The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are a community of vowed Catholic women religious. Inspired by our foundress Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, we are passionate about our lives of prayer, education, service and advocacy.
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A Google search yields the following about school reunions: “a gathering of former classmates, typically organized years after graduation, to reconnect, reminisce, and celebrate shared experiences. These events are often held near the school or at a venue that holds significance for the class.”
Sister Mary Montgomery (left) with Marilyn Rausch.
Fitting the Definition
The reunion of the Aspirancy/Juniorate High School took place June 27, at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, and it fits that definition to a tee. The 45 former classmates gathered from eight states and from as far away as California, Florida and Colorado.
Attendees represented large cities like Chicago and Indianapolis, to small towns like Orwell and Otterbein in Indiana. Most of the day together was fairly unstructured, giving plenty of time to “reconnect, reminisce and celebrate.”
Sadness and Celebration
A bit of sadness was interjected into the celebration when the group decided that the next reunion (the summer of 2027) would be our last and that Barbara Kovats Tuttle (class of 1963) was resigning as our chief “go-to” person for change of address and similar information. She has served in this capacity for more years than anyone can recall. Gratitude for her service abounded!
Sister Mary Mundy.
And fittingly, Barbara’s name was drawn as the winner of both prizes in the raffle. Everyone present wanted her to accept both and she did. Raffle items were supplied by alumnae: Sister Dorothy Rasche (class of 1959) gave a lovely quilt made by her aunts, Rosetta and Alma, while Sister Betty Koressel (class of 1962) included a small homemade afghan in the gift basket supplied by the Mission Advancement office.
Reflections
Mary Jean (Jeannie) Smith (class of 1963) from California, hit the nail on the head when she later reflected on the event.
“This image came to me: We were like little saplings when we first came to the Woods, and we began to sink our roots deep in the soil of our woodland – the culture and heritage of Mother Theodore became our own foundation. And as we now know about trees, our roots intertwined so that like trees in a woodland we have connections of care for one another. That way, through the years we still can come together and find no distance between us,” Mary Jean said.
Barbara Kovats Tuttle receiving a crown.
Pat Atwood Annee (class of 1964) shared, “Truthfully, it occurred to me during the reunion that the years have taken a toll on most of us. However, time has not changed the essence of each aspirant – beautiful hearts, beautiful souls and beautiful positive personalities!”
Marilyn Schaaf Rausch (class of 1965) had similar memories: “Gathering for the reunion is a gift of purposeful reminiscence. I don’t know that, at our time of experiencing the Aspirancy, I understood the incredible gift that we were given. Now, collectively looking back and catching up on the lives of those whom Providence put together so long ago, it is overwhelming to see what grace has been realized in each person. I leave our reunions filled with gratitude for the blessings!”
Sister Ann Casper, SP, retired as the executive director for Mission Advancement for the Sisters of Providence in 2018 and currently serves as minister of Providence Community Cemetery at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. Sister Ann has ministered in various scholastic and administrative positions in Indiana and North Carolina. She also was a member of the Sisters of Providence leadership team, serving as General Secretary.
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