Sister Mary Headley papers, 1968 - 2014

Sub-Series — file_cabinet: 2

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Record Group: This collection contains records from all the sisters who make up the DSOH. It includes their personal papers, publications, artistic work, photographs, diplomas, ministry history etc. The Dominican Sisters of Hope were founded in 1995. The group includes members of the former Newburgh Domincan, Fall River Dominican and Ossining Dominican Communities. The sisters work and minister in various ways including community organizing, social work, education, environmental advocacy, and retreat ministry.

Dates

1968 - 2014

Conditions Governing Access

Access is restricted.

Biographical / Historical

Sister Mary was born Mary Headley on April 16, 1940 in Philadelphia, PA. She entered the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, NY on October 5, 1958. No date is recorded for the reception of the habit but she received the religious name, Sister Mary William. (She began using the name, Sister Mary after Vatican II.) She pronounced first vows on September 14, 1960 and final vows on September 14, 1962. Sister Mary transferred her vows to the Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor, Ossining, NY, December 7, 1986. During her years in the congregation she served in the following ministries: nurse's aide, Rosary Hill Home, Hawthorne, NY, 1958-1960; nurse's aide, 1960-1965 and cook, 1965-1966, Holy Family Home, Cleveland, OH; and student nurse, St. Clare’s Hospital, New York City, 1966-1968. She was on the nursing staff of Saint Rose’s Home, New York City, 1968-1970; director of nursing, Holy Family Home, Cleveland, OH, 1970-1978; and St. Rose’s Home, 1978-1982. Sister also served on the nursing staff of Saint Anthony’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL, 1982-1983; Calvary Hospital, Bronx, NY, 1983-1988; and Reading Medical Center, West Reading, PA, 1989-1990. Sister Mary was Co Founder and Resident Care Coordinator at Rainbow Home of Berks County, Wernersville, PA, 1990-1997, and consultant for Christa House in West Babylon, NY, 1997-1999. She was vocation director for the Dominican Sisters of Hope, 1997-2005. Following a sabbatical year, she worked briefly as a school nurse at Visitation Academy in Paramus NJ. Sister was a hospice nurse at Compassionate Care Hospice, Jersey City, NJ, 2007-. She served as a volunteer at Calvary Hospital, Bronx, NY. Sister Mary earned: her RN from St. Clare’s Hospital, NYC; an AD in Arts from Cuyahoga Community College; a BSN in Nursing from Cleveland State University; and her MRE in Religious Studies from the Catechetical Institute, Dunwoodie Seminary, Yonkers, New York.