Newsnotes

Sister Betty Hopf recognized

WTWO talk show Good Day Live in February recognized Sister Betty Hopf at right, center, as an inspiring woman in the community for her ministry as Chaplain of the Hux Cancer Center at Union Hospital in Terre Haute.

“She spends her time helping cancer patients with a part of healing that doctors can’t prescribe: faith and hope,” Good Day Live co-host Hazelmarie Anderson said.

Many people she ministers with described Sister Betty’s smile and welcoming demeanor.

“I want to get to know them as persons,” Sister Betty said. “I see a lot of anxiety and I just want to be there for them and calm them down and give them hope. It’s just something that I am drawn to.”

Sister Betty has ministered at the center for 12 years.

Sister Mary Jo Piccione receives Value in Action Justice award

In late January, the Southern California Providence St. Joseph
Health system honored Sister Mary Jo Piccione, at far left, with their
“spiritual care” justice award. One of the people who nominated
Sister Mary Jo was a heartbroken gentleman who had just lost his wife. He spoke of Sister Mary Jo as “an earthly angel” who had been “sent to hold him together on the most difficult day of his life” and noted that she spoke words of comfort, took his hand in hers and ministered to his spirit.

As chaplain at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Apple Valley, California, Sister Mary Jo extends God’s Providence to all as she holds vulnerable, tiny newborns; encourages the sick and lonely and their families; and offers peace during patients’ last days. Congratulations and deepest thanks to Sister Mary Jo for being the face, heart, and hands of Providence to the people in southern California.

New faces in vocation ministry

Sister Joni Luna is the new Sisters of Providence director of vocations. She will accompany women as they explore and discern whether life as a Sister of Providence is for them. Sister Joni replaces Sister Editha Ben, who retired after nearly eight years as vocation director. Sister Editha will continue to volunteer on the vocation team.

Sister Norene Wu will also be joining the new membership team as the new director of novices for the Sisters of Providence. She will replace Sister Janice Smith who has served in this role since 2012.

Sister Barbara Battista receives honor

On March 11, the Vigo County Public Library honored Sister Barbara Battista at their annual Local Women’s History Breakfast. Sister Barbara was honored for her ministry as the Congregation’s Justice Promoter. The annual event offers a celebration for the impact that local women in the Wabash Valley have on the community. During the breakfast, Sister Barbara fielded many questions from the audience about bringing people together through common causes.

“It’s all about relationship … when you know that something is not right about what’s going on in our society … look for your allies,” Sister Barbara said. “It’s about forming relationships. Find ways to bring about your issue and to have your conversation without attacking persons, without attacking character.”

Sister Barbara ministers as a physician’s assistant and is also the Congregation’s Justice Promoter.

Meet Providence Raphael Anthony

Meet the newest member of our herd, Providence Raphael Anthony or Tony as we like to call him!

Tony was born on April 26 and is big and healthy. He is the son of Dora and Jubilee.

We named him Raphael Anthony after Saint Raphael the archangel, who is the patron saint of nurses, doctors and medical workers. Anthony is in honor of Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health.

Runner-up status earned

In January, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Congregation was named one of six national Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) 2019 Cool Congregation Challenge runners up.

The Sisters of Providence received recognition in the category of Community Inspiration.

General Councilor Sister Jeanne Hagelskamp and Providence Associate Jeanne Rewa had submitted an application specifically detailing the Providence Climate Agreement and the work of the Climate Change Task Force.

“It is a recognition given to us for our work in inspiring the Sisters of Providence, our Providence Associates, and those in the broader community to reduce our consumption of greenhouse gases,” Sister Jeanne said. “Jeanne Rewa has been the quiet driving force of the Climate Change Task Force since its inception.”

IPL President Rev. Susan Hendershot said, “The Sisters of Providence and other national winning congregations are casting a vision for the kind of world in which they want to live, and they are carrying out that vision with practical actions that make a real difference in creating lasting solutions to climate change.”

Thanks to you …

We asked and you answered with love! Thanks to the generous response to our request in the fall issue of HOPE magazine for help in spreading the word about the Sisters of Providence, wonderful donors funded four Sisters of Providence to be able to be present and staff a booth at this year’s Los Angeles Religious Education Congress Feb. 20-23, 2020. One generous supporter even arranged for our sisters to stay with her relative and a generous neighbor, near the Congress! Sisters Joni Luna, Editha Ben, Jessica Vitente and Janice Smith shared about the Sisters of Providence with many of the more than 40,000 people present. Our new vocation minister Sister Joni Luna has several women she is still in contact with that she met at the Congress. Your loving support will continue to bless us well into the future!

20 years serving together

2020 marked the 20th year that White Violet Center for Eco-Justice (WVC) welcomed students from the Center for Service and Justice at Creighton University on their alternative spring break. “We were attracted to the combination of faith, justice, and environmental sustainability WVC and the Sisters of Providence offered,” said Ken Reed-Bouley, the current director of the center at the Jesuit University. Eight students and their advisors traveled all the way from Omaha, Nebraska, for their week-long service mission this past March.

(Originally published in the Summer 2020 issue of HOPE magazine.)