Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Cabrini of Westchester’s 50th Anniversary Celebration was a Great Success!

May 31, 2023

Cabrini of Westchester recognized several deserving honorees at its 25th Annual Sharing in Mission Dinner, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of St. Cabrini Nursing Home. The theme for the event, which was held on May 25, 2023 at the beautiful Tappan Hill Estates in Tarrytown, NY, was “An Evening Under the Stars.”

This year’s honorees included His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Michael P. Hoffman, Founder of Changing Our World and former Cabrini Eldercare Trustee, and Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart: Sisters Arlene Van Dusen and Catherine Garry, both Cabrini of Westchester trustees. The honorees were chosen because they reflect the values that Cabrini of Westchester as an organization cherishes: compassion, excellence, commitment and service.

Attendees were delighted to dine under a myriad of twinkle lights and stars projected throughout the room, which reflected the theme. Beautiful coasters with constellations were given to all who attended.

We are truly grateful to the honorees, sponsors, donors and the 2023 Sharing in Mission Dinner Event Committee for making the evening such a wonderful success.

Thanks to the efforts of so many, the event raised approximately $300,000 to benefit Cabrini of Westchester!

CNA Apprentices Complete Training

April 27, 2023

April 13th was an exciting day for eleven nursing assistant apprentices as they completed five weeks of training at Cabrini of Westchester in order to become Certified Nursing Assistants. In conjunction with 1199 SEIU and Westchester Community College, each of the participants received five weeks of training under the instruction of Dr. Cynthia Thomas, consultant for the college. Each of the students will take the nursing assistant certification exam in the coming weeks.

The program is being funded by a grant through the 1199 Training and Upgrading Fund and applicants were chosen after completing testing and interviews by a collaboration of Cabrini’s Nursing Administration, Human Resources, and 1199 delegates. Each of the participants became Cabrini employees once they signed on to the program and they will remain on the payroll after passing the exam. This program will positively impact Cabrini of Westchester’s staffing as the nation experiences shortages in nursing staff.

Patricia Krasnausky, President and CEO for Cabrini of Westchester, shares: “We’ve been impressed with the enthusiasm of the apprentices and we’re grateful to have been a part of this collaboration. The need for additional nursing staff is critical throughout the nation so we feel blessed to be part of the solution here in Dobbs Ferry.”

Due to the positive response, we are preparing for another training session and anticipate an early summer start.

Volunteers Make the World Go Round

April 27, 2023

Wednesday, April 19th was a special day at Cabrini of Westchester as we honored our dedicated volunteers with a blessing ceremony and luncheon. Pastoral Care Director, Fr. Ron Galt bestowed a beautiful blessing upon all during the ceremony and afterward, a luncheon was served in Cabrini’s board room.

Cabrini’s volunteers are people who donate their time, skills and talents to support our programs and services. They lend a hand wherever help is needed, from transporting the residents to and from daily Mass, assisting in pastoral palliative care, working in the Gift Shop, helping with clerical administrative tasks and so much more!

While addressing the group at the blessing ceremony, Bonnie Burke, Vice President of Operations and Administrator stated, “Our volunteers are Cabrini’s shining light of hope for so many warm and wonderful reasons. Your professional backgrounds and personal life experiences offer us a wide range of skills. The support you give to our grateful staff across many departments is vital to Cabrini’s functioning, efficiency, success and growth as an organization. Every one of you helps to keep Cabrini’s mission of healing, teaching and caring alive and well.”

Life-long Instruments of God’s Grace

April 5, 2023

Monday, April 3rd was a special day for the resident priests and brothers that call Cabrini of Westchester “home.” A Chrism Mass was celebrated and presided over by The Most Reverend John S. Bonnici, Vicar for Westchester County, where both the priests and brothers were able to renew their vows. FiBve priests and five brothers were in attendance along with the superiors from their congregations.

Fr. Ron Galt, Director of Pastoral Care, and his team prepared a beautiful liturgy including selected readings and music fit for the occasion. After the Mass, the resident priests and brothers along with their guests, gathered in the board room for a delicious luncheon prepared by Cabrini’s Food Service Department.

In addressing the congregants in the chapel during the Mass, Bishop Bonnici shared, “As we gather here together during this Holy Week, let us always be persons of hope acknowledging that our ministry is never over, always ongoing as we continue to pray, to come together at the holy sacrifice of the Mass, to nurture each other, to comfort one another, always being instruments of God’s grace.”

Welcome Visitors to Cabrini of Westchester

March 22, 2023

On March 17th, Sister Maria Eliane Azevedo Da Silva, MSC, General Superior, accompanied by the General Council of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Sister Patricia Argentina Godoy, MSC, Sister Stella Maris Elena, MSC and Sister Gilda Mercedes Mendoza Argueta, MSC paid a special visit to Cabrini of Westchester to visit the Missionary Sisters who are residents of the nursing home. Joining with them and others at a festive Mass for the Feast of St. Patrick, they were surrounded by “the wearing of the green” as well as music and song selected for the occasion.

Director of Pastoral Care, Father Ron Galt, welcomed the Sisters to Saint Cabrini’s Chapel on behalf of all present. In an inspiring homily based on the Gospel reading: Mt 12: 28-34 “The First of All the Commandments”, Father noted that Mother Cabrini, like St. Patrick, out of faithfulness to her vocation and the promptings of the Holy Spirit, went on a journey to another land to spread the message of the Gospel. Loving God and loving one’s neighbor were central to the lives of these two humble, faith-filled and inspiring saints.

Before the closing of the liturgy the Sister Eliane and the Council were asked to come forward to receive the Barbara J. Holmes Values in Action Award from Simone Faulkner- Smith, VP for Human Resources, who explained its significance within Cabrini of Westchester’s Mission Integration Program. Given each month to an employee who is nominated for their exemplary demonstration of Cabrini of Westchester’s mission values in the performance of their duties, she announced that Sister Eliane, Sister Patricia, Sister Stella Maris and Sister Gilda had been nominated to receive the Values in Action Award for their leadership and their commitment to their special calling to serve the international Cabrinian community.

The Resident Welcoming Committee, led by Sister Veronica Piccone, MSÇ then presented the Sisters with a bouquet of flowers and congratulated them on behalf of all of the residents, followed by four staff members who offered their greetings and presented each Sister with a Cabrini tote bag full of souvenirs of their visit.

Following the Mass all of the Missionary Sisters gathered for a festive luncheon as well as Brazilian treats provided by Honda, the Chef and Operator of Cabrini’s Riverside Café.

A Most Fitting Tribute

March 16, 2023

Catholic Sisters Week comes to a close, Cabrini of Westchester would like to honor our sponsors, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We also give special recognition to the 47 religious sisters who currently live at St. Cabrini Nursing Home as residents.

Fr. Ron Galt, Pastoral Care Director, explained, “During Catholic Sisters Week that took place from March 8-14, we had the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the vocation and ministry of all of our sisters here at Cabrini. A number of them in fact shared some of their stories with us during the daily Mass in the Chapel.”

One of the religious sisters who shared her story was Sr. Mary Frances Mills, OSF, who is a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. Sr. Mary Frances said, “It seems like yesterday that I entered the convent and God blessed me with a full life, one that continues to let me serve our Lord. I retired from active ministry at the age of 81 and since then, my ministry is prayer. I pray every day for all of you and all the world. Being a sister for 66 years means being God’s instrument – it means both giving and receiving God’s love and blessing and I have been very blessed.”

Fr. Ron concludes: “We are truly grateful and blessed to have so many Catholic sisters who are residents here at Cabrini. They bring so many gifts by their presence, faith and love of their vocation and we ask God to continue to guide, bless and be with each of them. Thank you, sisters, for inspiring us and for sharing your faith and love of God.”

Cabrini of Westchester – 50th Anniversary Gala

March 14, 2023

Fun February Festivities at CIS-Dobbs Ferry, NY

March 2, 2023

Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, had two special programs for our Cabrini Kids during President’s Week. The schools were closed for the mid-winter break, and we thought it would be nice to have our Kids involved in some activities. The children come to CIS for many different programs such as the Afterschool Homework Program.

We held a STARS for Kids program for children in Grades K-2. Deborah Mosley, our trained storyteller, told the story, The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald.

The book was about a dozen eggs that lived together in one egg carton. The moral of the story was that even though each egg was different and unique, they could all get along. Following a discussion of the book, each child created his or her own egg. They shared with everyone what the name of their egg was and a bit about the character.

The children came up with some great names, “Princess Egg,” “Silly Egg,” etc. They were so excited when they received a copy of the book so they could tell the story to their parents and siblings.

We also hosted a President’s Day program for our students in Grades 3-5. They answered some questions such as the first thing they would do if they were the president, how they would make the country better, etc.. The students then went up to the podium and gave their “Presidential Address.”

They also had President’s trivia questions and a word search. We discussed the importance of voting. In fact, each student had a chance to vote. They voted on their favorite symbol of America: the Statue of Liberty, the American Flag or the Capitol. They placed their ballot in a box and then they received a sticker which read, “I voted!” After a first round tie, the Statue of Liberty won as the favorite symbol. We discussed the feelings of winning, losing and acceptance.

The day ended with everyone enjoying some pizza and punch.

A Valentine’s Day Story of Love

February 23, 2023

Valentine’s Day was very special at Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, New York.

We invited a group of our Moms to participate in a Storytelling Program. Dr. Wendy Mages, a professor at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, was our storyteller. She told the story, Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch. The story was told in both English and Spanish. After the telling of the story, the Moms broke out into small groups. Each group was led by a CIS intern. The Moms were asked to reflect on 2 statements, ‘What I love about my children’ and ‘What others love about me.’ There were beautiful discussions in the small groups and then in the larger group.

Each Mom received a heart-shaped box of chocolates. We then shared tacos, cupcakes, etc. There was a lot of laughter, tears and love. Everyone received a copy of the book so they could share the story with their children.

One of the Moms said, “Today I not only feel special, I feel so loved.” What a beautiful gift to receive on such a special day.

Very Exciting News from CIS, Dobbs Ferry, NY

February 16, 2023

Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY, is thrilled to announce the start of a General Educational Development (GED) class on our premises.

CIS is working with Southern Westchester Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), which is providing the instructor and will be teaching the class at CIS. The GED is made up of four subjects: Math Reasoning, Reasoning through Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. The class, which is offered in Spanish, meets twice a week for 3 hours.

Our clients are very proud to be participating in the class. Along with the feeling of accomplishment, they will have so many more opportunities available to them when they receive their High School Equivalency Diploma.

Thanks to a very generous donation, we are able to offer this great opportunity to our clients at no cost. We supply the books, notebooks and other supplies needed for the course. It is our hope to continue to offer the GED program in the future.