This Rooted for Tomorrow story was contributed by Mary Ann Simpson for the 175th anniversary of the Sisters of Providence arriving in Indiana. I remain so very grateful for the education as well as for the spiritual and moral formation…
This Rooted for Tomorrow story was contributed by Bernadette Scala for the 175th anniversary of the Sisters of Providence arriving in Indiana. I was taught by the Providence Order for 12 years and I have stayed connected with them since…
She owned a pocket knife. She loved all creatures except snakes and mosquitoes. She had a special fondness for birds. On her voyage to America, via the ship, the Cincinnati, she counted the teeth of a porpoise caught with a…
"I suppose I could survive without the Sisters of Providence, but I don’t see that happening. When you’re drawn, you’re drawn – and neither the Sisters nor I can move far enough away from each other to diminish the pull. Ever."
This Rooted for Tomorrow story was contributed by Rosaline Secrest for the 175th anniversary of the Sisters of Providence arriving in Indiana. For more than 30 years, I have been blessed to join with Sisters of Providence in a local…
This Rooted for Tomorrow story was contributed by Mel Marino Wolff for the 175th anniversary of the Sisters of Providence arriving in Indiana. There are so many ways in which I have felt the legacy of Mother Theodore and the…
Born at Le Mans, France, June 15, 1800, Sister St. Vincent would have been 40 when the sisters arrived in Indiana, making her older than everyone except Mother Theodore (who was two years older).
Described as a “lively, impetuous character,” Sister Basilide likely came from a family of above-average means, as she provided a dowry when she entered the congregation at Ruillé.
The sister who had, by far, the most physical labors at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods was Sister Olympiade. She came on the mission at Mother Theodore’s suggestion. The two had worked together at Soulaines, where Sister Olympiade served as cook and assisted Mother Theodore on visits to the sick.
The portraits below of our founding sisters are from a 1990 article by Sister Joseph Eleanor Ryan (RIP) in the former SP publication Community. We share the profiles of these sisters — each extraordinary in her own way — in celebration of all who devoted themselves to the work of Providence. These women were the roots of our tomorrow.