Breaking boundaries as Providence people

“The Glory of God is all creation fully alive.”

— St. Irenaeus

The Sisters of Providence Community tagline is “Breaking Boundaries, Creating Hope.” It calls us — anyone willing to listen deeply enough — to love authentically, completely and without reservation.

As People of Providence we are called to live as Jesus lived. Hope flourishes where love abounds. But why do we espouse ‘breaking boundaries’? Breaking anything sounds so violent, doesn’t it?

I think the Sisters of Providence Litany of Nonviolence (below in italics) demonstrates how breaking boundaries and creating hope go hand in hand. It begins:

Provident God,
aware of our own brokenness,
we ask the gift of courage to identify how
and where we are in need of conversion in
order to live in solidarity with Earth and
all creation.

Solidarity, or unity, is one of the foundational principles in Catholic Social Teaching. We want to embrace harmony with all creation. We attempt to break down hierarchies that place some parts of creation as more valuable than others. Our Providence Land Ethic is one such example. Using Aldo Leopold’s words, “…a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it.” This moves us (humanity) off the top of the pyramid and places us within the web of life simply as a member. Talk about breaking boundaries!

Deliver us from the violence of superiority
and disdain.
Grant us the desire, and the humility,
to listen with special care to those whose
experiences and attitudes are different
from our own.

Humility calls us to embrace the entire human community without exception. Everyone deserves to be loved and respected. We are all siblings one to the other. The Providence Community signed the declaration Beloved by God: A Catholic Commitment to Trans-Affirmation to show support for our transgender and nonbinary siblings. The boundaries, boxes and borders inflicted on our trans siblings by church and society continue to be a source of much grief and pain. Gospel Love compels us to say ‘NO!’ to exclusion, hatred and violence while proclaiming ‘YES!’ to the inherent dignity of all persons, no exceptions.

Deliver us from the violence of greed
and privilege.
Grant us the desire, and the will, to live
simply so others may have their just share
of Earth’s resources.

Living simply means so much more now than ever before. Pope Francis calls all of us to recognize the climate emergency and to act collaboratively so that all creation may thrive. Our White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, our engaging in the global Laudato Si Action Platform and the advocacy by some of our
members to block underground carbon dioxide injection wells in our surrounding community are but a few examples of how we use our influence and our personal/collective choices towards justice for all creation.

Deliver us from the silence that gives
consent to abuse, war and evil.
Grant us the desire, and the courage,
to risk speaking and acting for the
common good.

Wars rage on — lives lost, families decimated, entire cities destroyed. The human community is in anguish and Providence calls us to speak out. We sign letters to President Biden. We advocate for a ceasefire. Tears of anguish fuel our collective action to stop the carnage.

Deliver us from the violence of irreverence,
exploitation and control. Grant us the desire,
and the strength, to act responsibly within
the cycle of creation.

Signs declaring “End White Silence | Black Lives Matter” greet visitors to our campus. Local sisters and staff members recently attended an Implicit Bias Training by the Peace Learning Center of Indianapolis. Our Task Force on Racial Equality and Equity challenges us to explore the systemic roots of racism and offers actions towards equity for all. As part of our personal and collective work in breaking down racial barriers within the human community, we will soon work toward deeper awareness of harm inflicted on the Indigenous Peoples of this land we call ‘The Woods.’

God of love, mercy and justice,
acknowledging our complicity
in those attitudes, action and words
which perpetuate violence,
we beg the grace of a non-violent heart.
Amen.

We lean on Providence, as did our foundress Saint Mother Theodore. Providence draws us into an expansive love that breaks boundaries and creates hope. Pope Francis, along with leaders of other faiths, challenges us to nurture that non-violent heart as the source for all our actions on behalf of justice. Returning to St. Irenaeus — “The Glory of God is all creation fully alive” — is love, mercy and justice
expressed in word and deed.

Originally published in the Winter 2024 issue of HOPE magazine.