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.
Treasures from Archives: Marleau-Hercules Fence Co.
Back in the far recesses of Archives is a wonderful archival box filled with tantalizing details about the convent cemetery. One of the items that caught my attention was the bill for the wrought iron gate at the entrance of the cemetery.…
Grace
Most people who have spent much time at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods have a favorite season here. Mine is winter. Actually, in January, it’s winter. In April, spring will be my favorite. In July … well, you get the point. Recently, I had…
Debbie Dillow ‘excited & humbled’ by new position
The Providence Associates Advisory Board is excited to welcome Debbie Dillow, PA, as the new assistant director of the relationship. Debbie has been an associate since 2008 and has served on the advisory board since last spring. Debbie hails from…
‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ takeaways
I spent a little time over the Christmas holidays with my goddaughter’s 2-year-old son, Jax. As a consequence, I watched quite a bit of “Thomas the Tank Engine;” and I am now familiar with the various personalities and idiosyncrasies of…
Father Dan raises a village
It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes Father Dan Hopcus to raise a village at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Father Dan (pictured, at left), chaplain for the Sisters of Providence, welcomed sisters and staff members to his…
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s original log cabin church nears completion
Do you want to pray? Do you want to experience a little history? Do you want to sit quietly in a peaceful, natural place? The new old cabin at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods might be just the place for you. The Sisters…
Sister Mary Evangelista, Jessye the Cat, and Advent Waiting
A number of years ago, when she was well into her nineties, Sister Mary Evangelista Herber (RIP) told me that she had decided to learn to wait. Her life involved a good deal of waiting, she reported. She had never…
Sister Diane Ris publishes new book about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
Picture this: A Sister of Providence hovered over a desk in her writing room. A candle swaying delicately through currents of air as the sister works intently on her project. Sound familiar? Saint Mother Theodore Guerin did that when she documented events in…
Sister Dorothy Gartland receives Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award
Congratulations to Sister Dorothy Gartland for receiving the third annual Guerin Outreach Ministries Leadership and Advocacy Award. “If you live long enough and continue to work, somebody will eventually give you an award,” laughed the ever-humble Sister Dorothy upon receiving…
The wisdom of Saint Mother Theodore: Letter to Sister Maria
Letter from Saint Mother Theodore to Sister Maria in Madison, Ind. Nov. 24, 1854 “I am sorry, my dear Sister, that you have yielded again to your caprices. You must make another copy of the pieces of music you destroyed.…
CNN visits Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to research Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
Cable News Network (CNN) producer Jen Christensen visited Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Saturday, Oct. 22, to witness the Sisters of Providence Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Fest and to do research on the Congregation’s foundress. Jen hooked up with a video specialist, Jeff…
The wisdom of Saint Mother Theodore: Letter to Sister Maria
Letter from Saint Mother Theodore to Sister Maria in Madison, Ind. Nov. 11, 1853 “My dear Sister: “Sister Basilide having written to let me know the number of hours that each of you was occupied in teaching, I told her…