I can not imagine life without books. My parents tell a story of when I went missing when I was two years old. My mother checked on me in the…
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I always think of my maternal grandfather, Alex “Casey” Gutgsell, on Halloween. He was very German and very stern. But he also had a mischievous side.
As kids, we went first to “trick or treat” at my grandparents’ home. Someone always dressed up like a witch and wore a treasured, horrific mask to complete her costume.
Without fail, Grandpa Gutgsell would remove the mask from the little witch, put it on and proceed to scare us. It so delighted him and so annoyed my grandmother.
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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.”
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Our current culture seems to tell us life’s struggle is all about good vs. evil and black-and-white decisions. The reality is that the hardest choices are those that aren’t clear-cut.
They’re the ones you can argue from either side but eventually must make based on only a slight edge. That is the kind of choice the Sisters of Providence had to make about whether to test for and drill for oil on our motherhouse land.
A new group of Candidate-Associates began their journey with the Sisters of Providence as they explore the Providence Associate relationship on Saturday, Oct. 5, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception. Providence Associates is open to women and men of all faith traditions who desire a closer relationship with the charism of Providence and the sisters.
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Two of the most privileged and sacred moments I enjoy in my ministry as general superior are receiving the vows of our newer members and praying the blessing prayer at the funeral of a deceased Sister of Providence. Each experience touches me deeply and evokes feelings of profound wonder and gratitude.
I’m thinking the above because I just returned from Taiwan and first profession of vows of one our Asian novices. What a joyful experience!
Sister Regina Gallo approached her recent skydiving experience through a spiritual lens: The safety of my “normal” prayer space with my lit candles and cup of tea or warm milk was gone. I had to trust my tandem instructor literally with my life. I had to trust my God and angels to guide me every second of the way. The biggest piece … I was NOT in control of anything. I simply had to trust and surrender; and it wasn’t simple.
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Where can I run from your love? If I hide in the farthest corner of the sea, you are there, guiding me, protecting me from harm. The bottomless depth of your maternal love… The sea is madre. Sister Carol Nolan, who ministers in California, writes about her retreat near the Pacific Ocean.
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In our increasingly violent world such a prayer as the Litany of Non-Violence delivers a powerful message, and today, Aug. 6, is a particularly appropriate day for us to meet or become reacquainted with that message. On this date in 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan and three days later, on Aug. 9, another was dropped on Nagasaki. For the sake of all humanity, let us pray such events are never repeated.
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Sister Mary Maloney asks, “Are you different after you pray?” in her practical reflection on a part of Sunday’s Gospel.
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Sister Laura Parker will take Perpetual Vows with the Sisters of Providence Sunday, June 30, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
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Kyle Meadors, a Providence Associate who lives in Chicago, has a special place in his heart for his father, and for Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. He and his associate-companion, Sister…
Read more“The God of Providence carries the entire mystery of the divine, ever trustworthy, never failing. The God of Providence offers all the possibilities for ourselves and the world, including both what God wants to happen and what God is willing to let happen because God honors the gift of human freedom. The choices are ours — truly free, but ever grounded in the grace of God, the Holy Mystery of Providence, about which there is ever more to be discovered.” – Sister Ruth Eileen Dwyer
Plan for your future!
Leave the things you value to the people and purposes you value most.
Our Lady of Providence
The Sisters of Providence are here to pray for the real needs of your family.