


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!
Did you know the Sisters of Providence sell cloth diapers in our gift shop at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods? Are you wondering why a religious order is selling cloth diapers?

Mother Theodore as a healer Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s passion as a healer went hand in hand with her love for nature during her ministry in the forests of Indiana. Mother Theodore had previously trained while in France in how to use…

When I took biology from sister she was still in the full habit, and I've recounted many times the vivid image I have of her rolling up her sleeves, hiking up her skirt and tucking it in to her waist (she looked like she had big pantaloons) so she could lead us up and down the creek bed to explore and take samples.

Sister Jean Fuqua's decades-long task of revisioning the area around St. Joseph's Lake at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and calling others forward to help has resulted in restoration of the habitat and a beautiful space for the sisters to enjoy.

“Living sustainably has always been a way for me to live out my spiritual life. I feel it has helped me connect the way I live day in and day out, hour to hour to the meaning of my life.”

"We have forced the planet to supply all our needs and given nothing in return — thus alienating our very life source and now the earth cries out in pain. How can we abandon that cry?"

The Sisters of Providence ministry educating toward care for creation at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice is attracting young women to joining the Congregation.

When I had Sister Helen Jean for biology I enjoyed class, but the nature walks were the best!

Sister Helen Jean instilled in me the sense that God’s creation given to us must be protected. Her quiet way, her love for God’s creation and her passion for teaching influenced so many young minds.

I cannot recall if Sister Helen ever used the words “social justice” she just lived it as an example to her students. So perhaps that is the greatest gift I received from the time spent with Sister Helen. To create a life of purpose and a way of thinking that is bigger than you in a world that needs our care.

“[Sister Helen Jean] taught all of us … a way of thinking and living in a much bigger world than most of us had experienced before. Caring for each other, the earth and people we would never know was as normal as breathing to Sister Helen.” — Julia Boarini Conaghan, ’73

Sister Helen was the original Earth Mother.