Honoring you
Your gifts of time, talent and treasure make all the difference in furthering the mission and ministries of the Sisters of Providence.
Please know that as a donor, you remain in the daily prayers of the Sisters of Providence, and every month, a Mass is offered in the Church of the Immaculate Conception for you and your intentions.
“May they see themselves as channels of Your Providence reaching into the lives of others by their gifts of love each day. May they know how very grateful we are.” excerpt from Prayer for a Philanthropist by Sister Ann Casper, SP.
Together in Mission Wall
If you’ve given a financial or in-kind gift to the Sisters of Providence past year of any size, your name is honored in this special area in Providence Hall, which is viewed daily by sisters, visitors and staff. The Together in Mission wall celebrates the ministries, programs and special events that you help make possible. It is updated annually.
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Foundation
Your philanthropic gift attests to the timelessness of Providence in our lives – with its message of hope – and to our mission of carrying forward the heritage and legacy of our foundress. It is an honor roll of relatives, alumnae and friends who have made a planned gift to the Sisters of Providence. If you or your family has designated the Sisters of Providence as a beneficiary in your will or other estate plans, we’d like to honor you as a member of the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin (SMTG) Foundation.
The SMTG Foundation was established in 1992 to honor family, friends and alumnae of the Congregation who are helping to ensure that the legacy of our foundress and the ministries of the Sisters of Providence can continue into the future. These donors serve as an ever-present reminder of the faithfulness and commitment of our Sisters of Providence companions and benefactors. You can join this group of donors by 1) naming the Congregation in your will or as a beneficiary of a trust, life insurance policy IRA or other qualified plan; purchasing a charitable gift annuity with the Sisters of Providence; or making some other type of planned estate gift to the Sisters of Providence. When deciding your wording on the plaque, you could honor or memorialize a loved one or a Sister of Providence who made a lasting impact on your life.
Tree of Life
Your thoughtful, cumulative gift of $5,000 or more places you on the Tree of Life donor wall, located in the Sisters of Providence Administration Building, where it is viewed daily by visitors, sisters and staff.
The Tree of Life was established in 1986 and honors more than 900 donors! This recognition piece serves as a reminder of the love, compassion and support offered by so many companions and constituents, without whom the ministries of the Sisters of Providence could not move forward. Please contact us if you are interested in become a Tree of Life member.
Rooted in Providence
If your generous, cumulative gift is $100,000 or more, your name is recognized on this artistic plaque, celebrating the fact that you are deeply rooted in the mission and ministries of the Sisters of Providence. It is located in the south corridor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. New honorees are recognized at the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Evening annually in June.
This unique plaque was created by a team of Indianapolis artists – Sister Karen Van De Walle, CSJ; Mark Grable and Mary Ann and Kerry Byrne. Donors are given a hand-made stoneware tile that duplicates a leaf from the larger plaque. More than 50 individuals, families, foundations and groups have been recognized for their charitable contributions.
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Evening
You are honored as the faithful supporters of the Sisters of Providence at Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Evening in June.
As an individual, organization, business or foundation, you may deserve special recognition for your outstanding support and be honored during this special event. We were blessed to have our friends and benefactors join us celebrating our benefactors on June 10 this year. We look forward to having our friends and benefactors joining us again on June 8, 2024. For more information, click here.
Queen Amelia Award
You may receive the Queen Amelia Award for making significant monetary gifts and gifts of time and talent to the Sisters of Providence, just as Queen Amelia did to Mother Theodore, when she returned to France in 1843 to raise funds for her struggling Sisters of Providence community.
In 1843, Mother Theodore was so desperate for funds to offset a severe financial crisis in the Congregation that she went back to France, despite her recent experience with the perilous Atlantic crossing. She met with many closed doors, but ultimately was granted an audience with Queen Amelia of France. Mother Theodore noted in her journal that “the queen listened like a tender mother.” The queen not only agreed to pay her passage home, but she offered to solicit in France for the desperate Congregation saying, “The King and my children shall contribute. I shall ask them for you.”
Queen Amelia’s friendship, love and considerable influence explain well why we have this special award in her honor. Queen Amelia’s generous response lives on among our benefactors. Like Queen Amelia, the award recipient has offered their valuable resources to assist us in our ministries and mission. We believe it fitting to offer the Queen Amelia Award to an individual, family, foundation or organization who has made significant monetary gifts and gifts of time and talent to the Sisters of Providence and who has promoted the Sisters of Providence to others.
The main plaque is located in the south corridor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The award recipients are honored at the annual Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Evening. See all recipients by clicking here.
Sarah and Joseph Thralls Award
If you are the recipient of the Sarah and Joseph Thralls Award, you are honored because you have shared your time, talent and treasure with the Sisters of Providence. The Thralls welcomed Mother Theodore and her five companions into their log cabin when they arrived in 1840, shared everything they had and helped the French sisters survive in pioneer Indiana.
Mother Theodore arrived in the cold, dark wilderness of Indiana on Oct. 22, 1840, and saw no house awaiting her, even though one had been promised by the bishop. She and her companions did not speak English. How bewildered they must have been as they were ushered to the two-room farmhouse of Sarah and Joseph Thralls, where the six of them and four awaiting postulants would join the couple and six of their ten children. The crowd was welcomed with food and shelter throughout the winter in that tiny home. What hospitality! What generosity and presence!
The Sisters of Providence to this day are grateful to the Thralls family for opening their doors and their hearts to our foundress and her companions. We believe it fitting, then, to offer the Sarah and Joseph Thralls Award to a constituent who has shared her/his time, talent and treasures with the Sisters of Providence.
The award recipients are honored at the annual Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Evening. See all recipients by clicking here.
Saint Mother Theodore Companions Award
You, as a loyal benefactor, may receive the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Companions Award for exhibiting qualities shared by the five heroic sisters who accompanied Saint Mother Theodore from France to Indiana.
In 1840, Mother Theodore and five young sisters from Ruille, France, left behind their homes, knowing they would likely never return. Ranging in age from 22 to 40, most had never ventured far from their birthplaces. They set out to this New World, not knowing the language, not knowing where Providence would take them.
The Saint Mother Theodore Companions Award recognizes outstanding companions, who exhibit the best qualities of the five foundresses who companioned Mother Theodore from France to the United States. These persons ordinarily have a long relationship with the Sisters of Providence and remain faithful to advancing the mission.
Those foundresses were:
- Sister St. Vincent Ferrer (Victorie Adelaide Gagé) — was steadfast in her passion for the mission of the Sisters of Providence, continually worked for self-improvement and persevered through challenges.
- Sister Basilide (Josephine Sénéschal) — had a youthful determination and spirit, was quick to provide support under any circumstances, always brought a positive outlook and zeal.
- Sister Olympiade (Thérèse Boyer) —was willing to step up for every task needed — no matter how large or how small.
- Sister (St.) Liguori (Louise Tiercin) — stepped outside of her comfort zone with faith, hope and love.
- Sister Mary Xavier (Françoise Lerée) — a most trustworthy companion who forwarded the mission with quiet dedication in a critical time of need.
The award recipients are honored at the annual Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Evening. See all recipients by clicking here.
Father Jacques Francois Dujarié Award
You will be recognized as Dujarié Award recipient for your transformational gift and its impact on the Sisters of Providence.
In the aftermath of the French Revolution, marked by abandoned churches, forbidden worship, and closed seminaries, arose a transformational character—Father Jacques Francois Dujarié. Secretly ordained a priest in 1795, Father Dujarié came to the heights of Ruillé filled with zeal for the Gospel and looking for workers for his vineyard to teach the children the ways of God and to care for the sick poor in their homes. In 1806, he established a modest group of women at “La Petite Providence.” It is this group—the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence of Ruillé, France—who would send Mother Theodore Guerin and her five companions to America in 1840, leading to another transformational moment—a new community of women religious.
That community—the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods—establish this new Dujarié Award with great gratitude to mark a gift given to the Congregation whose impact is so outstanding because of its size and value that it is transformational—it creates a significant change or improvement and is a sign of hope.
The award recipients are honored at the annual Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Evening. See all recipients by clicking here.
Times to Remember program
You are invited to enroll in the Times to Remember program established to show our gratitude for friends and benefactors by remembering your special days. You and your loved ones are prayerfully remembered on those days and you will receive a card on your birthday and wedding anniversary assuring you of our prayers. If you would like to be enrolled in the Times to Remember program, please contact Mission Advancement office at 812-535-2800 or email MA@spsmw.org.
Thank you to all of our Special Event Partners
Our event partners help the Sisters of Providence provide fun, educational and family-friendly events for the Wabash Valley! For more information, contact Mission Advancement office at 812-535-2800 or MA@spsmw.org.
