Sisters share love of golf

Sister Dawn Tomaszewski (left) and Sister Jenny Howard sharing a moment on the golf course.

Sisters of Providence General Council members Sister Jenny Howard and Sister Dawn Tomaszewski both love the game of golf.

Both Sister Jenny and Sister Dawn have athletic backgrounds.

While they don’t get an opportunity to play as often as they might like, they enjoy the moments they have on courses.

For Sister Dawn, her love of the game stems from her family.

Sister Dawn said when she was a child, her father would get up at 5 a.m., on Sunday morning, and head to the golf course for 18 holes with his brothers.

“He would wake up, go golfing, but also be back in time for noon Mass,” Sister Dawn said. “That continued even after I moved out.”

As an adult, Sister Dawn started joining her father and brothers for a round of golf when they vacationed together.

“Golfing was really an opportunity for me to spend significant time with my dad and my brothers,” Sister Dawn said. “When I moved back to Chicago after my father retired, we played regularly. It was a special time for me and my dad. He was always teaching the game.”

But for Sister Dawn, playing golf with her father wasn’t only about learning the game. She said he also sprinkled in some life lessons as well.

“It really was a holy time to be with my dad,” she said. “I continue that tradition today. When I vacation with my brother and his family, there is always a golf game involved. My brother doesn’t give me too much instruction on the golf course, but he is always telling his kids how to improve. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Sister Jenny, on the other hand, began playing the sport before she joined the Sisters of Providence.

“I had friends who played golf in Indianapolis,” Sister Jenny said. At the time, she was a teacher in her hometown. She even joined a league with her colleagues.

“I have always loved to play golf,” Sister Jenny said.

However, after committing to religious life, Sister Jenny said she cut down her trips to courses.

“I don’t have a lot of time for golf,” she said, adding she plays four times each year, including two practice rounds before taking part in golf scrambles. “But I look forward to it.

“I love being out in nature,” she continued. “I love being with friends. It’s a time to relax. I enjoy the moment.”

More than likely, participants in the 12th annual Hole-y-One Golf Scramble will see both Sister Dawn and Sister Jenny on the links Friday, Sept. 12, at the Country Club of Terre Haute.

Sister Dawn plays with her father’s clubs. Sister Jenny also still uses the same irons she had in 1978 when she began playing.

“I have always loved that the Congregation calls this the Hole-y-One Scramble,” Sister Dawn said. “Playing golf with my dad and my family has been a holy time, a sacred time.”

Sister Jenny also enjoys time spent working with others to help set up the golf outing.

“I was part of the initial planning for the first (golf scramble),” she said. “The initial idea of hosting a golf scramble was as a ‘friend-raiser,’ more than a ‘fundraiser.’ It is wonderful to see how many people enjoy participating in the ‘outing’ every year, and how relationships have grown over the years.”

As one of several who contacts door prize donors each year, Sister Jenny said, “the local restaurants and businesses seem genuinely interested in being a part of this annual event sponsored by the Sisters. I am always amazed, and truly grateful, for their generosity, and for the mutual relationships that have been developed over the years with this Terre Haute community.”

Sister Dawn added that the relationships the Sisters of Providence have built with the people who take part in the scramble has been wonderful.

“I hope the golf outing enhances our relationships with people in the community,” she said. “We’re grateful for their support and, hopefully, we are providing them with an opportunity to have fun and nurture their own relationships with the people with whom they are golfing!”

“I love the experience of connecting with the community,” Sister Jenny added. “There are some people I see only at the golf outing. I love all of it. And I love the sport (of golf), but I’m not going to give up my day job.”

Cost to participate in the scramble is $350 for a team or $90 for a single player. In addition, cost to be a hole sponsor is $175. The deadline to register for the tourney is Friday, Sept. 5, 2014.

For more information or to find out about sponsorships, call Diane Weidenbenner at 812-535-2802 or email dweidenb@spsmw.org.