WILLIAMSBURG — After three newly-arrived religious sisters from the Dominican Republic led an entrance procession of a Nov. 20 Mass at Transfiguration Parish, Bishop Robert Brennan took a moment to welcome them to the Diocese of Brooklyn.
“Esta es su casa (This is your home),” Bishop Brennan told the sisters. The trio — Sisters Damiana Anglada, Idelma Hernandez, and Yarelin Ventura — are the first members of the Daughters of Altagracia Sisters to serve in the United States.
They led the entrance procession carrying the American flag, as well as the flags of their religious community and the Roman Catholic Church.
Bishop Brennan celebrated the Mass in Spanish with the pastor of Transfiguration Parish, Father Jeremias Castillo, concelebrating. Parishioners who filled the historic Williamsburg church treated the sisters likelong-lost family members, with kind greetings, floral bouquets, and hugs despite it being the first official meeting between the two groups.
“We are La Gran Familia de la Transfiguration — a family,” Father Castillo said, “and that’s why people here are happy to have them here.” The sisters’ arrival was years in the making. A member of the Daughters of Altagracia Sisters connected with Transfiguration while visiting family in Williamsburg about six years ago. According to Father Castillo, this prompted plans to start a mission for the congregation at the parish.
The pandemic delayed the immigration process to secure visas for the sisters, but he said it was worth the wait. At Transfiguration, the sisters will help with religious education and other ministries.
Father Castillo said because the parish is “95% Hispanic and from the Dominican Republic, for the most part,” it made sense to bring in sisters from that country. The sisters each said they were eager for their new mission in Williamsburg.
“My congregation wants to help the parish, to work with the young people in religious education,” Sister Yarelin said. “We want to teach that Jesus is life and share the life, the love of Jesus, with them.”
Sister Damiana said the sisters are very excited to be forming a team and working with Transfiguration, as well as Mary of Nazareth Parish in Fort Greene. Father Henry Torres, pastor of that parish, was also at the Mass to welcome them.
She said she was surprised to learn from the mother superior that she’d be going to Brooklyn.
“I think, ‘Oh, English, I need learning,’ ” Sister Damiana exclaimed while adding she is working hard to master the language. The Transfiguration Parish convent has been empty since March 2019 after the passing of its last resident, Sister Kathryn Margaret Walsh of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Father Castillo said “Sister Peggy” was a beloved parish member, having been a teacher at the school from 1959 to 1977. She later became a certified immigration advocate and helped many in the parish with their paperwork to gain legal status.
The Mass was Bishop Brennan’s second visit to Transfiguration in as many months. On Oct. 19, he attended the parish’s 150th anniversary celebration. After the Mass for the sisters, Bishop Brennan said their community, first formed in 1959, has an interesting history, noting they draw their name from Our Lady of Altagracia (High Grace), which is an important devotion in the sisters’ homeland.
“Our Lady of Altagracia is a great Marian feast in the Dominican Republic,” Bishop Brennan said. “We celebrate it here, big time, on the 21st of January. Certainly, this is a charism of devotion to the Blessed Mother, but it also has a unique meaning in the Dominican Republic, which is a nice combination.”
