Site author

Sister Denise Wilkinson

Content written by Sister Denise

Prayer

Be with me in my searching: Sisters of Providence discernment prayer

God of hope and possibilities,I am searching.
I have the energy and desire to work with others for the good of all others.
But how, when, where, with whom?

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Story

Wisdom and the future of religious life

We Sisters of Providence don’t believe religious life is dead. That we cannot see how religious life will be lived in the future doesn’t keep us from believing that it will.

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Story

Saint Mother Theodore: The real woman behind the image

I find this image of Mother Theodore very compelling. Because it hangs in my work space, I see it often. For me the image conveys an entirely different way to know Mother Theodore. This isn’t the iconic formal portrait of Mother Theodore. It is not the grey, grainy daguerreotype giving us the most accurate way…

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Story

Reflecting on Palm Sunday 2019

Does Palm Sunday mark the beginning of the last chapter in the life of Jesus?

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Story

Education in everyday caring makes a difference

Staff members who participated in dementia care training share how it makes a difference in their everyday care giving: Don’t take any behaviors personally.** Build trust by spending time with each person.** Learn to read the cues of a person. A non-verbal person may ordinarily smile as a greeting; but if there’s no smile, she’s having a bad time of it.

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Story

Advent 2018: So many possibilities in the waiting

The days of Advent, the Church’s season of waiting, holds so many possibilities for us

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Story

HOME, a place to nurture the well-being of others

It is rare that a Sister of Providence going to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods doesn’t say, “I’m going home.” It is rare that visitors to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods campus don’t remark on the beauty, the peace and comfort they experience on the campus. It is rare that the Woods isn’t described as a special place or as welcoming….

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Story

Musings on Kleenex and ‘Kin-dom’

The kin-dom of God is like a Kleenex that’s been washed, rinsed, spun dry in a washing machine

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Story

New designs from a tree’s former fullness

A huge white oak tree fell to the ground one day last week. Well, it wasn’t really a huge white oak tree. It was Huge. Not really. It was HUGE! It was old. Well, it was OLD. (Maybe the tree greeted Mother Theodore and her companions as they explored their forest home.) The day the…

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Story

Vacation Bible School – A ‘Radical Ride’

No matter how virtual the trip, a five-day journey requires real life experience, dedicated and creative travel agents

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Story

Mother Theodore moment

All in all, it seems Jack has caught the essence of our saint: very brave, a lover of nature and very kind. Jack himself is very much that way: very brave, a lover of nature and very caring. That’s the thing about saints. We want to be like them.

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Story

A dementia friendly HOME at the Woods

HOME is a culture change. Its intention is to make the entire Woods a dementia-friendly place for both those living with cognitive challenges and for their families and friends. HOME is an acronym for Helping Ourselves Meaningfully Engage.

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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.

Sister profile

To learn more about Sister Denise, view her sister profile page.