By Lois Rogers | Correspondent

For 90 years, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd have gone about the mission of restoring hope, building confidence and realizing the potential of countless young people through the good works of Collier Youth Services.

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On Jan. 28, hundreds of those who have walked, worked and prayed with the sisters over the decades, and scores of those who benefited from their love and care, gathered in St. Gabriel Church, Marlboro. There, they shared in a joyous liturgical celebration of this remarkable span of service and devotion and enjoyed each others company at the reception that followed.

Greetings were brought from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. by Daughter of Charity Sister Joanne Dress, executive director of Catholic Social Services for the Diocese of Trenton.

“The Bishop asked if I would extend his congratulations to you, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, the staff and all of the young people on the 90th anniversary,” said Sister Joanne.

In his letter, the Bishop O’Connell expressed regrets that a last minute scheduling conflict prevented him from attending the anniversary Mass and shared his desire to visit Youth Services later this spring.

“Know that I am with you in prayer and spirit,” wrote the Bishop, who added that he had long admired the work of Collier Youth Services and the strength and stability its programs bring to the “young people as they grow and mature.”

Over the decades, he wrote, Collier has touched “so many lives in its labor of love.”

Father Eugene Roberts, pastor of St. Gabriel Parish, was the celebrant of the Mass. Concelebrants were: Redemptorist Father John Hamrogue who preached the homily; Father Joy Chacko, parochial vicar of St. Gabriel Parish; Father James Conover, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold; Father Garry Koch, pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel; Father Anthony Carotenuto, who celebrates Mass in the chapel on the Collier Campus, and Father Ronald Cioffi, who retired in June as pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Keyport.

In his homily, Father Hamrogue sounded a refrain that would would echo throughout the day of the two women so key to the success of Collier: the foundress of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, St. Mary Euphrasia, whose charism was dedication to the young women marginalized by turbulent 19th century French society, and Sarah Van Alen Collier, a Catholic convert and widow of publishing magnate Robert Collier, who wanted to do the same for neglected and dependent young women of the 20th century.

Father Hamrogue spoke of the “90 years of holiness” the sisters brought to the huge Collier summer estate originally known as Rest Hill tucked into the rolling, wooded landscape of Wickatunk and their constant care of Mrs. Collier’s legacy.

Through their efforts, in what he called a “space apart” and a “holy place,” this significant ministry was first established and operated as a residential care home for teenaged girls for 50 years. Changing needs resulted in it transforming to The Collier School with 40 years of day students in both high school and middle school.

All through the decades that followed, he said, the sisters were supported in their mission by associates – who have taken a vow of zeal; lay volunteers who helped them daily at the schools and in the office and all who contributed along the way.

“To celebrate this Mass,” he said, “is to say thanks and to remember God’s presence and power.”

In her remarks at the conclusion of the Mass, Good Shepherd Sister Debbie Drago, spoke of Collier as it is today, adapting to the needs of at-risk young people in the 21st. Century.

“Today Collier includes a middle and high school for students whose educational and social/emotional needs cannot be met at their district school,” she said.

Collier Youth Services also offers the Kateri Day Camp which serves more than 200 children from 25 Monmouth County Towns whose families are living below the poverty level, Sister Debbie noted.

“The Collier Group Home in Red Bank and Collier Transitional House in Keyport are programs where teenage girls and young women come for a time to work through life challenges and learn skills that prepare them to reunite with their families or transition to independent living.”

The newest program, she shared, is “Caramore Farm which provides our young people a fresh start literally from the ground up as they learn about all there is to know about growing food. They are so proud to see the fruits of their labors sprouting and maturing right before their very eyes.”

All of these programs, said Sister Debbie, are at the core of the Collier Youth Services mission to provide young people the “chance to grow toward their potential in an environment that promotes (a sense of ) belonging, dignity and hope.”

It is a mission, she said, “based on the deep respect for the inherent worth of each individual and the belief in the capacity for personal growth and change.”

She spoke of how important it is to model the Good Shepherd, the namesake of the religious order, is making sure that not even “one of God’s children” goes missing in the chaos of the times and how grateful the sisters are for the community that supports their efforts.

“We are so fortunate to have a large community of friends that extends beyond our campus and local homes,” a community that started in Wickatunk with the gift of Mrs. Collier, who turned her grief at early widowhood “into an opportunity leading to a new life for others …”

At the social that followed in the parish hall, many of those to whom Sister Debbie referred were happy to share their insights on Collier Youth Services and those who nourished it.

Good Shepherd Sister Thomas More Fahey splits her time now between the Brooklyn and Rockville Center dioceses. She fondly recalled the five years she devoted as principal to Collier’s students and how much it meant to her to be among the Collier community again on this celebratory day.

She spoke of the sisters who still serve in their retirement with ongoing prayers for the continued success of the programs. “There’s no denying the wholeness they bring to the ministry,” she said.

Gerri Higham, Ascension Parish, Bradley Beach, and Mary DeSane, St. Anselm Parish, Wayside spoke of the impact that Collier Youth Services in the lives of so many people. Both have been connected to the ministry in different capacities for a number of years.

Higham, an associate to the religious order, started as a substitute teacher in the schools and became activities director in 1994, spoke of Collier as a “place of peace and love where miracles are worked,” by the sisters and all involved.

“Everyone is welcomed without judgment,” DeSane said. “The sisters understand how to reach out to individual young people in need of support.”

Gianna Miller, 18, Gianna Hladun, 17 and Wesley Lojik-Harvey, 15, are among the most recent generation of young people gathering strength and support from Collier Services. They raised their voices in songs of praise with the choir during the Mass.

Reflecting on the day, the three said that they felt very positive about attending. “It was uplifting to see all the people come together,” said Lojik-Harvey. “I didn’t know we had so many supporters.

Hladun said the day was a “great experience. We so appreciated everyone coming. And we are so thankful for the skills we are learning “in Collier Services programs.”

Gianna Miller put it simply but powerfully: “The day was so great,” she said, “I almost cried.”