Sacred Stories
Sacred Stories: Celebrating 150 Years of Faith and Service is a special audio series honoring the legacy of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill. Through conversations with our Sisters, Associates, friends, ministry partners, and alumni, we capture personal stories, wisdom, and experiences to preserve and share with future generations. Blending authentic voices with treasured photographs, these recordings celebrate the spirit, service, and history that have shaped our community for 150 years — and continue to inspire today. Join us as we listen, learn, and honor the journey together.
Sacred Stories
Guided by the Sisters at St. Mary's Fulton
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.