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...had been a Sister of Providence for 76 years. Sister Denise continued: A reading from the Gospel of Mark describing the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion: There were also women looking on from a distance: among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and Joseph, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, they used to follow and provide for him; and there were many other women who had come up with Jesus to Jerusalem. A reading from...

...protect the integrity of the organic label. Organic farming has always been based on “feed the soil, not the plant.” Young plants inside the greenhouse. Real organic farming relies on the microbial activity of the soil to slowly release nutrients to the plant. In recent years, many organic farmers have grown distraught over USDA decisions that have negated this fundamental truth, even though growing in soil is original to the USDA Organic standards. Further, rules have been overlooked regarding the...

...plastic particles themselves and the chemicals used in their manufacture. What Needs to Change? We need to move beyond consume-and-throwaway systems toward circular approaches that work within ecological limits. This means reusing, recycling and sharing materials and products. Governments must do more to make companies accountable for the impacts of their activities and supply chains. They also need to help consumers make sustainable choices, for example, through targeted taxation and requirements for clearer labeling on goods. Households and firms should...

...union of King David’s great-grandparents (and ancestors to Jesus) illustrates not only God’s love for each person but how that love is to be shared by all, especially those who are labeled “other”. Throughout the Old Testament, one of the most common consequences for the ancient people straying from the will of God was famine in the land — a lack of grain and grapes. Paul was the apostle who wrote the first scriptural eucharistic institution narrative and made clear...

Note: the following piece was co-authored by Providence Associates Jane Fischer and Suzie Ray. Homelessness touches every community and every person whether we admit it or not. Homelessness is personal, emotional and political. It is personal if it happens to you or someone you know. It is emotional if it happens to someone in your family. And it is political when people try to push for services and solutions. We all know that public opinion, attitudes, biases, prejudices, services and...

...extent human beings often judge one another by his or her friends or associates. To some extent, this has been true in evaluating the women’s movement. Some of its earliest advocates, such as Clara Zetkin, were very active in a movement that eventually transformed Germany into a socialist state. This label drew many to the cause, but it also repelled many. In the literature of the present day, one still detects charges of leftist thinking in explaining the women’s causes....

...visit with Keith Dwayne Nelson. The bishops of Indiana, along with numerous other bishops across the U.S., have spoken out against the death penalty. So have religious communities across the country, including my own, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Will mailed his last words to me which, as providence would have it, came the day after he was executed. At a press conference the morning of Sept. 24, when Christopher Vialva would be executed later that day, I...

Note: The following statement was created by many Catholic Bishops. The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, thank the US Bishops for speaking on behalf of the most vulnerable. We support their efforts. We, the undersigned faith leaders, write to ask for your opposition to HR 1, the budget reconciliation legislation currently being considered by the US Senate. We believe that the changes made by the US Senate to the legislation are insufficient and do not significantly mitigate its...

Sister Stephanie Rivas, SP, received a special blessing from the Sisters of Providence on Aug. 23, as she enters her mission novice year (3rd in community). She also begins a new ministry at Central Catholic School in Indianapolis. Sister Stephanie Rivas As a newly hired Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) teacher for grades pre-k through 8th, Sister Stephanie is passing that blessing along with her gifts and talents to the children and staff at the school. She began her time...

Note: The following statement was offered by the Sisters of Providence Leadership Team in the form of a Letter to the Editor. September 16, 2025 Countless acts of violence are taking the lives of children, family members, friends, political leaders and others in this country and in the world. Each of us has the capacity to decrease or increase the violence by our thoughts, words and actions. Every time we attempt to divide persons or groups over and against others...

...feel it. The presence of the dead who now live in Spirit is with you. You see their photos and know that it could be you; it could be your children; it could be me. The parallels are our perils. The labeling of the “other” as vermin and a list of horrid names sets the stage for a loss of freedom and liberty to say nothing of the loss of humanity. The images are seared on my soul. If you think this...

...out to be just that. Years later, she wrote “I love being a Sister of Providence. It is truly a gift from God.” Several years ago, the local fire department here said that all the roads in the area had to be named and labeled so that properties could be located in case of emergency. For one little street in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Village, with maybe eight houses in its total length, the neighbors decided theirs should be named “Mary Lane.”...