Red leaves on a frosty tree

Stories about

Become a Sister

Here you will find stories about some of our newest Sisters of Providence. You’ll read about some of our seasoned Sisters of Providence living out their ministries. And you’ll find stories and opportunities for discerning whether life as a Sister of Providence might be for you.

Learn more about becoming a sister.

One step at a time: Sister Dina on upcoming vows

"From searching for my life’s purpose to finding passion and love. I know I could not have planned my life any better. I am reminded regularly to be open and teachable no matter who my teachers are. That every journey starts and continues, one step at a time. And that everything is gift."
Sister Dina reflects on professing perpetual vows as a Sister of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Go out and make a difference

Being a sister doesn’t ensure my going to heaven or living a hurt-free or pain-free life. It does not give me prestige or pay a six-figure salary. On the contrary, I have no earthly idea where the pursuit will take me, but I am learning to trust in Providence. The Providence, which, our foundress Saint Mother Theodore reminds us, “has never failed us.” When I look at the person in the mirror, I like who I am becoming.

Holy and profane

It’s not often that I spend time with my extended family in public. Sometimes, these interactions remind me how differently much of the world views Catholic sisters compared to my experience.
This weekend, I went to my cousin’s high school graduation party. Partway through the party, one of my uncles started asking me to bless him. Another made a comment about spending time with me to become holy by association.

Dear Discerner: live the questions now

In my discernment process, Sister Tracey Horan would refer me to the quote of poet Rainer Maria Rilke: “Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps, then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”

Walking through Lent with Saint Mother Theodore Guerin

We invite you to spend a few minutes each day reflecting on the scripture verses and the words of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin with these daily Lenten reflections. May your Lent be a time of deepening your spirituality and growing closer to God. And may your walk be a little more meaningful by sharing it with Saint Mother Theodore Guerin.

Seeking inner peace to create a more peaceful world: a young sister reflects

In seeking greater unity, we started on our own doorsteps. We were all women religious who wear common clothing similar to those around us. But women religious come in all clothing types. There has been a historical division between those who chose to remain in their habits and those who chose to shed their habits following the Second Vatican Council. Similarly, approaches to authority and the vow of obedience differ greatly, and often line up with differences in dress. Conversation throughout the weekend focused on bridging those historical divisions and developing strategy that allows for true collaboration.

Teaching, healing and loving as a Sister of Providence

My teaching experience took me to different schools in different cities and towns where I met and fell in love with more children. Teaching double grades and constantly working on meeting the individual needs continued to challenge me.

Then it came time for me to dust the chalk off my hands, put myself confidently in the hands of Providence and change the focus of my “mission.” I became a hospital chaplain. Like teaching, I loved this work

The Smile of a Sister: Where a Life of Love Began

My religious vows have offered me the freedom I needed to give all my energies to love and serve many and in various ways. Together with my sisters, who have always inspired and supported me, we have reached out wherever there has been great need. A wonder that dawned early in my mission life was that I have always received so much more in this life than I ever could give.