Alumnae reunions offer chance to reconnect with friends, sisters

Immaculata alumna Dorothy Statler Shea ’37 (at right) celebrates her 75th class reunion at the 2013 reunion with Eileen Jarvis Buckley ’61, who is the daughter of Dorothy’s lifelong best friend.

Each year, former Sisters of Providence schools gather in reunion all around the country. Most of these reunions are held in late September and October, although some do occur at other times of the year.

These events are a wonderful time to reconnect with people you love, although may have lost contact with over the years. They are often a time when Sisters of Providence get a chance to meet with former students or classmates, after many years have gone by. Also, they can serve as an opportunity to network with people in class years before and after you.

I had the great pleasure of traveling to the Immaculata schools reunion (Immaculata High School, Immaculata Preparatory School, Immaculata Junior College and Dunblane School) on Oct. 14 in Washington, D.C. It was wonderful to see these women reconnect with their long-lost friends, but also to connect across generations and make new friends. Even though I am not an Immaculata alumna, I am an alumna of an SP school. An alumna of yet another SP school – who was the mother of two Immaculata grads – was there, as well. It was so fun and enlightening to see how easily we all connected just by being a part of the legacy of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. Whether it was shared prayers, the culture of our schools or sisters we all knew, no matter whether we went to school in Indiana, Chicago or Washington, D.C., we were connected.

It is for this reason that the Sisters of Providence continues to bring together the alumnae/i of SP schools. From the U.S. coast to coast, Washington, D.C., and Taiwan, graduates of Sisters of Providence schools are the living legacy left by Saint Mother Theodore. You represent the mission and continuing ministries of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. As much as you are part of the past, you are important to today’s SP ministries. Alumnae/i of former SP schools are involved in our staff, volunteer program, Providence Associates and our widespread ministries, and, of course, are SPs themselves.

If you are an alumnae/i of an SP school, we want to keep in touch with you. Please keep your information updated using our website and we will send you news specific to the schools you attended. Also, be sure the check the alumnae/i section of the site for information from your alumnae/i association and for information for all alumnae/i. (Some associations have Facebook pages. You can find the links there.) If you are organizing a school or class reunion, don’t hesitate to contact me for support. You can reach me at rblanken@spsmw.org or by phone at 812-535-2817.

There are still reunions coming up, including the  Indianapolis Academies Mass (for all Indianapolis alumnae/i) and the Chicago Memorial Mass (for all Chicago area alumnae/i), both on Nov. 4. Looking ahead, St. Columbkille School will hold their annual reunion next April. And brand new information: the Marywood High School of Orange County, Calif., will be holding their next reunion on Sept. 28, 2013.

Many alumnae/i often ask how to reach sisters. The best way to do that is to use our contact form on the website. (Choose “General,” then “contact a sister” for fastest results!) Keep in touch! You are just as important to the Sisters of Providence as they are to you.