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.
Treasures from Archives: Father O’Brien letters
St. Sylvester Parish in Chicago has been around a long, long time. In fact, the parish was founded in 1884. The Sisters of Providence played an important role as educators in that parish, beginning in 1903. The Rev. Michael O’Brien,…
SPs through the years
Since the Congregation’s founding in 1840, the Sisters of Providence have lived vibrant lives of community, ministry and faith.
Peruvian ministry artifacts on display in Heritage Museum
Responding to a pope’s request in the early 1960s to minister in Latin America, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods began a mission in Arequipa, Peru, when three sisters journeyed there to minister at the all-boys Colegio de San…
Archives: keeper of the stories
Have you ever thought of Archives as being a ministry? Perhaps not, but according to Sister Marianne Mader, Archives researcher, it is. “[Archives] is a way of connecting with other people,” she notes in the summer 2012 issue of HOPE,…
Treasures from Archives: Civil War diary
I’ve been digging around Archives looking for Civil War material for a long time. One day, Sister Marie Grace Molloy, a wonderful volunteer, asked me if I had ever seen the Civil War diary of Sister Clarice Asbury’s (RIP) grandfather.…
A Sister Edith Pfau Evangelist
This article is reprinted from the summer 2012 issue of HOPE. When I first took a job with the Sisters of Providence several years ago, one of my favorite pastimes was wandering around looking at everything on the walls. The…
CNN shares Mother Theodore’s journey to sainthood
This article is reprinted from the summer 2012 issue of HOPE. Cable News Network (CNN) searches worldwide for intriguing stories to share with its millions of viewers. So, when CNN contacted the Congregation in October 2011 to inquire about sharing…
Archives: Keeper of the Stories
This article is reprinted from the summer 2012 issue of HOPE. “Not to know what happened before you were born is to be a child forever.” — Cicero, by way of Sister Marie Esther Sivertsen The Sisters of Providence have…
Connecting with Creation
This article is reprinted from the summer 2012 issue of HOPE The Sisters of Providence have been connecting with creation since their foundation more than 170 years ago. “We have a little green-house where we shelter our flowers from the…
A bit of anti-racism history
The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods have a long history against racism and issues of discrimination. The Congregation’s foundress, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, was concerned about the welfare and freedom of a group of slaves she saw in Louisiana…