Sisters of Providence offer comment on newly released book

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, have prepared a response to the publication of “The Third Miracle,” by author Bill Briggs, scheduled for release Tuesday, Jan. 11.

“We are grateful that Mr. Briggs chose to feature the canonization of our foundress, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, in his new book. We believe her story is worth sharing with many different publics. He did not share an advance copy of his book with us, so we are not prepared to speak in detail about his work,” said Sister Denise Wilkinson, the Congregation’s general superior.

“However, from what we have discovered and what others have shared with us, we are disappointed that Mr. Briggs took creative license to raise suspense and conjecture about a process that the Catholic Church, and we, consider to be very sacred. He seems to imply that sainthood is for sale. The canonization process is very specific and very organized and is based on the holy and heroic virtues of the person being considered.

“We know that people who know us best will recognize the differences, and we embrace this opportunity for those who might not know us as well, or at all, to learn more about Saint Mother Theodore and the life she led,” Sister Denise concluded.