What do sisters do all day?

As part of her daily responsibilities, Sister Nancy Nolan, vocation office coordinator, answers questions and inquiries from women who are interested in religious life. Sometimes Sister Nancy is asked for information from young women, especially, who have been tasked with doing research and reporting on religious life. Questions can include “What do you wear,” or “What do you do all day?” Great questions since religious life for women has changed quite a bit over the years!

Sister Nancy received a recent request from Hannah, an eighth-grader who had similar questions followed by, “And can you hurry? My PowerPoint presentation is due on Wednesday.” Sister Nancy received this request on Monday.

Sister Nancy answered:

Dear Hannah,

As you probably know, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of the Woods were founded in 1840. Mother Theodore Guerin came from France to found schools for young women. Mother Theodore was declared a saint in 2006. We currently sponsor Saint Mary of the Woods College, Woods Day Care/Pre-School, Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis and Guerin Prep High School outside of Chicago.

The outside of Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis, a sponsored institution of the Sisters of Providence. It is a Catholic, coeducational, college-preparatory secondary school offering a unique educational experience to students with economic need.

Some of our sisters work in the schools. We also have Guerin Outreach Ministries. These ministries include teaching migrant workers in California how to speak and read English and become citizens, tutoring school children in West Terre Haute, a foster home for children in Southern Indiana, a day care center for adults in Indianapolis and many others.

Our schedule depends on what work we are doing. Our day includes prayer, work, meals, Mass, and whatever we like to do to relax. If you Google Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary of the Woods, Ind., you can find out lots about us or visit www.SistersofProvidence.com Good luck on your PowerPoint presentation,

Sister Nancy Nolan, SP

After sending the information, Sister Nancy received a polite, sweet thank-you from Hannah, which she does not always receive after responding to requests for report information.

Thank you sooo much for replying. It really helped us a lot with our presentation!!! What you do sounds interesting and I loved learning about the Sisters of Providence. What you do must be a lot of work. And lastly, I can’t thank you enough for sending us this, you cannot believe how happy I was when I saw your email. Thank you so much, Hannah.