In this episode, we meet Brother Michael Harlan, OFM, a Franciscan friar and longtime friend of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill. Michael has spent more than 40 years in ministry and currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Franciscan School of Theology in San Diego, California.

Michael’s connection to Sparkill began long before his own religious vocation. His grandfather, Edward Harlan, worked for the Dominican Sisters beginning in 1942. Michael grew up visiting his grandparents here on the convent grounds, and his family’s connection to the Sisters continued across generations.

For Michael, Sparkill is more than a place from his past. It is a place of faith, friendship, family, and vocation—a place he describes as “holy ground.”

Today, Michael reflects on the Dominican Sisters who helped shape his life and vocation and on the connection that has brought him back to Sparkill throughout the years.

After generations of shared history, he is more than a friend of the Dominican Sisters.

He is part of the family.

Thank you for listening.

In this episode, we meet New Hope Manor alumni Barbara and Lisa, who reflect on their journey of recovery and the profound influence of Sisters Maureen Conway and Patricia Conway. Founded in 1970 by Father Daniel Egan, New Hope Manor is a residential treatment program for women seeking freedom from substance use. While many helped shape this ministry of healing, the Conway Sisters gave it their whole hearts — in many ways, they were New Hope.

Sister Maureen served there for forty years, and Sister Patricia for thirty-five. Both describe their ministry as a “privileged journey,” walking alongside more than 3,000 women as they rebuilt their lives.

Barbara and Lisa speak with honesty, courage, and gratitude, helping us glimpse what it means to be accompanied with compassion, dignity, and hope.

In this episode, we visit St. Mary’s Elementary School in Fulton, New York, where the Sparkill Sisters taught from 1914 to 1971. Alumni share memories, life lessons, and the inspiration they carry from those formative years. Among the pioneering Sisters were Angela, Agatha, and Henrietta, whose dedication shaped generations.

To mark the Sisters’ 150th anniversary, Fr. Joseph Scardella happily gathered fellow alumni—Shelly Shepard, Mary Farfaglia, David Mirabito, Linda Farden, and John Finnochario—for a lively Zoom conversation about their experiences.

The Sisters’ legacy went far beyond academics, fostering respect, spiritual awareness, and a broad worldview that still guides their students today. The bond between students and teachers extended well beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic, shaping hearts as much as minds.

This is the first of two parts from our friends who are alumni of St. Mary’s Elementary School.