BEDFORD, NY — On Wednesday, August 19, the Dominican Sisters of Hope will debut two short documentaries at the Bedford Playhouse in Bedford, NY. The films document the return of Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican youth to their ancestral homeland, currently owned by the Dominican Sisters of Hope, and an unexpected partnership with Catholic sisters that transforms both groups—proving that healing intergenerational trauma begins with choosing hope over history.

Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican leaders Wanonah Kosbab and Shawn Stevens partnered with Catholic Sisters to create space for healing intergenerational trauma caused by boarding schools and forced removal. Through ceremony on the Mahicantuck (Hudson
River), Land Justice Committee meetings, and teachings from holistic healer Ibsahu Pernebsati, participants discovered that protecting the Earth could transcend centuries of painful history.

As the Sisters face their congregation’s end and seek to protect their land in perpetuity, they’ve found unlikely allies in Indigenous leaders who share their commitment to creation. The films reveal how relationships built on authenticity, vulnerability, and shared values can open doors that seemed permanently closed.

The screening will begin at 6:30 pm and will include a panel discussion with DominicanSisters of Hope, the film producer, members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans, and Janelle Robbins, Vice President of Conservation at the Westchester Land Trust, will be on the panel.

Although the Dominican Sisters of Hope did not run boarding schools or participate in the federal boarding school system, they support the healing power of the immersions.

“We did not know the full extent of the history [of Catholic boarding schools],”acknowledged Sister Patricia Magee, OP, Prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Hope, referring to the Catholic Church’s history of running boarding schools. “That was really very, very hard to hear. But I really believe this whole transformative power of hope is about healing. There is a healing that can happen from these things that can bring us all to a new place.”

For Indigenous youth featured in the documentaries, the journey to Mariandale represented more than a physical return to ancestral lands—it offered a path toward reclaiming identity, culture, and hope for the future.