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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.
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.”
Read moreSo, in honor of National Catholic Sisters week, join us for a meal. Get to know us better. Tell others about the Sisters of Providence and the work we do to make the world a more just and loving place. Together with you, our friends and supporters, we can make this world a more hope-filled place.
Read moreWe 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.
Read moreI am mostly pre-Vatican II but I was excited to enter the modern world. I didn’t sit back. I was open to the evolving religious life and because of openness I was able to do many new things.
Read moreDuring my early years in our formation process (nun training), I had to practice responding not reacting. Take a few deep breaths and ask for clarification. Begin a dialogue, not a monologue. Find some level of commonality and move from that point. Bring some sense of hope to situations that seem insurmountable.
Read moreIn 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.
Read moreMy 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
Read moreMy 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.
Read moreWhat do you know about the Sisters of Providence today? Ever wish you had a way to tell your friends and family about the SPs? In this Congregation video, you’ll…
Read moreThe only way we can bridge that which divides us is through encounter. We must seek ways of listening to understand rather than listening to respond. That is why I chose to stand up publicly for a culture of civility and inclusion at our own Gathering in Solidarity at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods last Saturday. That is why I refused to let one point of disagreement with March organizers exclude me from participating in standing up for the very foundation of society: civil, respectful discourse. Similarly, that is why I participated in calling to task the organizers for excluding others based on one point of disagreement.
Read moreI love being on the street with the people. I am not afraid of any situation I’m faced with out on the street — teaching 8th grade and being principal for so many years trained me well!
Read moreHere 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.