60th Jubilarian
A ministry defined by peace, love, and justice, Sister Doretta celebrates her 60th Jubilee this year. Hailing from the Bronx, New York, Sister attended St. Frances of Rome Elementary School and St. Barnabas High School.
Sr. Doretta earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Good Counsel College, her Master’s in American Literature from Fordham University and a Doctorate in Modern Literature from University of Missouri-Columbia. Sr. Doretta also holds professional certifications in teaching, training and social change workshops.
Sister began her ministry in high school education at Good Counsel Academy and Preston High Schools. After six years of teaching in high school, Sr. Doretta transitioned to higher education as an adjunct instructor, professor and faculty leader at the University of Missouri-Columbia, College of New Rochelle, Good Counsel College, College of White Plains and Pace University. While at Pace, Sister chaired the Faculty Council of the Arts & Sciences and served on the Sisters of the Divine Compassion’s Leadership Team for eight years.
Always engaged in social justice issues, Sr. Doretta earned certifications in Nonviolent Action for Change and Creating a Culture of Peace trainings. Sister volunteered with the United Nation’s Partnership for Global Justice, leading workshops on Creating a Culture of Peace and serving as the editor of their newsletter.
In 2017, the United Nations Non-Governmental Organization (UN NGO) honored Sr. Doretta with the Peace and Justice Award for her passion, dedication and perseverance in creating a more just and peaceful world. In particular, Sister was recognized for her longstanding advocacy for the environment.
When the Sisters of the Divine Compassion began to expand their ministries outside of education, Sr. Doretta was to join and eventually chair the RDC Community’s Social Justice Board. Sister continues in that role today. In 2009, Sr. Doretta was trained as a Green Faith Fellow. This program prepares lay and ordained leaders from diverse faith traditions for religiously based environmental leadership.
Throughout the years, Sr. Doretta’s love of literature has remained strong. After attending a workshop in poetry, Sister started to write extensively, both in prose and poetry. Sister led several workshops in poetry at the Greenburgh Library and was an active member of the Poetry Caravan. Established in 2003, the Poetry Caravan is a volunteer organization that brings original poetry readings and workshops to community venues like senior centers, libraries, and hospitals. As a "poetry on the road" initiative, it serves to make poetry accessible to diverse, often underserved audiences.
Now retired and living at Wartburg with 23 of our Sisters, Sr. Doretta enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews and their families, as well as….
