New name for Providence Spirituality and Conference Center helps clarify focus

Providence Center at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. has a new name.

As of October, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods’ hospitality and welcoming center has been renamed the Providence Spirituality and Conference Center.

Charles J. Fisher, director of Providence Spirituality and Conference Center, said the name change comes after six months of listening to people and asking them questions and is a way to highlight the center’s focus.

The original Providence Center was established in 1990 following the demolition of historic Foley Hall. The center is housed in the building which adjoins O’Shaughnessy Dining Room and the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. In addition to serving as a welcoming center, the newly renamed center also oversees tours, facility rentals, and programming for the Sisters of Providence.

“Providence Spirituality and Conference Center is the door through which people come to find what they’re looking for and who they’re looking for at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods: from coming out to a picnic at the lodge, to coming to talk to a sister about spiritual growth, to a tour of our buildings, to a chance to sit quietly in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, to seeing Saint Mother Theodore’s final resting place at the interim shrine in the church, to having their wedding reception in O’Shaughnessy, to attending a business convention: all on this holy ground,” Fisher said.

“The goal of the name change is to bring more people out here: people of various ages, people of various faiths, people of various lifestyles. The Sisters of Providence themselves, in the tradition of Saint Mother Theodore, are welcoming and caring and loving of children, families and older adults regardless of their status and where they are from.”

In conjunction with the recent name change, increased programming, with a focus on spiritual programming, is also in the works.

“We want people to know that not only are they welcome, but that the sisters want them to come out and visit,” Fisher said.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is located two miles north of West Terre Haute off U.S. 150. For more information about Providence Spirituality and Conference Center and its programs, tours, catering and facilities, call 812-535-4531, or visit www.ProvCenter.org or by email at provctr@spsmw.org.