Sisters of Providence join billboard campaign

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, along with other congregations of women religious in Indiana and Michigan, have launched a billboard campaign to share the Gospel message of love, mercy and justice for others.

Currently, the Sisters of Providence have a billboard stating “I was hungry and you fed me” on 3rd Street in Terre Haute while driving north out of the city. The billboard will be in place until Sept. 21.

In addition, a second billboard on Wabash Avenue in Terre Haute, which says “I was a foreigner and you welcomed me.” It will be in place until Sept. 28.

The third billboard, featuring “What would Jesus do?” is on display on United States 41 driving north out of the city. It will be in place until Oct. 12.

Sisters of Providence General Superior Sister Dawn Tomaszewski said, “We want people to recognize that what is currently going on in our country is not a political issue but, for us, as a Congregation of Catholic women religious, a moral issue. These billboards were created in the hope of sending a message that it is the mandate of the Gospel to care for the most vulnerable among us, including our very own planet.

“We hope these billboards will lead people to pause and think about these situations and how we are called to respond.”

The remaining congregations taking part in the effort include Adrian Dominican Sisters, Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters and Sisters of St. Joseph, all in Michigan, as well as the Sisters of Holy Cross and Poor Handmaids in Indiana.

Other billboards in the area campaign have been displayed in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Mich., as well as in South Bend, Mishawaka and Plymouth, all in Indiana.

All congregations taking part in the billboard campaign are members of the regional coalition of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). More than 1,260 leaders of Catholic women’s religious congregations are members of the organization, which serves to further the mission of the Gospel by serving as a voice for the most vulnerable and by promoting dialogue and collaboration among religious congregations and society.