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 . . . "
'I truly felt I was standing on the shores of history'
I felt especially pleased that I am a Sister of Providence, who stands with others in vowed and Associate communities already addressing these issues wherever we are
So, I ask myself, why would I want to retire when there are still so many possibilities of God’s Providence yet to enjoy just beyond the next horizon? It’s a no-brainer – I will just keep on listening to God’s invitations and saying “yes!”
Among Sister Teresa’s volunteer ministries are offering massage to residents of the sisters’ health care facility and sorting vegetables for their Community Supported Agriculture program. Sorting vegtables takes Sister Teresa back to her childhood in Ireland. “I grew up on a farm, so it is very life-giving to me to get these foods ready for sharing and for selling at the Terre Haute Farmers’ market,” she says.
“I love working with the sisters and other elders in health care. I enjoy learning from them as they share with me as I give them a shoulder massage or rub their hands,” she said. “It is comforting to them.”
“I view those for whom I care as more than clients – they are friends, persons in whose lives I am invested. I assist them with their physical needs but I also pray with them, bring them Eucharist, and have good conversations with them about whatever interests them at that moment,” Sister Susan Dinnin says of the elderly individuals of who she helps provide in-home care.
“This ministry aims to provide support to those who are aging into the second half of life by expanding, deepening and nurturing the spiritual dimensions of their lives. My hope is we can companion persons offering spiritual and grief support during various transitions in preparation for the final transition into eternal life,” said Sister Carole Kimes of her ministry at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Carmel, Indiana.
“It is very profound to me to watch God do for people what they cannot do for themselves,” Sister Connie Kramer says of her work offering retreats for people who are homeless in the Indianapolis area.
Sister Jean Fuqua's decades-long task of revisioning the area around St. Joseph's Lake at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and calling others forward to help has resulted in restoration of the habitat and a beautiful space for the sisters to enjoy.
“Sister Helen is truly one of the most amazing community organizers with whom I have ever worked. The threads in her life and her Sister of Providence perspective on breaking boundaries and creating hope have made her a perfect fit for Southern Mutual Help Association.”