Sisters of Providence

Sisters of Providence

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, are a congregation of Roman Catholic women religious (sisters) who minister throughout the United States and Taiwan. Saint Mother Theodore Guerin founded the Sisters of Providence in 1840. The congregation has a mission of being God's Providence in the world by committing to performing works of love, mercy and justice in service among God's people.

Sister Rose Louise Schafer

“Who shall find a Providence woman? She is far more precious than jewels.” (Adapted from Proverbs 31:10 by Sister Myra Rodgers, CDP) “Sister Rose Louise was a woman of nobility, the definition of which is human excellence, that which is…

Sister Patty Wallace

Sister Patty Wallace has a long history with the Sisters of Providence. She remembers that in fourth grade Sister Frances Joan Baker was her teacher. Sister Maureen Loonam was her principal. She studied under Sister Marie Alexis Geiger who later…

Sister Mary Joanita Walsh

“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1) “This reading is from Psalm 27, which is one of Sister Mary Joanita’s favorite Psalms. The Health Care staff said that when she woke up during…

Sister Judy Birgen

Sister Judy Birgen is passionate about helping people who hunger for food. “When I read the Gospel, it’s not just about feeling good about helping people. It’s about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked. I do it because of who…

Sister Marie Consolata Gallagher

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. …” (John 14:2) “If home in the natural sense is ‘the place from which we start,’ Mary Gallagher’s home was Errarooey in County Donegal, Ireland. On Dec. 2, 1914, just as…

Sister Mary Ann Stewart

A well-substantiated belief among Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the- Woods is that women who have had good, personal relationships with individual members of the Congregation are good candidates to devote their lives to serving God. Of course, there are…

Sister Marian Elizabeth Moriarty

“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are the salt of the Earth. … You are the light of the world.’” (Matthew 5:13a, 14a) “This Gospel reading from Matthew was used at the Eucharistic Liturgy the day after Sister Marian Elizabeth’s…

Sister Mary Ellen Kilday

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21) “‘Peace. … As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ This quote from the Gospel of John was a favorite of Sister…

Sister Deidre Clements

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:4) “When I reflected upon the words of Paul to the Corinthians, I thought that we all have one of the gifts, or maybe two, but Sister…

Firmly rooted like the Woods

This article is reprinted from summer 2008 issue of HOPE. Do you recall the 1982 movie “Sister Act”? In it, comedian Whoopi Goldberg stars as lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier, who inadvertently witnesses a murder. She ends up at an…