You asked and we’re answering!

Recently, we asked you to share questions you had about the Sisters of Providence. We’ll be providing answers twice monthly in our e-newsletter, Providence Partners. If you’re not currently receiving Providence Partners but would like to stay up-to-date on the sisters, sign up today.

Are you still a teaching order and where in the world do you go and what do you do there?

 If you are asking, “Do the Sisters of Providence still teach in schools as we did in the past?” the answer is yes and no. In the past the sisters owned several high schools and staffed hundreds of parish grade schools. We are no longer able to do that in the same manner nor do we have hundreds of sister-teachers — so that is the “no” answer.

The Sisters of Providence sponsor Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis.

The “yes” answer is that we currently sponsor Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Guerin Prep High School in River Grove, Ill., and Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis, Ind. In addition, some sisters do teach in classrooms or are involved in some other capacity in schools.

Our mission statement addresses the other part of your question, “where in the world do you go and what do you do there.”

The Sisters of Providence are a community of Catholic women religious who collaborate with others to create a more just and hope-filled world through prayer, education, service and advocacy.

Our ministries are primarily in the United States, where we serve in 14 states and the District of Columbia. We also have a mission in Asia where we minister in five locations. These ministries have prayer, education, service and advocacy or a combination of these at their core.

Daily prayer undergirds our life and mission. Prayer is also offered in a special way for others’ requests and intentions. Multiple opportunities for requesting prayers are given online, www.spsmw.org.

Education is a focus in many individual and corporate ministries. Examples of the latter include programming, workshops and experiences at our sponsored ministries, Providence Spirituality and Conference Center and White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, both at Saint Mary-of-the-Wood, Ind.

Service takes different forms and covers many areas. Examples include health care, elder care, ministering with those who are needy and underserved and counseling. Sponsored ministries include Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries, Georgetown, Ind.; Guerin Outreach Ministries in Chicago and Coachella Valley, Calif., and Providence Food Pantry and Connecting Link, West Terre Haute.

Advocacy addresses justice issues. Since so many critical justice issues intersect, a Justice Coordinating Commission is charged with focusing the justice issues for the Congregation. Currently, the focus is on eco-justice within the larger arena of environmental justice. Sub-areas include climate change, water, food supply/security and migrant workers. Prior to advocacy, issues are addressed through the lens of three filters: racism, women and children and investments.