Blog
Welcome to our blog. Here, we will share with you stories of our lives as Sisters of Providence. We invite Providence Associates to write in this space also. We hope you find these posts enjoyable and inspirational.
Be kind. It’s bumpy out there.
Evidently I had too much time on my hands while preparing to write about Random Acts of Kindness Day. I got to thinking: isn’t any act of kindness random — by definition? Kindness — according to Jesus — flows outward…
Winter Storm Nemo: Anticipation, beauty, community and reflection from Sister Jane Iannacone
Records were set along the Northeast Coast of the United States last weekend: records for snowfall, records for winds, records for piles of snow, records for conversations about snow. For the record, there are about a dozen Sisters of Providence…
Sister Cathy Buster called “heart and soul” of new migrant farm family community in Arcadia, Fla.
As a realist, I don’t often get blown away, but in November 2012, when Sister of Providence Cathy Buster gave me a tour of Casa Juan Bosco in Arcadia, Fla., I experienced that feeling of being with someone who could…
Sisters enjoy the intensity and challenge in a good game of Scrabble
Can you imagine the euphoria of a one-move checkmate? Well, technically, that’s impossible. But in many other games, tests and competitions, an opening move to put your opponent into a position of certain defeat can cause E-C-S-T-A-S-Y. Sister Mary Beth…
What do sisters do all day?
As part of her daily responsibilities, Sister Nancy Nolan, vocation office coordinator, answers questions and inquiries from women who are interested in religious life. Sometimes Sister Nancy is asked for information from young women, especially, who have been tasked with…
Joni has an “overwhelming feeling to serve”
Joni Luna, our new postulant from Texas, wanted more. She was a successful teacher/women’s athletic coordinator with a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She had a loving family, a successful volleyball coaching career, and a…
Always count your blessings …
Sometime after my mom retired, she “got into” ceramics. She and her friends went to classes taught by a woman in my mom’s neighborhood. For the most part, they applied glazes to clay pieces of various shapes and sizes. Many…
Sister Patty pens a poem for Providence Family Services
Providence Family Services (PFS) in Chicago held its annual rummage sale Oct. 6 and 7. Sister Patty Fillenwarth, director of Providence Family Services and rummage sale coordinator, penned the poem below to thank the countless friends and supporters who…
“It’s those gates”
A musing on what happens when you enter the gates at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. It happened again. This time it was during the orientation of our newest candidates to become associates of the Sisters of Providence. There were about 50 of…
Foundation Day gems from the past
One visit to the Sisters of Providence Archives and you are likely to be engulfed with enthusiasm like the California gold-rushers might have sensed in the middle 1800s. Truly, you will find treasures. With today being Foundation Day, a research…
Meaningful work
As a child, I dreaded Labor Day. It marked the end of summer — the end of daily swims, of neighborhood baseball games and tennis tournaments, the end of playing outdoors until dusk. School opened on the day after Labor…
Building the Blessed Sacrament Chapel
Another foray into the inner sanctum of Archives has produced another gem. In the Properties/Buildings/Shrines area is a large Hollinger box with a plethora of information about the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. One of the folders within that box contains invoices…