Honoring the late Sister Patty Fillenwarth

The late Sister Patricia Fillenwarth was a fixture in the Humboldt Park, Ill., community for 37 years. Everyone in the community knew her as Sister Patty.

For 24 years, she was the Director of Providence Family Services, 1540 N. Monticello Ave., Chicago. Before that, she spent 15 years as a teacher and then principal of Maternity Blessed Virgin Mary elementary school. She also taught in schools in Indiana and Washington, D.C., and ministered in the country of Peru for six years, where she learned to speak Spanish.

She Loved Teaching

Sister Patty loved teaching. She enjoyed challenging her students in math and geography. She believed that teaching children the correct ways of speaking and writing were essential skills they would need in high school and later in life.

As a principal, Sister Patty talked with many parents of children in the school. Many of them had concerns about their children and wondered how they could have a more positive influence for their child’s experience of learning.

Sister Patty came to believe that a family counseling center in the neighborhood could provide the parents with the help they were seeking.

The Dream Becomes Reality

This reality sparked an idea – a dream, really. As Sisters of Providence, we believe when a need arises, we should do what we can to fill that need. Sister Patty believed she could open a family counseling center that could provide services at low cost to families in the community.

She took her dream to the Sisters of Providence during a summer meeting in 1991 and received overwhelming endorsement. She resigned her position as principal and went back to school to obtain a degree in counseling from Northeastern Illinois University and opened Providence Family Services in 1994 as a family counseling center.

Providence Family Services conducting its annual rummage sale, which was a fundraiser for the ministry. Shown here are some of the volunteers, including Sister Kathleen DeSautels, SP, Liz Deligio, Order of Saint Benedict Sister Virginia Jung, Sister Joseph Fillenwarth, SP, and the late Sister Patty Fillenwarth, SP.

Through the years, families came to her requesting services in addition to counseling. The “After-School Homework Club,” a children’s tutoring program, was added in 1996. English-as-a-Second-Language classes began in 1998. In 2000, the computer classes were made available and in 2014, Sister Patty started teaching citizenship preparation classes.

Providence Family Services closed in 2018 and in November of 2019, Sister Patty moved back to the Woods. She passed away on Jan. 7, 2020. She was 80-years-old and had been a Sister of Providence for 62 years.

Never Forgotten

But the community of Humboldt Park has never forgotten her.

The Chicago Park District approved the renaming of Chicago Park 514 for Sister Patty in June.

Maggie Martinez, one of Sister Patty’s most ardent admirers, worked on this proposal for three years. Maggie was a member of the Providence Family Services Advisory Board.

Sister Janice Smith, left, and the late Sister Patty Fillenwarth.

The park is small – under an acre – and located a block from Providence Family Services was on North Monticello Avenue in Chicago in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, where the Sisters of Providence ministered for more than 100 years at Maternity BVM parish and school.

On Earth Day 2026, Maggie and others planted new flowers in the park to add much-needed color.

Unanimous Honor

The Chicago Park District voted unanimously to rename the park Fillenwarth Park. The board will let us know when a dedication will take place, but a sign indicating the name has already been placed and benches were also installed.

Sister Patty was highly invested in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. She was a member of the Federation Block Club and attended local CAPS meetings. She attended Maternity BVM church and often was called upon to give the reflections for the day. Each year in October, Sister Patty sponsored a rummage sale. Donations poured in every year. Hundreds of people in the community came to the sale and picked up clothing, appliances, dishes, bedding, children’s toys and games and more for a low cost.

Sister Patty brought much heart and passion to whatever she did. She was dedicated to her clients and students, providing them quality services. There are many success stories among the many thousands of people she helped.

She was a much beloved member of the community and lent her support to any need that arose. She was a blessing in so many ways.