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“Frances Ginther for many years has been our business advisor and consultant, our listening post and advice giver and, more than anything else, our animator and our friend,” Sister Patty Fillenwarth, president of Guerin Outreach Ministries, said in presenting the 2013 Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award.

I can not imagine life without books. My parents tell a story of when I went missing when I was two years old. My mother checked on me in the…

I always think of my maternal grandfather, Alex “Casey” Gutgsell, on Halloween. He was very German and very stern. But he also had a mischievous side.

As kids, we went first to “trick or treat” at my grandparents’ home. Someone always dressed up like a witch and wore a treasured, horrific mask to complete her costume.

Without fail, Grandpa Gutgsell would remove the mask from the little witch, put it on and proceed to scare us. It so delighted him and so annoyed my grandmother.

Sister Claire Hanson is happy living out the Sisters of Providence mission of love mercy and justice in service among God’s people.

“I spent 40 years as an early childhood teacher and loved every day. I was fortunate to have lived in five different states during my teaching years which gave me wonderful opportunities for service, community life and making friends,” she said.

“I have loved everything about being a Sister of Providence. I have had a wonderful life!” Sister Frances Joan Baker shared in the words she prepared to be read at her memorial service. Read the full commentary on Sister Frances Joan’s life, 81 years of which she lived as a Sister of Providence.

Mother Theodore is always present in our day-to-day lives. This fact was made all the more evident after attending the Saint Mother Theodore Fest this past weekend.

Happy Foundation Day! 173 years ago today, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and her five companions finally arrived in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. This lovely, old poem written by Sister Loretta Therese Bierman (1886-1919) tells of their first view of the “deep forest.”

“To converse with Catherine was to see the face of God,” said a person to whom Sister Catherin Livers offered spiritual direction. Sister Catherine died Oct. 20, 2013, at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She was 92 years old.

Our current culture seems to tell us life’s struggle is all about good vs. evil and black-and-white decisions. The reality is that the hardest choices are those that aren’t clear-cut.
They’re the ones you can argue from either side but eventually must make based on only a slight edge. That is the kind of choice the Sisters of Providence had to make about whether to test for and drill for oil on our motherhouse land.

My almost-19-year-old godson began his college career this autumn. Every once in a while it occurs to me I can text him to let him know I’m thinking of, praying for and sending him love. (He texts in complete words for my sake.)

On Friday, Oct. 4, Miracle Place, a ministry of the Sisters of Providence, celebrated the 13th Annual Fiesta Friday Benefit Event with nearly 500 friends in attendance. A big announcement made that night was met with much enthusiasm.

Last Saturday 21 women and men came together at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for our initial gathering as Providence candidate-associates. Underlying the stories we shared was a commonality of each of us being called by God to a stronger relationship with the Sisters of Providence