As seen in HOPE
Here you will find wonderful content from the Sisters of Providence. The articles here all appeared in HOPE magazine. The Sisters of Providence publish HOPE three times a year to share the mission, spirituality and ministries of the Sisters of Providence. Enjoy!
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin: bearing the light still today
Saint Mother Theodore's story is still very relevant today. She was an immigrant. She came to a foreign land where she didn’t know the language and where there was a lot of prejudice and bias toward Catholics and toward women. There are just so many parallels to what she faced and what she endured that are still around today. She’s a great model and mentor.
Connecting hope and assistance to a community in need
“It’s as if Providence is there, waiting to provide. Someone comes in and says ‘I have to take care of my grandkids whose parents are now in jail. I need some beds.’ Within 24 hours, I’ll have two twin beds show up,” said Sister Dorothy Rasche, SP, director of The Connecting Link.
Fair Trade: products that improve the lives of people on the margins
Linden Leaf Gifts is a store that worries less about keeping the lights on and more about how to bring light into the lives of marginalized people. As a ministry of the Sisters of Providence, Linden Leaf Gifts measures success a little differently than most retail stores. Success is derived also from the difference it can make in the lives of people that provide the unique products sold there.
Justice advocates and Providence Associates
Providence Associates Jeanne Rewa and Ben Kite's work for justice has been multifaceted. Racial justice, civil rights, gender equality, LGBT rights, School of Americas, criminal justice reform, animal rights, and environment, including climate change, are only some of the issues addressed. In working for social justice, their strategies model just and nonviolent relationships with persons of very different perspectives.
Justice commission focuses on eco-justice
The word “eco-justice” has its roots in the Latin word oikos, the home or household. Thus, eco-justice refers to caring for and attending to the “household of creation,” including people, creatures, ecosystems, economy, environment, food, water, air, and rules that facilitate the well-being of all in the home.)
Ministry of prayer and smiles offer light
We Sisters of Providence rely on our “powerhouse of prayer” as some call our sisters who reside in our health care facilities. These sisters receive a “ministry assignment” each year to pray for particular intentions. These intentions may be as specific as an individual’s name or more general, such as “for all addicted to alcohol or drugs” or “for those affected by divorce.”
A safe home community for those who lost everything
“I wanted to work with God’s working poor, who lost all of their belongings during the hurricane. They were living in broken down trailers with two or three families in each,” Sister Cathy Buster said. The end result was the new community in Arcadia, Florida. Casa San Juan Bosco I is a 53-home complex for migrant farmworkers.
Building and healing: Saint Mother Theodore Guerin moment
When Sister Mary asked if they had seen the Log Cabin Chapel yet, three of the men responded in unison, proudly and humbly, “We helped build it.” This was a reunion of sorts for the three men who were inmates in 2012 at the Federal Penitentiary in Terre Haute. Before their release, they vowed to return to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for a visit, and this weekend was that moment.
What does Providence look like? You
We invite you to be part of God’s mission for the Sisters of Providence. To collaborate with us by supporting that mission with your donation of time, talent or treasure. We are blessed that our invitation to support our mission of outreach is providentially answered through you.
New energy, focus for justice
Before discerning a focus, sisters and associates gave input on their priorities. Six key justice issues emerged: environment, human trafficking, immigration and refugees, anti-racism, women’s issues and nonviolence. Still … there was a clear desire for focus.
Newsnotes
New Sisters of Providence postulant Emily TeKolste of Indianapolis, Indiana, is the newest woman to enter the Sisters of Providence. Emily entered Sept. 7, 2016, with a traditional ceremony that begins with knocking on the doors to Providence Hall. In…