Sisters Help Celebrate the 160th Anniversary of St. Nicholas Church in Brooklyn December 18, 2025

On December 7, 2025, St. Nicholas Church in Brooklyn celebrated their 160th anniversary. (St. Nicholas has merged with two other parishes and is now called Divine Mercy.)

A contingent of Dominican Sisters attended the celebration, including the Prioress S. Peggy McVetty, Sister Kay Walsh, Sister Mary Ann Daniels, Sister Joan Losson, and Sister Regina Corde Hockenberry.

That day, Sister Regina looked around the church, knowing a lot had changed. There was no Catholic school anymore. The church building was in the process of being renovated. The demographics had shifted in the neighborhood. “It was a moment of reminiscing,” said Sister Regina. “A woman said to me, ‘You taught me in the second grade.’ That was the highlight for me. She remembered my name.”

“I taught there many moons ago,” she continued, adding that it was the first school she taught at after the novitiate. “I think teaching the children of the immigrants in the Bushwick section, which was a needy neighborhood, made it an important ministry. Education meant a lot to them. They appreciated it. It was a privilege for me to teach there.”

“I loved it when I was there,” agreed Sister Joan Losson, who served as the principal at the Catholic school for more than 30 years. “The whole time I was there, I was happy. As principal, you have freedom and the ability to bring out different activities like Grandparents Day, Parents Day, and the All Saints Parade.”

Noting that it was mostly an Italian working-class parish, she was especially proud of a long partnership she forged with the financial advisors at Morgan Stanley who became mentors paired with students to help them learn about the business world.

That day, there was a special booklet which included the history of the parish and a “thank you” to our sisters for serving at the school since its beginnings.