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!
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.
Listening with the heart: Contemplative conversation
It may help to define “contemplation” as “a long loving look at the real.”
Who doesn’t ponder a problem or give deep thought to a decision, sometimes asking God’s guidance without even realizing it?
Quotations from reflections given at General Chapter 2016
"None of us is perfect. We need each other to be more whole. Amazingly God transforms us and enables us to be a people who can experience and share Christ’s mercy within a hurting world.” Sister Jane Iannaccone
Schoolmates, sisters and part of a leadership team
Newly elected General Officers Sisters Dawn Tomaszewski, Jenny Howard, Jeanne Hagelskamp and Lisa Stallings all attended Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College at the same time. “Music was probably what drew us together,” Sister Dawn said.
Mother Theodore Moment: a history of collaborating in leadership
Sister Mary Cecilia Bailey reflected on Saint Mother Theodore’s style of leadership in a letter sent May 16, 1856: “She blended the tenderness of a Mother with the firmness of a Superior so perfectly that her government was most happy and effectual . . . "
A Providence Associate’s look at Chapter
"Something I often say about my relationship with the Sisters of Providence is that I cannot stray too far from who I am when I am with them. They keep me grounded, keep me real. The conversations at Chapter, both about the future and the past, were not only relevant to the identity of the Congregation. They spoke to who each of the attendees were as individuals as well as to who we are all together as community," writes Providence Associate Kaitlyn Willy.
Loving, listening and governance
"At our recent General Chapter, we Sisters of Providence spent significant time talking about our expectations of one another as 'sisters,' as members of a Congregation who live 'in community.'
We do not want to lose our presence to each other nor our sense of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods as home," writes General Superior Sister Dawn Tomaszewski.
Mercy in Islam
In this small glimpse of mercy in Islam, we reflect the hope of Pope Francis that this Jubilee year will “foster an encounter,” “open us to even more fervent dialogue” and “eliminate every form of closed-mindedness” toward Islam, Judaism, and “other noble religious traditions.” Inshallah! (God willing!)
Imperfect mercy
I realized that in both stories, Jesus was open and vulnerable enough to allow others to call him to mercy. In the end, when it came to choosing mercy or sticking with his original plan, Jesus did not dig his heels in based on his own sense of the “right time” or the “right people.”
Grieving gracefully into a future full of hope
Saint Mother Theodore once said, “Treat yourself as you treat others, with kindness and indulgence.” I firmly believe that, above all, to comfort oneself or another involves being gentle with oneself or another. It means allowing grief to be a teacher who reminds us that we are wired for resilience. We are meant to find meaning and purpose in life.
Forgiveness and mercy
Forgiveness is a process, and a slow one at that. We cannot rush forgiveness. If we do it becomes insincere. It takes time, patience and mercy and it is never an easy journey to make.
