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Sister Denise Wilkinson

Content written by Sister Denise

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Gracious, spacious and precious: Lent 2012

My mom had a devotion to Saint Anthony of Padua that went beyond asking him to find lost things. I have no idea where it came from or why he was special to her; but he was. She named my older sister Antoinette in his honor and wore a Saint Anthony medal for as long…

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Valentine’s Day 2012

I know my grade school sisters referred to February 14 as Saint Valentine’s Day! Perhaps just to make certain that we knew there was a “holy” reason for the annual party in each classroom of Saint Mary of the Woods Grade School in Chicago. I have two vivid memories of those grade school parties. The…

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Movies that stay with you

After not going to the “real” movies in more than six months, I’ve been twice in the past six days – once to see “Iron Lady” and once to see “The Descendants.” In spite of the many less than positive reviews I read, I found the portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady” to…

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‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ takeaways

I spent a little time over the Christmas holidays with my goddaughter’s 2-year-old son, Jax. As a consequence, I watched quite a bit of “Thomas the Tank Engine;” and I am now familiar with the various personalities and idiosyncrasies of Thomas and his engine friends. Each vignette we watched had a point to make about…

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New Year’s 2012

What’s the New Year’s equivalent of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas?  I’d qualify. By way of disclaimer, I do enjoy much of this holiday … a paid holiday for many workers … time with family and friends that’s not as frantic as Christmas … the sense of newness and being able to begin again ……

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Christmas 2011

Believe! How many times have you seen this encouragement during this “holly jolly season?” For me, it usually connotes the magic of Christmas, the fun for many children of knowing that Santa will come. It also evokes a response of hope in the power of so many persons of good will in the world; and,…

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Human Trafficking: Words from Sister Denise

Sister Denise Wilkinson, general superior, addressed the Sisters of Providence, Providence Associates and others who attended a Communications Night in Providence Hall on Dec. 7, regarding the human trafficking issue. Here are the highlights. Human Trafficking is an on-going issue. Why are the Sisters of Providence giving it the attention and focus here and now?…

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Advent 2011

Recently, I was visiting my sister who lives on the ground floor of an apartment building. The weather being mild, I had the bedroom window open quite a few inches. Every morning, my wakeup call was the cheerful sound of young children’s voices. These young ones would be jabbering to their parents as they left…

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Thanksgiving: Generosity with justice

This thankful and thoughtful blog is being highlighted for Thanksgiving 2019 because it is as appropriate today as it was when it was first written. I just sat down to write this Thanksgiving reflection and every word that immediately popped into my head begins with the letter f — family, feast, football, friends, forgotten. The…

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Sister Denise reflects on Election Day

The last several months have heightened my awareness of and gratitude for the privilege of voting as a way to exercise responsible citizenship and to shape public policy in the United States. As is often the case for me, it is in witnessing the lack of something that tunes me into that “thing’s” value. Think…

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All Souls Day 2011

In thinking about All Souls Day, I came upon this. In 988 CE, the abbot Odilo of the Cluny monastery in France wrote of November 2’s feast: “[keep] with joyous affection the memory of all the faithful departed who have lived from the beginning of the world until the end.” However, when I first read…

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Foundation Day 2011

Happy Foundation Day! We thank our Provident God for the lives of our six foundresses: Sister St. Vincent Ferrer Gagé, Sister Basilide Sénéchal, Sister Olympiade Boyer, Sister Mary Xavier Lerée and Sister Mary Liguouri Tiercin and Mother Theodore Guérin. Let us imagine these six women standing in the tiny, dark log cabin that serves as…

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Sister Denise was the general superior of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods from 2006-2016. She previously served as a high school teacher, college administrator, postulant/novice director and director of advancement and communications for the Congregation. Currently, Sister Denise serves the Congregation in various volunteer positions.

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