Sacred Stories
Sacred Stories
Podcast Description
Sacred Stories: Celebrating 150 Years of Faith and Service is a special audio series honoring the legacy of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill. Through conversations with our Sisters, Associates, friends, ministry partners, and alumni, we capture personal stories, wisdom, and experiences to preserve and share with future generations. Blending authentic voices with treasured photographs, these recordings celebrate the spirit, service, and history that have shaped our community for 150 years — and continue to inspire today. Join us as we listen, learn, and honor the journey together.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The series focuses on themes of faith, service, history, and community, with episodes highlighting impactful personal stories, such as Sister Joan Correia's experiences in Maryland and Pakistan, showcasing how the Sisters' work has influenced lives and fostered connections across cultures.
Sacred Stories: Celebrating 150 Years of Faith and Service is a special audio series honoring the legacy of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill. Through conversations with our Sisters, Associates, friends, ministry partners, and alumni, we capture personal stories, wisdom, and experiences to preserve and share with future generations. Blending authentic voices with treasured photographs, these recordings celebrate the spirit, service, and history that have shaped our community for 150 years — and continue to inspire today. Join us as we listen, learn, and honor the journey together.
In this episode, we meet Brother Michael Harlan, OFM, a Franciscan friar and longtime friend of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill. Michael has spent more than 40 years in ministry and currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Franciscan School of Theology in San Diego, California.
Michael’s connection to Sparkill began long before his own religious vocation. His grandfather, Edward Harlan, worked for the Dominican Sisters beginning in 1942. Michael grew up visiting his grandparents here on the convent grounds, and his family’s connection to the Sisters continued across generations.
For Michael, Sparkill is more than a place from his past. It is a place of faith, friendship, family, and vocation—a place he describes as “holy ground.”
Today, Michael reflects on the Dominican Sisters who helped shape his life and vocation and on the connection that has brought him back to Sparkill throughout the years.
After generations of shared history, he is more than a friend of the Dominican Sisters.
He is part of the family.
Thank you for listening.
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