


“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

Autumn, in all its beauty and decline, reminds us that this is a time to harvest our blessings in a spirit of thanksgiving, as well as a time for letting go and preparing for the season ahead.

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods welcome postulant Anna Fan in a heart-warming entrance ceremony on Nov. 13.

As a kid, saints always fascinated me. I liked hearing their stories from my Sister of Providence teachers and reading their stories on my own. The martyrs, in my young mind, were the best! I really liked those stories and reveled in the fantasy that someday I, too, would die for my faith, just as they did — burned at the stake or fed to the lions. Well, forget that! Reality soon set in and with it a desire to stay as far away from that kind of suffering (make that any kind of suffering) as possible!

Christina talks about the process of making "Journals of Letters of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin" into an e-book, now available for purchase. Saint Mother Theodore is so very human in these pages! It's a delightful book.

After an emotional Mass in celebration of the feast of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin on Friday, Oct. 3, the Woods community is still buzzing with excitement.
During Mass yesterday, Sister Lisa Stallings, Sisters of Providence Vicar, shared the prayer below, written by Sister Donna Butler.

Saint Mother Theodore, you showed us the way. It wasn’t easy, but you never let up. You believed in your Provident God. Providence was your shield of faith and hope, and you lived it to the fullest.

I’ve been a devoteé of the prayer of the rosary since I was a grade-schooler. I still pray the rosary (or most of it) nightly. I have even learned the Luminous mysteries introduced by Pope Benedict XV.

For seven years, Sister Bernadette Mary Carroll was a caregiver for her ailing sister, Catherine. She cooked, cleaned, shopped for groceries, administered medications, and drove her sister to and from her many appointments; anything she could do to make her life as comfortable as possible.

For me, Providence is God’s unconditional and interdependent love for each and every creation, given freely to be shared with, by and for every creation. God is present and acting. I may not recognize or sense God’s Providence, especially in times of struggle or pain.

I stay in this ministry because of love. Love for all the people of God. Jesus’ commandment is to love everyone, not just the members of the church I like.

Often in my daily encounters, people are experiencing great sorrow and pain. I cannot take their pain away. However, I can be a supportive caring presence. I am willing to stay with them in their pain. I hope that through me they will experience the face of God and this will enable them to put their trust in a loving merciful God. I am mirroring for them and they to me, a God who journeys with us through our pain and suffering.

Sister Arrianne Whittaker professes first vows; Sister Su-Hsin Huang professes perpetual vows