Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Bringing Christ's love to the world

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10th Annual NYC Chili Bowl!

Last weekend, the 10th Annual NYC Chili Bowl brought neighbors together for an afternoon of good food and community. All proceeds from the event supported the CIS-NYC Food Pantry, helping us continue to provide fresh, healthy food to families across Upper Manhattan.

We’re so grateful to everyone who made the event possible and to all who came out to support our work. Community efforts like this help ensure that our pantry can keep serving our neighbors during a time of rising food costs and reduced federal assistance.

Teens Helping Teens

Following the STARS program, several of our high school students came to CIS-DF to participate in a Giving Back Program. The students made 100 bags filled with toiletries and other items which will be given to teenagers whose families frequent The Pantry, which is located in Verplanck, NY. The Pantry provides groceries for residents in the Town of Cortlandt.

One student created the list of items for the bags. In addition to deodorant, lip balm, toothbrushes and toothpaste, etc., the teenagers will also be receiving socks, scrunchies, stress balls, lollipops, wristbands and keychains with inspirational sayings. We are sure that that these packets will brighten the holidays for these teenagers. A special thank you to our CIS-DF teenagers for taking time on their Veterans Day off from school to help others.

Integrity Always!

Cabrini Immigrant Services – Dobbs Ferry (CIS-DF) held a STARS (StoryTelling, Art, Reading and Socialization) Program for students in Grades 3-5 on November 11th. In addition to being Veterans Day, it was also National Young Readers Day. Dr. Wendy Mages, a trained storyteller, told the story, The Empty Pot, by Demi. A great discussion took place following the story. The students spoke about the importance of having good character. Words such as honesty, compassion, responsibility, etc. were suggested as the ways in which we should act towards one another.

After the discussion, the students created “A Tree of Integrity.” On the trunk, branches and leaves of the tree, the words that were used during the discussion were written on painted leaves. The tree, which hangs in our classroom, is a reminder to always be people with integrity.
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CIS-NYC Trying Its Very Best to Serve Those in Need

An estimated 2.9 million New Yorkers, including 1 million children, did not receive their food benefits on November 1st. While partial SNAP payments have been ordered to resume, it’s still unclear when families will get their full benefits. In the meantime, community food pantries, like ours, across the city are trying filling the gap and feed our communities.

At Cabrini Immigrant Services-NYC (CIS-NYC), our pantry already serves around 400 families every Saturday morning, and we expect that number to grow in the weeks ahead. To meet this need, we’ve extended our distribution hours from 7–9AM to 7–10AM.

This week, our pantry was highlighted in a NYT article about how faith-based and community programs are stepping up to meet this moment, often stretching limited resources to continue serving families. ~ submitted by Amelia Scdoris, Justice for Immigrants Coordinator

You can read the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/nyregion/church-pantries-food-aid.html?unlocked_article_code=1.yU8.SFKW.c50lgOcL8tjM&smid=url-share

Día de los Muertos

As November approaches, we begin to think about our deceased family, friends and loved ones in a special way. On October 29th, some of the clients from Cabrini Immigrant Services, (CIS) Dobbs Ferry, NY, shared their celebration of Día de los Muertos, (the Day of the Dead), with the residents at St. Cabrini Nursing Home.

A beautiful altar was created with love and reverence in the lobby of the nursing home. Each element had great significance. In Mexico and Latin America, it is customary to build an altar to remember the dead. Our CIS clients are from Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru and Venezuela. Many of our clients cannot go to their countries to celebrate with their own families therefore they are appreciative to celebrate with the ‘Cabrini Family.’

Our clients prayed and spoke in Spanish and English about what Día de los Muertos means to them. Two beautiful songs were performed. One song, La Llorona, is about a mother who is crying for her children who drowned. The other, Remember Me, from the movie Coco, reminds us that if even if a person is no longer with us, they are always in our hearts.

A CIS client carrying the Book of the Dead led a procession with luminaria bags lighting the way. People shared the meaning of the items gracing the altar. It was an emotional time of remembering deceased family and friends by writing their names on cards and placing them on the altar to be remembered in our prayers.

A special thank you to Bonnie Burke, CEO/Nursing Home Administrator at St. Cabrini Nursing Home and Fr. Ron Galt, Vice President for Mission Integration and Pastoral Care, for inviting us to celebrate such a meaningful time at the nursing home. ~submitted by: Lorraine Campanelli, Director, CIS-DF

 

 

A Fitting Tribute for a Departed Friend

We are deeply saddened over the loss of our friend, Brigid K. Sullivan. It has been two months since she passed, and to honor her life and care, we have dedicated our community room at CIS-NYC in her name: the Brigid K. Sullivan Community Room.
For thirteen years, Brigid gave her time, energy, and heart to our community. Now, this space will carry on her work, and we will continue to pour love into our community as she always did.

This week, we gathered to remember her. We shared a blessing and read a passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes: “He has made everything beautiful in its time… I know that nothing is better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.”

Brigid’s generosity and spirit will always be part of this space and part of all of us who had the privilege to know her.

Feeling Thankful and Blessed

Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry (CIS-DF), held a STARS (StoryTelling, Art, Reading and Socialization) for Kids Program for students in Grades Kindergarten-. The STARS program has helped our students by increasing their attention span, improving their imagination and creative thinking as well as building confidence in their verbal and artistic expression.

Dr. Wendy Mages, a trained storyteller, told the story, Thankful, by Eileen Spinelli. After listening to the story, the students discussed all that they were thankful for. What a wonderful reminder to know how blessed we all are! The students worked on two art projects. Everyone wrote on a piece of construction paper what they were thankful for. The papers were then linked together to create a ‘I Am Thankful For…” chain. The students were then given jars which they filled with words of thankfulness. Some of the words chosen were Mom, Dad, grandparents, sisters and brothers, school, friends, books, and so many other things. The students can add more papers to their jars as they discover new things they are thankful for.

The students were so happy to receive a copy of the book, Thankful. They were going to read the story at home and ask their family to share what they are thankful for.
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Healthy Recipes – Healthy You!

Our Nutrition Group, hosted by the CIS-NYC Social Services team, carried out its first recipe session last Friday with 17 participants. During the session, participants prepared healthy salad wraps and learned practical ways to add more fruits and vegetables to their daily meals. This hands-on activity is part of our ongoing effort to promote healthy eating habits and increase access to nutritional education for immigrant families.

CIS-Dobbs Ferry and Crittertown – Where Magic Truly Does Happen

 

On Thursday, October 2nd, the walls at Cabrini Immigrant Services – Dobbs Ferry, NY (CIS-DF) were bursting with excitement and pride. A special celebration was taking place for four of our students who attend our Sharing Stories! Making Movies! Program. We invited the students’ parents, siblings and some other special guests to share in the celebration. Everyone knew what was going to happen except for the four students. We wanted them to be surprised.

This day was a culmination of many things. A few months ago, Anne Marie Santoro, the teacher of our Sharing Stories! Making Movies! Program, brought in a ‘critter’ and asked some of the students to write a story about the critter. The critter, which was made of wood, was created by Patti Kaufman, an author and artist. The children named the critter, Bella and then wrote a special story about her. Anne Marie shared the story with Ms. Kaufman who thought it was so wonderful that she decided to publish it in her new book, Adventures in Crittertown – Where Magic Happens. The book is filled with many stories about the different critters that Ms. Kaufman has created. But ‘Bella the Cow’ is the only story. written by children!

What an honor to have four of our students called authors. Ms. Kaufman was able to join the celebration via Zoom. It was wonderful to have her see the children’s faces when they received their own copy of the book. Each child was also able to speak with Ms. Kaufman and thank her for all she had done for them.

We were thrilled to receive a copy of the book for our office. The book sits on a shelf along with the critter which hangs in our classroom. We are looking forward to presenting Springhurst Elementary School, where the students attend school, with a copy of the book which they can proudly have in the school library.

A very special thank you to Ms. Santoro for all her hard work in the program. She not only teaches the program, but she was instrumental in making this day a reality!

Meditation and Art Create Connections

Last week, four members of our Justice for Immigrants program, Silvia, Ciria, Antioneta, and Angeles led a workshop titled “Memoria y Archivo” – “Memory and Archive” at the Mexican Consulate. The session began with a guided meditation inviting participants to create a narrative about a place in their mind. Participants then worked on art projects that encouraged reflection on how we understand and tell the stories of where we come from.

As part of the workshop, we printed photos of our homes onto fabric pieces that will be sewn together, symbolizing how our homes, stories, and lives are connected. ~submitted by Amelia Scdoris, Justice for Immigration Coordinator, Cabrini Immigrant Services, NYC

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