Reflections by Sister Lorelle Elcock, OP
Prioress, Dominican Sisters of Hope

On behalf of the Dominican Sisters, I wish to thank the college for this honor. We are grateful to the Board of Trustees, the administration, faculty, staff and students for this honorary degree and for this day honoring our legacy. Archbishop Dolan, we are grateful for your presence here and for your words.

Fifty years may seem like a long time. For the students fifty is really old, but for many of us it is not long at all. Dominicans worldwide are currently in the midst of celebrating the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Dominican Order. Our first sisters arrived from Germany 156 years ago and our sisters opened a school on 2nd street in NYC, 150 years ago. And as you have heard, our foremothers established the first school on this campus 126 years ago. So time is relative. But time is not as important as why we came and what we see as our heritage. Our Dominican heritage mandated our response of service based on Gospel values; our response to educate has been rooted in our call to preach the good news. Service to the underserved and service to an immigrant population is why our sisters came to New York from Germany. That is why we went to 2nd street and why we came to Newburgh. The founding of this college was an outgrowth of the call to this service.

The Dominican search for truth is rooted in the universities. After founding the Dominican Order, the Order of Preachers, Saint Dominic sent the men to the universities to educate and be educated. This college grew out of the need of the sisters to be educated for their ministry of education. What began as a teacher training school for the sisters then responded to the needs of the times. When further education was required, the vision of a four year college was born. Rooted in this college is the search for truth. In fact, the Dominican motto of Truth is reflected in the college’s motto “Teach me the truth.” This is the spirit we as founders hope we have woven into the fabric of this institution, an institution dedicated to prepare its students for lives of service and leadership.

Today we celebrate a milestone of 50 years. As Dominican Sisters we are very conscious of those women who contributed to creating this college by their vision, their courage, their commitment and their many sacrifices to bring this vision to reality. They contributed as presidents, as deans, in admissions, in student services, as dormitory mentors, as faculty and staff, as department and division chairs, sometimes serving in multiple roles simultaneously. We are conscious of the sisters who assisted in the initial fundraising endeavors which allowed us to build this Aquinas Hall. We remember those who prayed this college into being. Many of us here are alums and remember the Sisters who were dedicated to providing us with a quality education in theology, philosophy and the liberal arts as well as the majors and education courses that would prepare us for our educational ministry. Since 50 years is not so very long, some of those sisters who helped to shape this college are here today. On behalf of them, I thank the college. On behalf of the college, I thank them for their dedication to service.

However, I would be remiss if I led you to believe we did this alone. Over the years, we have collaborated with the men and women who have joined in this educational endeavor: the faculty, staff, administrators, board members, community members and, yes, the students who have contributed to make MSMC what it is today. Together we have created a legacy, a heritage. We are grateful for all who have been part of this collaboration.

This legacy is one based in prayer and service; personal talents and use of creative resources; courage and dedication. This heritage is the dialog of searching for truth.

On behalf of the Dominican Sisters, I wish the college community future years filled with blessings and growth. I wish you years of service filled with our strong intellectual tradition. I wish you years of answering the call to service of the underserved. I wish you the Dominican call to contemplate and offer others the fruits of your contemplation. I encourage you in the search for truth.

I wish us all “Happy Anniversary.” Thank you.