On a gorgeous summer morning in August, students and alumni of St. Joseph’s University, New York (SJNY) were part of a volunteer group that helped clean more than 100 headstones of the Sisters of St. Joseph laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery in Brentwood, NY.
Organized by the Sisters of St. Joseph Brentwood, NY, the day of service was held to commemorate the 375th anniversary of the founding of their order.
Sisters from the congregation, along with “partners in mission” — relatives of the sisters, members of neighboring communities and SJNY students and alumni — took part in the restoration effort.
Sisters in attendance included S. Marie Mackey ‘84, CSJ, director of campus ministry for SJNY on the Brooklyn Campus, and S. Mary Ann Cashin, CSJ, a former child study professor for the University’s Long Island Campus.
“I enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm of each of the volunteers who gathered for our Day of Service at Calvary Cemetery, “said S. Mary Ann. “Their presence and good spirit honored the legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph as we celebrate the 375th anniversary of our founding in Le Puy, France. It was energizing to be with them.”
SJNY Brooklyn alumni Benjamin Reeves ’23 and Raquel Ramirez ’23.
Alumni enjoyed this new opportunity to help preserve the heritage of the sisters, who are founders of the University (as St. Joseph’s College for Women in 1916).
“I’m happy to be here for the 375th anniversary of the Sisters of St. Joseph,” said Benjamin Reeves ’23, an alumnus of the Brooklyn Campus. “It’s been a great opportunity to give back through a small act of cleaning the headstones and meet some of the sisters and a lot of eager people who love the congregation.”
In addition to cleaning the headstones, volunteers were encouraged to leave memory stones, which were painted by sisters currently living in the convent.
For one alumna, the Aug. 16 service day wasn’t her first time on the Brentwood grounds.
“I remember my freshman year coming to the Brentwood campus for a service trip,” said Raquel Ramirez ’23. “It was the most fun I ever had with a group of people and my first introduction to St. Joseph’s and what it means to be a part of this community. The sisters gave me my education, my degree and are close to my family. St. Joe’s has always been there to help us out and I’ll be here to help them out whenever they need.”
The day of service was one of the many ways the Sisters of St. Joseph have been honoring their 375th anniversary. In July, sisters from across the United States, as well as students from SJNY traveled to Kansas City, MO in celebration of their founding.
In May, SJNY’s Board of Trustees presented the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, NY with the 2025 Trustees Award during the 2025 commencement ceremony.
The day of service was spearheaded by Virginia Dowd, director of archives, and Samantha Miller ‘13, director of communications and marketing, for the Sisters of St. Joseph Brentwood, NY.
More photos from the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Day of Service:
