Trouble Descends on the Sisters
Five commissioners and their stenographers descended upon the orphanage in Dobbs Ferry, New York, early in the morning. It was a surprise visit.
The Advisory Committee to the New York Commissioner of Public Charities, John Kingsbury, had been tasked with investigating child care institutions, and it had decidedly political – and anti-Catholic – motivations.
The Sisters Get a Grilling
The commissioners dispersed throughout the facility. One headed to the dormitory, another to the dining hall, one to the kitchen, another to the storeroom. The fifth commissioner examined the record books in the office. His questions bordered on the bizarre.
“How many clubs are there in this home?” he demanded.
Clubs? In an orphanage? The puzzled Missionary Sister thought quickly, and replied, “Three.” The Holy Angels, the societies of Mary, and a group of aspirants counted, didn’t they?
“But where are the roll books of the members?”
“We do not have any.”
“Do you have minutes of the meetings?”
“No.”
And on it went. Did the girls have dancing lessons? Organized societies for young artists? Who taught them drama? (When the answer was, “The Sisters,” the commissioner broke out in derisive laughter.) The questioning went on for three days.
A Biased Report Card
A few weeks later a long report arrived. Page after page of deficiencies were cited: There were no pictures of fruit and birds on the walls. Children weren’t allowed to serve themselves (the Sisters gave an equal portion to all). The girls wore uniforms and therefore were dressed like prisoners.
The evaluation had nothing to do with whether the children were happy, safe, well cared-for, or decently educated.
The Missionary Sisters pored over the report. Mother Cabrini had taught them to be resourceful, wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). Although she wasn’t with them in person, they knew what she expected:
Stay calm: “How good and helpful it is to enter a situation prepared to do the will of our Lord,” she wrote.
Trust Jesus: “Leaning on you, enclosed in your heart, I hope to do everything. ‘I can do all things in him who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13)”
Take courage: “…keep in mind that it is the Sacred Heart who directs all, not the directress; therefore we do not have to do anything but help Him place loving hands on painful wounds.”
Mother Cabrini’s guidance pointed the Sisters in the right direction.
A Cheerful Transformation
Within two weeks the Missionary Sisters had completely overhauled Sacred Heart School to address the arbitrary complaints. Round tables and chairs took the place of rectangular tables and benches in the dining hall. Additional gymnastics equipment joined the seesaw on the playground. Volumes of fine literature were carefully interspersed with books of the lives of the saints in the library. And best of all there was an abundance of record books and files.
Then the superior at Dobbs Ferry requested a second visit from the commissioner’s Advisory Committee. They wisely invited a delegate from the Archbishop of New York’s office to come along as well.
The five investigators compared the drastically altered surroundings to their reports. “But this is a different school altogether,” one inspector muttered. They passed through the buildings and grounds, saying nothing. Whether they’d intended to or not, they had to admit that Sacred Heart School was a first-class establishment. Out of 38 child care institutions investigated, it was one of only 12 they did not find to be substandard.
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The School at Dobbs Ferry
New York City officials advised Mother Cabrini in 1913 that her orphanage in West Park, NY was too far away; single parents who wanted to visit their children found it hard to make the two-hour trip. (“Orphans” in those days were kids who had lost one or both parents.) Thus in April of 1913 Mother Cabrini stopped in Dobbs Ferry, a quaint town on the east side of the Hudson River, to look at properties closer to the city.
There the Missionary Sisters discovered a large villa overlooking the Hudson that seemed perfect. It turned out to be a Protestant school for boys run by the Rev. Dr. James Cameron Mackenzie. They knocked on the door to inquire if the place was for sale. Dr. Mackenzie’s son, who answered the door, sputtered at the thought of selling the property to the nuns. However, by the end of the conversation he had been persuaded to reconsider. Shortly thereafter the Mackenzie School moved to Monroe, New York, and in early 1914 Mother Cabrini established Sacred Heart Villa and orphanage in Dobbs Ferry.
The opening of the school in Dobbs Ferry, NY in 1914
His Excellency Archbishop (later Cardinal) Bonzano presided at the opening Mass. The photo taken that day is the last known picture of Mother Cabrini before her death.
What Became of the Orphanage?
The use of the property Mother Cabrini purchased in Dobbs Ferry changed over time. As health care improved, the number of parents who died young decreased, and orphanages were no longer as desperately needed. Eventually the site transitioned into a boarding school, and later into a day school known as Sacred Heart Villa Girls Academy.
Then as demographics changed, the Missionary Sisters recognized the need to care for the weak and elderly. In 1973 Sacred Heart Villa Girls Academy closed and a new facility was built on the site: St. Cabrini Nursing Home. Now named Cabrini of Westchester, it is a highly-regarded elder care facility offering short- and long-term care, rehabilitation services, and senior housing.
Cabrini of Westchester, Dobbs Ferry, NY
Cabrini of Westchester also operates Cabrini Immigrant Services at a separate location in Dobbs Ferry. Immigrant Services supports families who are new to the U.S. and face isolation because of language, legal status, and separation from family and their home country.
