Providence Juniorate (Aspirancy) Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana

In 1930, Mother Mary Raphael Slattery, having closed Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Academy and moved it to Ladywood in Indianapolis, planned to open Providence Juniorate at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The institution of minor seminaries had become an accepted phase of clerical life in the United States, and many communities of women religious were led to open similar high schools in connection with their novitiates. Providence Juniorate (or Aspirancy, as it was renamed after the initiation of the Sisters Formation Program) became accredited and was eminently successful through the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

The Fathers of Vatican II addressed reforms in seminary life and suggested that future seminarians do normal activities in high school and have frequent contact with their families. The sisters also began to recommend that young women interested in religious life attend high school at home. Diocesan high schools were becoming plentiful. For this reason, the Aspirancy closed in 1965. Almost 900 young women had received all or part of their education there. Thirty eight percent entered the Novitiate, and 75 percent of those remained to become professed members of the Congregation.