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.
No longer slaves, but brothers and sisters
Sisters of Providence attend "Slavery Still Exists"
Bittersweet news from Educational/Family Services
“The work that has been done at Educational Family Services has been very effective over the years and it has helped many people to further their goals in life. The work that has been done at EFS is something will live on in ways we will never know. We are grateful to all those who have given of their time and talent here. We are all blessed because of your generosity,” said Sister Patty Fillenwarth, president of the Guerin Outreach Ministries board of directors.
4.5 things you wanted to know
You asked ... so we dug deeper for knowledge of Mother Theodore.
Sister Nancy Reynolds and the ‘Power of Sisterhood’
Several years ago, the Vatican called for an Apostolic Visitation of women religious in the United States. The reasoning behind the visitation was to examine their quality of life. “That is a most unusual reason for an apostolic visitation,” Sister…
Janice Vanderhaar: In the name of Peace and Justice
Sister Donna Butler reflects on Janice Vanderhaar
Elections and papal visit in Sri Lanka
Sister Rosemary Schmalz, who is ministering in Sri Lanka, attended a papal Mass at Galle Face Green, an expanse of beach often used for such gatherings. The pope celebrated Mass and also canonized Joseph Vaz. Father Vaz was a priest from Goa, India who came to Sri Lanka under cover during the Dutch persecution of Catholics here.
Inspiring exercisers
I dread going to the gym to workout on the machines this time of year because it’s like a race to the finish to try to get a treadmill before they’re all checked out by others. Group fitness classes are another story. I love a room packed with people moving together and jumping to the beat of some loud music. Either way, there’s something good about the community aspect of it all.
These thoughts got me wondering if I could find any Sisters of Providence who work out. Whew! Did I ever. And it was more inspiring than I imagined.
Baptism by horseback
“I call it my first horseback ride,” Sister Marceline Mattingly (82 years a Sister of Providence) said of her adventurous journey to baptism. Marceline went on to describe the scene that day — 99 years ago this very week. The only way to cross the creek to get to the church was via a plank bridge that could only hold a horse with one rider. It was decided that her grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Hall, would be the one to take her across the creek on horseback to be baptized at St. Peter’s Church in Waverly, Kentucky. The plot thickens as grandfather Benjamin balances a baby on horseback and encounters name confusion on the other side of the creek...
Statement of Catholic Theologians on Racial Justice
In recent months, we have seen – in our nation – an eruption of long simmering racial tensions. We have seen, one after another, unarmed African American people being shot and killed by police, violent and non-violent protests against racial…
How will you live out her words?
We live in constant fear of the future because it is the one thing that we feel like we don't have complete control over. That's just it. We don't have complete control over the future and we should accept that fact. This year, I'm going to try very hard to do these things that I think will help me better live through the words of Mother Theodore: