Tomorrow is the first day of winter, the longest night of the year.
The following is adapted from “Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim,” by Edward Hays.
Materials needed: solstice candle; a fire pit, if possible, if you will be outside or a fireplace indoors; smaller candles for everyone; flash light for the leader.
(Begin by sitting in darkness for a short time)
Leader: Let us take into our hands a solstice candle
or Let us light the sacred solstice fire.
We pray on the night of ancient fear, when those who have gone before us were fearful of what lurked outside the ring of fire of light and warmth. They feared all that prowled in the darkness: evil, disease, death, beasts that might destroy them and the hidden dangers of winter.
Light candle or fire
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After a lot of deliberation and an invitation for input from sisters and associates, the quote that will be inscribed on the limestone platform that will support Saint Mother Theodore’s coffin, has been decided.
Read moreSaint Mother Theodore Guerin knew the violation of human rights in an up close and personal way in her home country, France. The French Revolution was a time of great social and political upheaval to abolish the injustice of the feudal system and absolute monarchy. During this time Catholic churches and schools were closed. Despite some gains in human rights, the French Revolution failed to condemn slavery or to uphold the equality of women.
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Just when I was settling into the calm and quiet of Advent, along comes St. Nick’s Day to distract me. Given St. Nicholas’ reputation as the model for Santa Claus, it didn’t take me long to be whisked from Advent to Christmas Eve and memories of my very own St. Nicholas/Santa Claus impersonator — my brother, Len.
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Advent is my favorite season of the Liturgical Year. I love this quiet time before Christmas.
It isn’t a penitential time like Lent. It is a time of quiet anticipation.
Anticipation is naturally in the air. Children certainly anticipate Santa Claus and time off from school. Adults anticipate a break from work, getting together with family and friends, the chance to kick back and relax from the frenzied pace of life.
Advent is the season of waiting and longing. Our society makes it almost impossible to wait.
I noticed that Christmas TV programming began in early November. Certainly, Christmas advertising and shopping crept in even earlier — before Halloween!
The greatest challenge in Advent is to refrain from celebrating Christmas. Christmas is coming and it will be more than a day. In fact, there are 12 days for celebration, as the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” suggests (Christmas Eve on Dec. 24 through Epiphany on Jan. 6).
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Providence Associate and volunteer, Judy Meyer, recounts treasured memories with her dear friend, Sister Rosalie Weller.
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My favorite tree – and I have hundreds to choose from here at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods – is the huge Ginkgo tree in front of Corbe House, where I live.
The tree is huge! Sister Rose Ann Eaton and I just went out to measure the circumference of the trunk – 205 inches! While engaged in this pursuit, Rose told me a story she had heard from Sister Marceline Mattingly now in her nineties. Marceline remembers when the Ginkgo tree had only a single trunk. A storm broke the tree down near its base. As the tree regrew, it developed the multiple trunks very evident today. The tree’s shaggy bark, many trunks melding into one another and the sheer width of the branches lend distinctiveness, character and interest to “my” tree.
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This year’s Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award winner Frances Ginther has a long association with the Sisters of Providence, one that helped to shape her life-long dedication to people in need.
Read moreWe, Sisters of Providence, are always looking for an excuse to celebrate and we’ve come up with a way you can join us in something fun and meaningful!
Today is the fifth anniversary of the Sisters of Providence Facebook page! On this day in 2008 we took the plunge into this social media pool and we have loved every minute of it. Facebook allows us to connect with some pretty awesome people and we are enjoying the sharing that happens within that space.
In honor of this fifth anniversary we want you to “GIVE FIVE!” Give five dollars to someone in need or use it to do something special for someone you know who could use a little pick-me-up.
But that’s not all! We want you to share the story of how you donated that $5 in the comments below or on our Facebook page. (We’ll even welcome them by email at ccasselm@spsmw.org if you prefer.)
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Thank you Evan Drake for reminding me, reminding all of us, that you don’t need to be an adult to want to associate yourself with a loving Provident God or to be part of a group that commits itself to communicating that God’s providential care to others through works of love, mercy and justice.
No doubt Evan’s family has played a large part in his faith development and in his knowing a loving God. But I would like to give his association with the Sisters of Providence some credit!
He can’t have missed how genuinely excited people seem to be about being Associates, about being part of something bigger than themselves, about knowing that the unity they share with the Sisters of Providence and other Associates through this relationship enables them to be better people and to have an impact on life as they know it.
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In this video clip Sister Marilyn Baker shares her story of transitioning from the religious habit to common clothes. “I loved my habit,” she shares. But she transitioned with the community as they were asked to be more a part of the modern world. Even without an outward garment, there is just something different about women religious, Sister Marilyn says. “She is identified by the work she does, by the ministry she does, by the fact that people can recognize God through her. And that, to me, that is the habit,” she says. See the full clip below.
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I can not imagine life without books. My parents tell a story of when I went missing when I was two years old. My mother checked on me in the…
Read moreWelcome 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.
Plan for your future!
Leave the things you value to the people and purposes you value most.
Our Lady of Providence
The Sisters of Providence are here to pray for the real needs of your family.