Assumption College for Sisters (ACS) in Denville, N.J., welcomed new students during its annual orientation day on Aug. 20.
Sister of Christian Charity Sister Marie Pauline Demek, ACS president, opened the day with a reflection on the college’s mission and goals. Sister of Christian Charity Geralyn Schmidt followed with a presentation on the history and heritage of ACS.
Father Martin Glynn, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Denville and an ACS Board member, celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit in the college chapel. He encouraged students to “look forward with the strength, inspiration, and hope that comes from the Holy Spirit and living the Beatitudes.”
The Sisters of Christian Charity founded ACS in the spirit of their foundress, Blessed Pauline von Mallinckrodt, who championed the importance of education. ACS began as an extension of Seton Hall College and became an independent, accredited liberal arts college in 1961. In June 2025, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education reaffirmed its accreditation of the institution.
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Located on the campus of Morris Catholic High School in Denville, ACS is the only U.S. college dedicated to the formation of religious sisters.
ACS includes students from developing countries such as Indonesia, Burundi, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, and Vietnam. Students from the communities of the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham, Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth in Parsippany, Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians in North Haledon, and auditors also attend ACS as commuters.
Now in its 73rd year, ACS has awarded more 480 associate and associate in religious arts degrees and 82 certificates in religious studies, to graduates serving in ministries around the world — living out its mission of “teaching a sister, and touching the world.”
Students around world attend Assumption College for Sisters orientation