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History of the Dominican Sisters at St. Vincent Ferrer

Early in 1888, Father Michael D. Lilly, prior of St. Vincent Ferrer’s, requested that the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs, Columbus, Ohio, come to New York City to teach at St. Vincent Ferrer School. Fr. Lilly was a Dominican priest from the St. Joseph province and thus was aware of the talents of the sisters who had been teaching in Ohio since 1830. Many of the congregations who would come from Europe to meet the educational needs of the burgeoning immigrant population of New York were just beginning to arrive.

Twelve sisters were sent to open the elementary school. About 600 hundred students arrived for classes that September. However, neither books nor desks had been delivered so the Sisters taught the children in the basement of the Church for almost six weeks. Besides the educational program provided at the school, the Sisters offered private music lessons at their convent for several years. At the turn of the 20th century, the Sisters taught in the Religious Education program for St. Catherine of Siena Parish until the Sparkhill Dominicans took it over in 1911.

As the social and economic changes took place in the city, enrollment at St. Vincent Ferrer elementary school decreased. In 1915, as space in the school became available, the Sisters introduced a two year business course for young men and women. This program continued until 1960 when once again the educational needs changed, and the Sisters had to adapt. In response, they set up a four-year college preparatory school, a program which continues to this day. Today the principal of St. Vincent Ferrer is a Dominican Sister and there are still sisters living and working in the parish in various ministries.