Welcome Letter
From Our Prioress, Sister Peggy McVetty, OP
Dear Friends,
Who of us does not enjoy a good story?—An intriguing story can transport us through an interesting plot that challenges our imagination to place ourselves in another time period, in an unknown place, and meet characters for the very first time! At this historical moment, our culture is somewhat obsessed with discovering more facts about family DNA and ancestry. The history of the Dominican Sisters of Amityville forms a sturdy branch on the family tree of St. Dominic.
In 1853, four cloistered German nuns crossed the Atlantic Ocean to America only to discover that the pastor from Pennsylvania who sent for them never showed up at the dock. Imagine their shock, confusion, and anxiety about the “end” of their journey. We, like them, do trust that God does show up!
What began perhaps as a disappointment and frightening adventure, evolved into a community that has served the people of God for over 170 years! We, Sisters and Associates minister on Long Island, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere. Our spirit inspired by St. Dominic’s love of preaching and the search for truth and his challenge to “read the signs of the times” spur us into new chapters of our story to this very day.
From Brooklyn to Amityville and beyond, our story is about building a community of diverse, multi-generational vowed members, associates, high school and college students, young adult preachers, and partners in ministry committed to the spirit of St. Dominic and the vision of the Sisters from Amityville. We continue to be surprised by God’s invitations to keep the story alive as we strive to preach with our daily lives.
It is my joy to invite you to enter into and maybe even add to our ongoing creative script of the Dominican Sisters of Amityville – so that the preaching will continue!
Blessings,
Sister Peggy McVetty, OP
Prioress
S. Peggy's Bio:
Sister Peggy McVetty, OP, was elected Prioress of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville in 2019. Raised in the Bronx until moving to Levittown, Long Island when she was 12, Sister Peggy graduated from Levittown Memorial High School in 1967. After graduating from Molloy College, she taught elementary school for three years at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish on the lower east side of Manhattan. It was during this time that she realized her call to religious life as a Dominican Sister of Amityville. Sister Peggy has completed her Masters in Theology from Maryknoll Seminary, Certification in Spiritual Direction, and her CSW from Fordham University. During her 44 years of ministry, she has served as a Director of Religious Education, high school Campus Minister, and high school social worker. Sister Peggy has also ministered as Congregational Vocation and Formation Director and as a member of the Leadership Council for the past six years.