Summer is the time for days spent outside, getting a group of friends together for a baseball game, or enjoying a family picnic. The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers and the Maryknoll Sisters are no strangers to fun outdoor activities. The Society and the Sisters had tennis courts installed on their properties, the Seminarians formed volley-ball teams, and both groups spent time at nearby lakes. There were even times when the Society and the Sisters came together for an afternoon of fun.
In the afternoon we were invited to a ball game between Maryknoll and the Venard. The visitors came with an enviable record, but left with a black mark, for our boys won. Benches for the Sisters were placed upon a parapet overlooking the field. Umbrellas were appreciated for sunshades, but with the exception of a red silk one, nothing striking was in evidence until Mother [Mary Joseph] and Sister M. Teresa appeared with one of the latest Japanese parasols. Even the rooters’ eyes were caught by it for all heads turned toward the parapet.
Seminarians playing baseball, 1925
Tennis court at the Motherhouse, 1933
“Prelude to an Ace,” 1940
“The Volley-ball Friends Play at Every Opportunity’,” 1945
A group of Maryknoll Sisters enjoying a summer picnic, 1930s
Maryknoll Sisters eating outside together
Maryknoll Sisters also have a long-standing tradition of holding summer picnics, which was started by Mother Mary Joseph. She believed that relaxation and recreation played important roles in our lives.
The acts of each day fall into four classes – prayer, work, study and recreation. All of them should be characterized by certain special features; purity of intention; the performance of all that we do for love of God. If we do all for love of God, direct our intentions well, and consciously live in God’s presence, we shall find that our day’s acts show forth the other characteristics desired: zeal, devotedness, love for the sublime work to which we have been called, and we shall find nothing too hard, no sacrifice too great in the performance of our daily duties.
On particularly hot days, it wasn’t uncommon to see Maryknoll Sisters eating their meals together outside. The house would have been stifling without air conditioning, and they could rely on cool breezes outdoors. Being on top of the hill does have some advantages!
Everyone [was] exhausted from the heat, so out-of-doors supper was had on the long tables under the trees that had been made so gay with red, white and blue earlier in the day for company. We then turned to taking the noses off a clothes basket full of gooseberries that had been picked the night before. We worked out of doors on these by the light of the moon, telling ghost stories until almost 10 o’clock.
What fun outdoor activities will you get up to this summer? No matter what you do, please remember to use sunscreen and drink plenty of water!
Interested in learning more about Maryknoll?
You can contact the Archives at:
Maryknoll Mission Archives
PO Box 305, Maryknoll, New York 10545
Phone: 914-941-7636
Office hours: 8:30 am-4:00 pm Monday-Friday
Email: archives@maryknoll.org
Website: www.maryknollmissionarchives.org
References:
Home. Maryknoll Sisters. (2025, May 23). https://www.maryknollsisters.org/
Mission diaries, 1912-1968. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2026). https://maryknollmissionarchives.libraryhost.com/index.php?p=collections%2Fcontrolcard&id=4&q=diaries
Missionaries of the Catholic Church: Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers. Maryknoll Society. (2025, December 9). https://maryknollsociety.org/
Mother Mary Joseph Rogers. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2019, July 25). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/mother-mary-joseph-rogers/
*Original content comes from the blog post, “Summer Fun”, which was published on July 13, 2017. This version was edited by Meagan Cairns.
Sisters boating on Figsby’s Lake
Maryknoll students spending their down time out on the water.
