A volunteer Sister of Providence companion is embedded with each group of students. The course takes students on tours of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and more.
After visiting with Sister Marceline Mattingly, age 102, Jolyssa Cortez wrote: “I asked her in what year she was born and she said, ‘1915.’ I think that is amazing because she lived through so much history in her life. She said the most amazing part of the history she lived was seeing the technology industry grow. After my visit, I felt like a whole new person.”
Today the biggest need is treating problems of addiction and their impact on individuals and the family systems of which they are a part. One hundred percent of the referrals that we are receiving for services for families are linked to the need for addiction recovery, especially from opioids and heroin.
"Firing up hope" is how one correspondent describes what the prayer ministries of the Sisters of Providence mean to him as he daily faces the uncertainties of life without a steady job to earn money to feed his family. "We have truly tasted the painful side of life. Yet, I have not lost hope for a better tomorrow."
Provident God, dispelling darkness with the gift of a new dawn, fuel me with sensitivity and wisdom to break boundaries and create hope …
“I am very grateful to those who contribute to the Ministry Fund and make it possible for me to be in this place to minister," Sister Maureen said.
Trustee Alice Shelton said the retreat was very important. “The public tends to view Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and the Sisters of Providence as being very close together.”
According to the two sisters, “the mission of Miracle Place is to offer hospitality, care, and concern. It is a place of spiritual refreshment where all who come may find refuge. Where all who are severely tried may be comforted. Where all who are lonely may find companionship. And where those without hope may find a renewed spirit.”
Provident God, grant me the confidence in your love and care that Saint Mother Theodore had, so I too ‘may not give way to uneasiness about the future’ but ‘place myself gently into the hands of Providence,’ as I embrace present and future as evolving mystery. …
Sister Mary Cecilia Bailey reflected on Saint Mother Theodore’s style of leadership in a letter sent May 16, 1856: “She blended the tenderness of a Mother with the firmness of a Superior so perfectly that her government was most happy and effectual . . . "