Mount St. John Convent - Gladstone

June 2009

Sisters of St. John the Baptist
Provincial Residence
3308Campbell Drive                                               Bronx, NY 10465-1358                                            Phone: 718-518-7820                                               Fax: 718-518-8930

June 3, 2009

 Dear Families and Friends:
 
The remains of our beloved deceased Sisters have been moved to Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Valhalla, New York (Section 27 Plot 55 Graves 1/120).
 
The individual memorial stones are also in place.  We are in the process of having a large memorial prepared and erected on the site.  Hopefully, this will be completed within the next few months.  We will let you know when we will have a service at the site.  Certainly, you may visit the site at the above mentioned section any time during the regularly scheduled hours.
 
I am looking forward to seeing you in the near future as we continue to remember our deceased loved ones.
 
With prayers for you and your families especially for peace and good health,
 
Sr. Mary Cecile Swanton, C.S.JB.
Provincial Superior

Mt. St. John Academy, Gladstone, NJ - Closes (2008)

On Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 2:00 pm 
a Mass of Thanksgiving 
was celebrated 
in the Chapel of Mt St John Academy 
to mark the closing of 
the Sisters' ministries
 at this location. 

Hundreds of alumni from the schools, the residences and the camp gathered  to bless and to be blessed in the holy ground of God's creation and the Academy Chapel.  The celebrant was Bishop John Flesey; the homilist, Msgr. Ray Lopatesky, both long-time friends of the Mount and the Sisters of St John the Baptist. 

Following the Mass, alumnae from every decade of the Mount's history gathered on the Convent porch to share memories, tears, and laughter along with coffee and cookies.  Classmates gathered in rooms and hallways, residents took one last look at "their bedroom", mementoes were gladly given  and received.

When the Sisters acquired the Mosle Estate in 1926 and dedicated it to the care of orphans, there was an unspoken expectation that this would be a permanent home for the Baptistines. But the reality is that the Sisters' ministry at Mt St John has always been an evolving one: to an orphanage was added an elementary school; the elementary school expanded into a high school; a resident school became a school for day students, the building for high school boarders became a site for Marriage Encounter programs, retreats and conferences; the school buildings housing Mount students became a home for Montgomery Academy students. The Sisters currently residing at the Mount now have ministries in nearby parishes, schools and hospitals. In new ways and new places, God's work continues to be accomplished. 
 

Some frequently asked questions:

Q  - Who owns the property now?
A  -   In November 2008 the Sisters sold the back
         2/3 of the property to the Land Trust of New
          Jersey. In coordination with Mendham
        Township the propert will be preserved as
         pristine "open land" and as a park for the
         public to enjoy.

         The part of the property containing the
         buildings is still owned by the Sisters as
         new owners are sought. The school buildings
         are rented to Montgomery Acaademy.

Q -  Are the Sisters still at the Mount?
A  -   Yes, until all the property is sold Sisters will
         continue to reside in the Convent.

Q - Where will our academic records be
      housed?
A  -  All requests for records can be addressed in
        writing to:  
Provincial Secretary
3308 Campbell Drive
Bronx, NY 10465

Q - Will the Sisters' graves remain on the
      grounds?

A - No.  The Community has purchased new
       grave sites at Gate of Heaven Cemetery,
       Hawthorne, NY (Westchester County) which is
       near Mt. St. John, our retirement convent in
       Purchase, NY.  The transfer of the Sisters'
       remains took place in November 2008. In late
       spring / early summer 2009, after the grave
       markers have been placed and the ground has
       settled, a Prayer Service will be held at the
       cemetery.  The families of the deceased Sisters
       for whom we have contact information will be
       notified and given detailed information about
       the new resting place of their loved ones. 

Q - What about Alumnae Reunions?

A - Keeping in touch with the many wonderful
       alumni and friends of the Mount is important
        to the Sisters. We hope in the future to
        institute an annual gathering for all alumnae.
        As milestone years of graduation occur, we
        will help individual  planners contact their
        classmates.

Please help us keep our information as current as possible by sending updated information to:  

Sr. Rosaria De Maro, CSJB
Mt St John Convent
PO Box 711
Gladstone, NJ 07934
[email protected]