Stories from the Archives
Often, some of the most interesting pieces of history are lost in time. These inviting stories are drawn from the Sisters of Providence Archives and the memories of sisters and friends. They feature the many people and places instrumental in the Sisters of Providence history.
Mother Theodore dioramas: before and after
These 12 dioramas, located in Providence Spirituality and Conference Center, will take you on a journey with Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. Her journey begins in France, and ends with the…
Artifacts of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
Watch Mother Theodore’s trunk Statues Mother Theodore’s journal Crucifixes & rosaries One says, “This crucifix was carefully kept with envelopes and packets containing what may be first class relics of Mother Theodore. It is probable that is associated in some…
Woodland Inn turns 120
Among the first persons to stay at the new guest house were a Mr. and Mrs. Flaherty, sister and brother-in law of Reverend Joseph A. Byrne, chaplain at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Mother Mary Cleophas, the superior general at this time, asked the young couple to name the new facility and they gave it the name "The Woodland" or "The Woodland Inn."
Sisters of Providence collaboration timeline
Humans are creatures who remember. Can you remember fondly a time when you said or did something about which you feel an appropriate level of pride? How about those times that you recall with a tinge of sadness, because you acted in a way you now regret? Might it be possible to remember even those negative times with a sense of joy, because attitudes and opinions you held in the past have changed, you have grown, and now you view things anew and would behave differently? This timeline takes a look at Sisters of Providence and their journeys of collaboration through the years.
Storms, seasickness, and the Cincinnati
Mother Theodore and her companions endured dark, cramped quarters, rough waters and storms on their journey from France to America. The new permanent shrine to Saint Mother Theodore will have a replica of the small space that she lived in during her travels aboard the "Cincinnati."
Anniversary of our first mission
The Sisters of Providence have a long history of mission work in Jasper, Ind. This week marked the 172nd year the school has been in operation. St. Joseph school located in Jasper, Ind., was the first establishment of the Sisters of Providence outside of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
From peaches to Poe
Dr. Sidney Doane, who showed Mother Theodore and her companions great kindness when they arrived in New York in 1840, also inspired another 19th century writer: Edgar Allan Poe himself.
A walk through the convent — technology photo album
We walk through the convent, where decades of technology sit comfortably side by side.
“The Promised Land of Providence”
Happy Foundation Day! 173 years ago today, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and her five companions finally arrived in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. This lovely, old poem written by Sister Loretta Therese Bierman (1886-1919) tells of their first view of the “deep forest.”
Sent to serve through the years
For the Congregation’s first 120 years in Indiana, Sisters of Providence learned of their assignments for the year by hearing the Obedience List read aloud on August 15, the day before sisters began to leave for the assigned missions.
Meeting needs far and wide
Sister Josephine ministered as a nurse from July 1969 to August 1971 in Vietnam during the war. She served taking care of children in an orphanage. Today she accompanies sisters having with special health needs.
Going out on Mission
The Sisters of Providence first sent sisters out on Mission in 1842. From then on, sisters learned of their yearly assignments via the Obedience List every August.