The egg is a venerable symbol that signifies new life and renewal, going all the way back to the cosmic egg and primordial soup mythologies. The Latin proverb omne vivum ex ovo says, essentially, every living thing comes from an egg, a scientific motto identified with seventeenth century physician William Harvey, the first person to describe and fully understand the pumping heart’s circulation.
In Medieval Europe, eggs were generally a forbidden food during Lent. And, perhaps that’s the heart of the tradition of eggs and Easter. After Lent ended, egg consumption resumed and eggs and Easter have gone together ever since. Whether simple home-dyed red and yellow eggs or as rich chocolate treats, Easter eggs have become a touchstone of mystery and adventure for many children.
Saturday, eggs will be all about family fun as local kids gather at St. Mary’s Villa for a festive afternoon of celebration during the annual Easter Egg Hunt for Village of Sloatsburg Children. Skies should be clear and cooperative, with temperatures brisk but climbing for the 1 p.m. egg hunt. The egg hunt is sponsored by the Sloatsburg Recreation Department and is a local rite of passage for springtime and this holiday season for many children.
St. Mary’s Villa is a wooded retreat off Sterling Mine Road that occupies the former Table Rock Estate, originally a 2,000 acre property outside Sloatsburg that belonged to William Pierson Hamilton (1869-1950), great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton and his wife, Juliet Pierpont Morgan, the daughter of the financier, J. Pierpont Morgan. Construction of the estate began 
at the turn of the 20th century and eventually consisted of eight houses and a chapel, with the Table Rock House being the largest. Table Rock House was an English Gothic style four-story mansion, with the largest room measuring 83 x 22 feet and where every room had its own fireplace, including the baths.
Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, a congregation of Byzantine Catholic sisters, purchased the Table Rock House and part of the Hamilton estate in 1941. From 1944 to 1978, Table Rock House was converted to St. Mary’s Villa Academy, a private Catholic girls’ boarding high school. Currently, Table Rock House serves as St. Mary’s Villa Retreat House, which contains the St. Mary’s Villa Spiritual and Educational Center.
The St. Mary’s Villa property also houses Joseph’s Adult Care Home, a senior residential care facility.
The Easter Egg Hunt for Village of Sloatsburg Children, sponsored by the Village of Sloatsburg Recreation Department, will be held Saturday, April 7, at 1 p.m at St. Mary’s Villa. The egg hunt is open to Sloatsburg children pre-school through 5th grade.
Directions to St. Mary’s Villa: Take Sterling Mine Road to Table Rock Farm. Turn left and follow the sign at the base of the hill into St. Mary’s Villa.
Photo Source: Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate
More At SloatsburgVillage
Sloatsburg United Methodist Church Food Pantry — Sloatsburg resident Susan Meyers directs a big kitchen to help alleviate some of the everyday stress parents and seniors struggle with.
