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.
Letter from a saint: to Rev. J. Bouvier
Portions of a letter to the Most Rev. J. Bouvier (The Most Rev. J. Bouvier was the Bishop of Le Mans, France. This letter was dated Jan. 6, 1854.) “Our boarding school here at Saint Mary’s is also well attended…
Letter from a saint: to Sister Basilide
Portions of a letter to Sister Basilide Sénéschal in Madison, Ind. (This letter was dated Nov. 3, 1851.) “Sister Mary Cecilia [Bailly] has a very severe cold. Her lungs are so weak that I have fear when I hear her…
Letter from a saint: to Bishop Bouvier
Portions of a letter to the Most Rev. J. Bouvier (The Most Rev. J. Bouvier was the Bishop of Le Mans, France. This letter was dated Feb. 23, 1843. Mother Theodore is referring to the aftermath of the Oct. 2,…
Letter from a saint: to Father Martin
Portions of a letter to the Rev. Augustine Martin, May 1, 1841 (Father Martin gave the sisters their first retreat in the United States Nov. 30 to Dec. 7, 1840. In 1841, he was the pastor of the parish in…
Archives and the Civil War
The Sisters of Providence Archives has several historical documents and photos related to the Civil War. The Congregation, of course, provided nursing service at the Military Hospital in Indianapolis as well as the emergency hospital in Vincennes, Ind., during the…
A tribute to sisters who have served
On Monday, May 31, our nation celebrates Memorial Day. During Mass on Monday, the Sisters of Providence will remember those sisters who served their country during war. An American flag will be placed on the gravesite of those sisters who…
Answering a call to duty
On May 17, 1861, the Sisters of Providence took charge of of all “domestic arrangements” at City Hospital, Indianapolis. This hospital had been turned over to the federal government for the care of soldiers during the Civil War. Indiana Governor…
Women’s History Month: Mother Theodore and the church
After receiving the Blessed Sacrament upon her arrival at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Mother Theodore Guerin examined the church a little more closely. This is what she writes about it: “No tabernacle, no altar, for can the name of altar be given to…
Women’s History Month: Mother Theodore and the Blessed Sacrament
Once Mother Theodore Guerin and her sister-companions were safely on land at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., the sisters wanted to visit the Blessed Sacrament. The following is what Mother Theodore writes about this experience: “We had agreed among ourselves that our first visit…
Women’s History Month: Mother Theodore and fear
The short journey from Terre Haute to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., took forever as Mother Theodore and her sister-companions were forced to wait several hours for a ferry to cross the Wabash River. Once across the Wabash, Mother Theodore and her traveling…
Women’s History Month: Mother Theodore and Terre Haute
Arriving in Terre Haute, Ind., the afternoon of Oct. 21, 1840, Mother Theodore Guerin and her sister-companions spent the night in the city. She writes about Terre Haute: “Like all American cities it [Terre Haute] is laid out on a large…
Women’s History Month: Mother Theodore and smoking
Traveling by stagecoach from Vincennes to Terre Haute, Ind., was another arduous and dangerous leg of Mother Theodore Guerin’s journey to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. Rain made matters even worse. When the stagecoach overturned and the driver was unable to upright the…