven, was read.

Using the theme of gratefulness, we were asked what we were grateful for. So many thanked God for their life, their health, their families and friends. Many of the residents were very grateful for St. Cabrini Nursing Home. They said that they were blessed to have a place like Cabrini where they are taken care of and are surrounded by so many wonderful people.

This month, we were blessed to have some members of the Youth Mission of Life Church join the service. They not only brought their joy of praising God but they also played the violin, the tuba and the saxophone. We sang different songs that gave thanksgiving to God for all that we have. Truly, we made a joyful noise unto the Lord.

Heart and Soul was created by Fr. Edwin Robinson, OFM, Director of Pastoral Care, Alex Riddick, a Pastoral Care Associate, Deborah Mosley, a trained storyteller from Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), and Lorraine Campanelli, the Director of CIS. Each month, residents and visitors are invited to join in a special service that brings each of us closer to God.

Hanging Out with a T Rex

May 8, 2019

Despite the threat of heavy rain and winds, our Cabrini Kids from Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY, some parents and teachers from Springhurst Elementary School also in Dobbs Ferry, boarded a school bus to go to the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. Thanks to a grant from the St. Faith’s House Foundation, we were able to enjoy a wonderful day at the museum.

In addition to the many exhibits about mammals from the different countries, and the Sauriscian Dinosaurs exhibit, we went to two special exhibits, T. rex: The Ultimate Predator and Unseen Oceans.

When we entered the T. Rex exhibit, we saw a model of a baby T. Rex. As we walked through, we saw how the T. rex grew and grew. Everyone was standing in awe as we looked at the different models of the T. Rex. We could only imagine what it was like when they walked the earth.

The Unseen Oceans exhibit was also spectacular. As we entered the hall, water was projected on the floor and it seemed as if we were wading through the ocean. This led us to a theater presentation that took us on a journey through the different environments beneath the sea. There were also many ‘hands-on’ activities for the Kids to do.

It was a wonderful experience for all. Despite being exhausted, no one wanted to leave the museum. Mother Cabrini was certainly looking down on us because the weather that was predicted, never happened. We never had a drop of rain.

Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry Assists in Providing for Those Experiencing Homelessness

April 30, 2019

Many years ago, AT&T urged people to ‘reach out and touch someone.’ The Cabrini Kids, in grades 3-5, from Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY did exactly that. They reached out and touched the lives of 100 people. Thanks to a grant from St. Faith’s House Foundation, our Kids were able to do another ‘Giving Back’ program.

Thanks to two of our social work interns, Susana Coxaj from Iona College and Cindy Ambrosio from Concordia College, CIS was introduced to Lifting Up Westchester which is based in White Plains, NY. This organization has two homeless shelters, one for women and one for men.

The interns organized the program. They ordered the necessary toiletries which were placed inside of a pair of socks. A great big thank you to Tom Costello, Jr., the founder of The Joy of Sox in Radnor, PA and his wife, Nancy Costello for their donation of 100 pairs of socks!

When the socks were filled with shampoo, soap, deodorant, a comb, toothbrush and toothpaste, body lotion, hand sanitizer, tissues, a razor and shaving cream, they were tied together and a note of encouragement, written by one of our Kids, was attached.

The Cabrini Kids were so happy to be able to reach out and touch the lives of so many people.

Green Light = Go

March 27, 2019

Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY, has been involved with the Green Light NY Campaign for many years. The members of this campaign have been fighting to extend access to driver’s licenses to undocumented residents in the State of NY. Since September 2001, a person needs a social security number in order to get a driver’s license in the state. Unfortunately, this means that anyone who is undocumented in NY cannot get a license.

Susana Coxaj, a senior at Iona College in New Rochelle and a social work intern at CIS, went to Albany on March 12th to attend a rally to help get support for the Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act.

Susana took an [early morning] bus from Yonkers, NY which was filled with people who would be showing their support and sharing their voices in Albany. When she arrived in Albany, she was given a green tee-shirt and a bandana. She, along with the other members of the campaign, walked around the capitol building while chanting, “Yes, we can!”

The participants entered the capitol building where they met several senators such as Senator Luis Sepulveda, one of the sponsors of the driver’s license legislation, and Senator Alessandra Biaggi. Susana was thrilled to have been chosen to go to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins Office. They were able to speak with the different lawmakers and explain why it is so important to pass this bill.

Susana stated that the organization was expecting 500 people to attend the day. But, to their surprise, there were over 1,000 people in attendance!

Heart and Soul Program Launches at Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry, NY

March 13, 2019

A new program, “Heart and Soul,” has been developed with the Pastoral Care Department at St. Cabrini Nursing Home and Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY. Heart and Soul was developed by Fr. Edwin Robinson, Director of Pastoral Care, Deborah Mosley, Trained Storyteller, Alex Riddick, Pastoral Care Associate and Lorraine Campanelli, Director of CIS.

The program is about bringing the goodness of God to others through scripture, song, storytelling, etc. We all know that when you do something from your heart, it touches the souls of others. The program started in February. Through the use of storytelling and song, we learned about the history behind certain songs. For example, the song, “It is Well With My Soul,” was written by Horatio Spafford. After suffering the loss of his daughters, he wrote this song about how he found Jesus despite all the sadness that he had experienced. Through storytelling, Deborah told the story of why Horatio wrote the words. Alex then led the group in singing the song. It was very moving and emotional.

In February, two of our Cabrini Kids and their Mom sang spiritual songs and played instruments. Truly they gave from their hearts and everyone’s souls were touched. The children played the trumpet and the piano, sang solos and sang with their Mom. The family, which is from Guatemala, sang the songs in Spanish. The words were translated into English. Many of the residents are mothers, fathers, retired teachers and principals so seeing the children, one who is in 4th grade and one in 5th grade, brought back so many happy memories. There were many tears of joy shared that day. The program ended with everyone singing, “This Little Light of Mine.” It was sung in English and Spanish. It was so joyful with all the voices singing as well as the different instruments being played. The children and many in the audience played the tambourine which added even more joy to the program.

Next month, we will be having Pastor William Mosley, his wife Deborah, along with the team from Cabrini sharing scripture, reflections and music.

Join Us in Celebrating Cabrini Immigrant Services-NYC’s 20th Anniversary

January 17, 2019

Join us in celebrating Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC’s 20th Anniversary in 2019!

Twenty years ago the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus noticed a need for immigration services in the Lower East Side and began offering any support they could. Over the past two decades CIS-NYC has grown into an organization that supports and advocates for hundreds of immigrant families each year, providing a range of vital services in the spirit of Mother Cabrini, Patron Saint of Immigrants.

Throughout the year we will be celebrating this milestone by releasing stories and photos from CIS-NYC community members and clients, each of which capture the spirit of our work. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter at @cisnyc, or Instagram at @cis.nyc to make sure you catch all of these beautiful stories as they are released! Please feel free to share so that others can learn more about our immigrant community members and the work we do. You can view our first two stories here: http://bit.ly/cisnyc20 [Read more…]