The Daughters of St. Paul bid farewell to the Archdiocese of New York on Saturday, January 20, two months after announcing they would close their Pauline Books and Media Center on East 29th Street in Manhattan and their Staten Island convent.

“We’re all sad, nobody more so than our own Daughters of St. Paul. But we’re also realistic. We’re also prudent. And we all know first-hand that such tough decisions are incumbent upon the Church today as we admit the pastoral challenges we have to consolidate our resources so that we can serve more effectively,” Cardinal Dolan said during his homily.

Cardinal Dolan recalled the importance of the word “apostolic” to Daughters of St. Paul founder, Blessed James Alberione: “That of course means a radical openness to move on. To start afresh. To spread the message. Never getting too settled or comfortable in any one acre of the Lord’s vast vineyard,” he said.

In closing remarks made at the end of the Mass, Provincial Superior of the Daughters of the St. Paul, Sister Donald Maria Lynch, thanked God and the archdiocese for its decades of support.

“Our sisters have reached out to people in this sprawling metropolis of New York, and to all of the surrounding states as well. We treasure memories of a fruitful mission that shared the gospel from our book centers, through visits to parishes and schools, vocational work, through Christmas concerts, and more, bringing the Word of Christ’s loving and saving grace to so many people,” Sister Donald Maria said. She noted the sacrifices and service of sisters who had come before. She thanked everyone who supported the Daughters of St. Paul during their time in residence in the New York area.

Cardinal Dolan was the Mass’s chief celebrant. Auxiliary Bishop Edmund Whalen, who was the principal celebrant at a farewell Mass for the Daughters held on Sunday, January 21, on Staten Island, was among the concelebrants of the St. Patrick’s Mass. Along with the New York-based sisters of the Daughters of St. Paul, who will move to the group’s center in Boston, the Mass was attended by Sister Joan Curtin, Archdiocese of New York vicar for religious; and members of the Sisters of Life.

The Daughters have had a continuous presence in the archdiocese since 1932. Known colloquially as “The Media Nuns,” the mission was founded in 1915 in Italy by Blessed James Alberione, with the first sisters taking their final vows in 1922. Their more than 1,900 sisters work in over 50 countries, focusing on using various forms of communication to spread the gospel.  

Book and media centers will continue to operate in Boston, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; Alexandria, Virginia; New Orleans, Louisiana; Culver City, California; Miami, Florida; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Along with New York, also closing is a media center and convent in Menlo Park, California. The group also closed four locations in 2022 in Hawaii, Illinois, South Carolina, and Texas.