Win two tickets to Sunday Brunch!

Susan Gore (second from right), of the Tribune-Star, presented
two Readers' Choice awards to (from left) Linda Malooley and
Charles Fisher, of Providence Center, and Russ Engelmann,
of Sodexo Food Services. The honors were for "Best
Reception Hall" and "Best Local Place for Sunday Brunch."

Who has the best reception hall and best place for brunch in the Wabash Valley?

According to people who voted in the Tribune-Star newspaper's Readers' Choice poll, the honors went to Providence Center and Sodexo Food Services at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

Sunday Brunch in Providence Center was selected as the "Best Local Place for Brunch." This is the third straight year Sunday Brunch was singled out for that honor.

And for a second time, readers named O'Shaughnessy as the "Best Reception Hall." O'Shaughnessy also earned that distinction in 2010.

So what makes O'Shaughnessy the "best place" and Sunday Brunch such a great dining experience for folks residing in or coming to the Wabash Valley?

"This honor is due to a combination of the professional staffs on Sodexo's side and Providence Center's side, and because of the facilities and what we have to offer," Russ Engelmann, Sodexo general manager, said.

Providence Center Director Charles Fisher agreed, saying, "There's no place that I've been, and I've been to many places, that has had this type of service and appeal to kids, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The decor is extraordinary. There is no other building around quite like [O'Shaughnessy]. It's really very unique."

If you've been to Sunday Brunch and O'Shaughnessy or even if you've never stepped foot on the grounds, Providence Center is inviting you to Sunday Brunch!

Be the first person to call Linda Malooley at 812-535-2946 and WIN TWO TICKETS TO SUNDAY BRUNCH! Leave your name, phone number and, if you have one, your email address.

Claim your Sunday Brunch meal for two and enjoy a "gorgeous area, good price and great food"  just minutes northwest of Terre Haute.

Celebrating at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana

When the staff and volunteers at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice celebrate Earth, they don't mess around!

The Sisters of Providence welcomed about 1,500 visitors to our beautiful home on April 21 for the 14th Annual Earth Day Celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Thank you to all who shared the day of fun, education and information with us.

The photos below show Silly Safaris live animal show; Sisters Mary Ryan, Marianne Mader and Mary Lois Hennel taking donations for baked goods; and the alpacas working the crowd. Please drop us a line in the comments below if you attended.

Photos by Paul Beel.

Sisters standing by to receive your prayer requests

Back against the wall? Lose your job? Fearful of a health issue? Want to give thanks for your blessings?

When you turn to prayer through the Sisters of Providence website, you turn to Sister Nancy Nolan, former general superior.

Sister Nancy began receiving and acting upon prayer requests in mid-January and she said recently that she has received more than 250 through the Congregation’s website. She hears about tough times: depression, a man’s daughter who died in an accident, a father’s health, parents who lost a son.

“I try to determine the best place for their prayer requests. If it’s a family problem, I might pass it along to the Our Lady of Providence Shrine because under her title of Queen of the Home, maybe we can obtain the graces the family wants. If it’s illness, I will take it to the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. We have sisters praying daily,” Sister Nancy said.

“It’s not just a job for me. I try to offer a personal touch. I try to let them know there is always hope. I tell them to trust in God’s love. It’s amazing how many will respond and offer  their thanks,” she added.

Have you ever made a prayer request with the Sisters of Providence? Have you ever prayed with the Sisters of Providence for others' intentions? Would you join in prayer for those on the Congregation's prayer list?

Good Starting Point for Prayer and Reflection

April is National Poetry Month, so it seems appropriate to think about favorite poets.
I can’t say I have a single favorite poet, but one of my favorites is Mary Oliver, a contemporary American whose works can be a good starting point for prayer and reflection.

Mary Oliver, poet.
(Photo by Rachel Giese.)

Mary Oliver has been compared to both Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Like Whitman, she is a keen observer of the natural world. Like Dickinson, she is able to tease out spiritual truths from the ordinary events of living, and she expresses those truths directly and clearly.

She has been called “a poet of wisdom and generosity” and an “indefatigable guide to the natural world, particularly to its lesser-known aspects.”

I’ve posted a representative selection here, a deceptively simple poem “touching the subject of faith.”

Little Summer Poem Touching the Subject of Faith

Every summer
I listen and look
under the sun's brass and even
into the moonlight, but I can't hear

anything, I can't see anything —
not the pale roots digging down, nor the green
stalks muscling up,
nor the leaves
deepening their damp pleats,

nor the tassels making,
nor the shucks, nor the cobs.
And still,
every day,

the leafy fields
grow taller and thicker —
green gowns lofting up in the night,
showered with silk.

And so, every summer,
I fail as a witness, seeing nothing —
I am deaf too
to the tick of the leaves,

the tapping of downwardness from the banyan feet —
all of it
happening
beyond any seeable proof, or hearable hum.

And, therefore, let the immeasurable come.
Let the unknowable touch the buckle of my spine.
Let the wind turn in the trees,
and the mystery hidden in the dirt

swing through the air.
How could I look at anything in this world
and tremble, and grip my hands over my heart?
What should I fear?

One morning
in the leafy green ocean
the honeycomb of the corn's beautiful body
is sure to be there.

~Mary Oliver~

You can read more of her work here: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/mary_oliver/

The 2012 National Poetry Month poster, designed by Chin-Yee Lai.

Do you have a favorite poet? A poem that opened new doors for your heart and spirit? Celebrate National Poetry Month by sharing it with others in the comments below.

Would you like to become a Providence Associate?

Would you like to have a closer relationship with the Sisters of Providence? Would you like to have someone walk beside you on your spiritual journey? Is so, then perhaps becoming a Providence Associate might be for you.

Who are Providence Associates? They are women and men seeking a deeper relationship with their Provident God. Learn more about some of our associates and candidates by reading a few of their stories.

The application process for the 2012-2013 year is now open until June 30, 2012. For more information or to receive an application, contact Debbie Dillow, PA, assistant director of Providence Associates, at 317-994-6821 or ddillow@spsmw.org. You may also contact Vicki Layton, administrative assistant, at 812-535-2862 or vlayton@spsmw.org.

Be a saint and discover 'Heroic Living'

SISTER ANN MARGARET O'HARA

It wasn't always smooth sailing for Saint Mother Theodore Guerin.

During her lifetime, she faced a variety of conflicts: a bishop who wanted to control Mother Theodore and the Sisters of Providence, financial and health issues, and more.

How Mother Theodore coped with those difficulties and how we can apply her way of life to our own will be addressed during the program "Heroic Living in Times of Conflict" scheduled 6:30-8 p.m. April 24 in Providence Center at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. Get directions here. The program is free and open to the public.

Guest speaker for the event is Sister Ann Margaret O'Hara, former general superior of the Sisters of Providence.

So how did Mother Theodore, canonized in 2006 as the eighth U.S. saint and the first in Indiana, handle the pressure? Find out by clicking here.

For more information about the program, call 812-535-2502 or email aohara@spsmw.org.

Sister Jeanne Knoerle honored at breakfast

Sister Jeanne Knoerle accepts the award (center)
from presenters Claudia Tanoos and Troy Fears.

Sister Jeanne Knoerle was honored Thursday as one of eight Wabash Valley Women of Influence during the inaugural yearly event.

“The mission of the Wabash Valley Women of Influence is to identify and recognize top women leaders who have forged their own path and developed their own leadership principals and to recognize top women leaders in the Wabash Valley for their positive influence.”

Sister Jeanne has been a Sister of Providence for 62 years and is an encouraging mentor for young women today, continuing the legacy began by the Congregation’s foundress, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. The Sisters of Providence sponsored a table at the breakfast where almost 400 community leaders were in attendance.

She has a bachelor's degree in drama from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. She also has two master's degrees (in journalism and business) from Indiana University (IU) and a doctorate in composition and literary Chinese (IU). She taught at schools in Illinois, Indiana and Washington, D.C., and she served as a visiting professor at Providence College in Taiwan.

She’s held several positions at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, including serving as the 12th president from 1968-1983 and chancellor from 1984 to 1988. While president, Sister Jeanne helped institute the Women’s External Degree (WED) program. At the time, it was only the second distance degree program in the country and provided a valuable resource for women wanting to reach their educational goals in a somewhat tumultuous time. The program has since been renamed the Woods External Degree program.

She has also served as a consultant to the religious division of the Lilly Endowment and she is a founding member of Our Green Valley Alliance for Sustainability in Terre Haute.

Revenue from the awards breakfast goes to support United Way’s Success by Six programs.

If you’d like to send Sister Jeanne a note, she can be reached via email.

A 'driving' faith in Providence

Heather with her son Ezra.

The Sisters of Providence host a variety of events each year. At an upcoming dinner, one of our speakers will be Heather Tetzlaff Smith. Heather is a graduate of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. She may be familiar to a wider audience as the creator of the “Providence Will Not Fail” blue bracelets available in the Gift Shop at Providence Center. We are inviting her to speak to a group on her personal relationship with Mother Theodore and her trust in Providence.

Heather is a life-long advocate for social change, spending 11 years working with victims of domestic violence. In 1998, shortly before the beatification of Mother Theodore, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

After her MS diagnosis, Heather’s activism shifted to fight for the health and well-being of others living with MS. Heather has raised more than $40,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and has testified before a Food and Drug Administration panel regarding an MS drug. Her testimony inspired the FDA to return the drug to market, so that patients could have more choices in the medical care.

In her personal life, Heather is able to drive with hand controls. However, she does not have a vehicle that allows her to bring her needed scooter with her. We learned of this need when trying to make arrangements for her to come to campus for our upcoming dinner.  While we understood her challenges, as we have many sisters with similar needs at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, we were not sure how to help, other than to arrange transportation to our event.

She has recently entered a contest to obtain such a vehicle. The contest is in support of National Mobility Awareness Month in May. This may be a way we can help Heather, thank her for her work with women and people with MS and support her life-long trust in Providence.

We would like you to consider voting for Heather by visiting her page here. You are allowed to vote daily until May 13. On your first visit, enter the dealer code 965, which counts for an extra five votes. You can only enter the dealer code on your first visit. Note: this site often gets overwhelmed by voters and has problems loading. If that happens, just try again later.

Thank you for your support. If you would, please keep Heather’s needs and the needs of all people striving for greater mobility in your prayers.

Treasures from Archives

One day while gathering some information for a blog on the death of Sister St. Francis Xavier Le Fer, I ran across some intriguing information about an artifact belonging to her. I found the information in the capacious first volume of the Congregation’s history written by Sister Mary Borromeo Brown. The information concerned a pair of slippers that belonged to Sister St. Francis Xavier. On page 766, one reads:

“Sister Saint Francis Xavier’s health, as we know, had been delicate for years. Though somewhat above medium height, she was very slight of build. A pair of bedroom slippers, probably sent from France and hardly worn, preserved in the museum, are almost incredibly small. This frail physical constitution all but prevented her ever seeing Indiana at the very outset of her religious life. We have noted that on the ocean during her voyage to America in the summer of 1841, she overheard the superior of the religious of the Sacred Heart who were traveling with her, Mother Sallion, speaking to the captain about the disposition to be made of her remains after she expired.”

When I read that these slippers were “preserved in the museum” I was pretty excited. I figured the museum that Sister Mary Borromeo referred to was in old Foley Hall. So I contacted Sister Mary Ryan, archivist, and she found the archival box containing these slippers in the inner sanctum of Archives!

Mother Sallion didn’t know the real constitution of Sister St. Francis Xavier for she made it across the ocean and served her Provident God in Indiana until her death on Jan. 31, 1856.

Sister St. Francis Xavier

CNN story again features Sisters of Providence, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin

Whoever said our Provident God works in mysterious ways certainly was a wise observer.

What made Andrew Domini channel surf during a television commercial only to find on CNN the documentary about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s path to sainthood?

What prompted Andrew to make a pilgrimage walk to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for a sick friend, calling it a sacrifice?

Andrew is a very humble, intelligent young man, and very articulate. That’s a good thing. He has shared his story with several media, including CNN, where it all began. CNN producer Jen Christensen recently interviewed Andrew and you can see her story here.

Most assuredly, the spirit of Providence was with Andrew as he made his journey, then was called upon to share his story with many others.

How has God guided you to meaningful moments in your life? Have you prayed to Saint Mother Theodore for intervention? What great mysteries have revealed themselves to you on your life’s journey?

Providence never fails is a good 'saying'

I have no idea why I started to think of “sayings” the other day, but I did.
I was remembering that, as a kid, I simply did not get the point of the saying: “I see,” said the blind man as he tripped over his hammer and saw. My poor mother tried a million different ways to help me see the word play involved. Just didn’t happen for a long time — then one day it suddenly made sense. Who knows why?

Ever since then, I’ve been fascinated by sayings, adages. I hate to admit it, but I was also stumped for a time about: You can’t have your cake and eat it too. How could you eat a cake unless you had it? You begin to see my issue — it does take a house to fall on me.

Sister Bernice Kuper

But the saying that began this train of thought came into my life because of Sister Bernice Kuper when she was our director of novices. At one of our daily times of instruction, she made the statement: The donkey on the hill knows more than the wise man in the valley.

When I first heard it, it made me laugh; and remarkably, given my history, I got the point right away!
Now, almost 49 years later, it still makes me laugh and it frequently catches me up short. Often, when I’m stewing about a situation, the most unlikely person, a person so far removed from what I’m worrying over makes an observation or asks a question that unlocks the puzzle for me.

With that question or statement, the situation falls into perspective and a solution begins to emerge — no help from me except I managed to be listening for a change.

Sister Denise Wilkinson

The longer I serve in this incredible ministry of elected leadership, the more I feel like the “wise [wo]man in the valley” and have come to expect “the donkey on the hillside” to come to my rescue in the nick of time. As Providence would have it, Providence never fails to lead that hillside beast of burden to me and opens my mind and heart to another perspective.

Eastertide may be the perfect season to reflect on Sister Bernice’s wise saying. So often, in the Scriptures of these days, surprises await Jesus’ followers at every turn. Again, the most unlikely and unexpected persons pop up with a truth to tell, a sighting to relate, a meal to share. It behooves us — perhaps — to expect the unexpected, to listen to the most unlikely of witnesses, to see from the most opposite perspective from our own that we can find. Wisdom waits as our reward.

Happy Eastertide to each of you from all of us Sisters of Providence and all of our Providence Associates! May all of us find comfort and strength in the surprising new life of Jesus — our way, our truth and our very life!

Sister Denise Wilkinson
General Superior
Sisters of Providence

Sharing Easter dinner with Providence Associates, friends, and Sisters of Providence in Taiwan

What a delight to have the opportunity to meet our Providence Associates (pictured from left to right) Lilia Samson Huang, Ching-Yi Tsai, Maricar Chao, and her husband, Patrick Chao, presently a candidate-associate, during my recent visit with our Sisters of Providence who live and minister on the island of Taiwan.

Providence Associates and candidate-associate in Taiwan.

Patrick received the sacrament of baptism during the Easter morning Liturgy in his parish church with family, friends, Providence Associates, and Sisters of Providence present among the worshipping community.

Easter Sunday evening the associates and their families and close friends gathered for dinner, hosted by the Sisters of Providence, at a nearby Hakkanese restaurant. The conversations were enlivening and inspiring — not to mention the delicious food!

It is always a sacred experience for me to have the opportunity to be present as an associate shares her or his personal Providential journey — this time was no different. 

More than one Providence Associate shared the experience of searching for the words to describe the feelings of joy, hope and gratitude experienced in this associate relationship. 

As a Sister of Providence I echo those same feelings! My reflection on our Providence Associate Relationship is that of profound gratitude for the sharing of this mutual gift of grace and blessing. 

This special evening was symbolic for me of the Easter message calling us to live as people of hope as we work together to bring about God’s love, mercy and justice in our world today.

Earth Day is around the corner

The countdown has begun! It’s only 10 days until the Sisters of Providence welcome what they hope will be thousands of visitors to their home for the 14th Annual Earth Day Celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 21.

Watch alpaca shearing demonstrations at the 14th Annual
Earth Day Celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. on
Saturday, April 21. Schedule at www.whiteviolet.org.

The staff members of White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, a ministry of the Sisters of Providence, have outdone themselves once again on planning what looks to be a full day of fun, learning and sharing.

Enjoy pedicab rides by Red’s Wagon Rides, live Celtic music by Women of Erin, a children’s area, a Silly Safaris live animal presentation, Mark Booth’s Take Flight! Wildlife presentation with live raptors, alpaca shearing demonstrations, a butterfly program by the naturalist at Dobb’s Park Nature Center, a bake sale by the Sisters of Providence, a One Planet Solar and Wind presentation, a Tai Chi class, a tour of the new greenhouse, a tour of the Mari Hulman George School of Equine Studies barn, lunch items by local restaurants, vendors selling their eco-friendly or handmade wares, and spinning and weaving demonstrations.

Sisters Jenny Howard, left, and Becky Keller volunteer at a
past Earth Day celebration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

This is the first year an expired medications disposal area will be provided by Union Hospital of Terre Haute. Dumping drugs could potentially harm our drinking water and the environment; so please take this opportunity to dispose of them responsibly.

Click here for directions to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

Click here for the Earth Day event schedule and other details.

If you plan to be with us on April 21, please leave a comment below. We’d love to hear what you’re looking forward to!

Alleluia! Let us rejoice and be glad!



Located at the front of the Church of the
Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-
the-Woods, the crucifix was sculpted by
Harry Breen of Champaign, Ill.

Once again we sing Alleluia! We feast, for the One who died lives! Beyond the spirit of this special day, is the reality that Life has overcome death. Nothing can take our joy from us … no pain, sorrow or any other affliction. This is our faith!

Christ has not only been raised; He lives among us. He resides in us. He fills Earth in all its parts. Today we share His life and love with those around us.

Throughout the Easter season, the next 50 days, let us spread joy and nurture hope in those who struggle to be joyful and hopeful.

As our intentional Lenten practices connected us more with others in need, so let us in this Easter season be a life-giving and hope-filled presence for all with whom we live, work and relate.

Christ lives! Alleluia! Alleluia!

The Vigil of Holy Saturday

By Sister Jan Craven, SP
Coordinator of the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin

This night is the night of nights. The celebration of this night can be traced back to apostolic times, so it is older than we realize.

Holy Saturday is the celebration of the
interconnection of life and death,
of death and life.

Over the years there has been much confusion about the meaning or significance of this night. In fact, the Church ceased to celebrate this night in 1956 because of the lack of understanding of its place in our Liturgical Year. The liturgical norms of the Vatican Council II brought back the significance and place of this most holy night.

So, what is this night all about?

In order to discover the rich meaning, it is important to realize what it is not: it is not a premature celebration of Easter, nor is it an extension of Good Friday. It is that event between the days which speaks solely neither of the cross or resurrection but synchronously, all at once, all together remembers the one and awaits the other.

It is the celebration of the interconnection of life and death, of death and life. One cannot exist without the other, and that is precisely the significance of this night. It tells the story of what went on in our universe prior to creation and the story of what happens after the end of time and, yes, of everything in between. It is the night to celebrate the sacred story of God in our lives and our lives in God.

It is the night we relive annually the growing suspense of the breathtaking week; the grieving farewells, shameful betrayal, guilty denial, and agonizing fear of the night before the end; the long, dark, deadly day of pain and forsakenness itself; an ecstatic daybreak of miracle and color, song and newborn life.

Such is faith’s story, such is our story, and such is Earth’s story. It is a night to hear, as if for the first time, to think about with the widest stretching of our minds and hearts and imaginations … that our story is embedded in this story and therefore, it is the key to learning how to live well and how to die well.

Holy Thursday

By Sister Rita Clare Gerardot, SP



The Last Supper

Holy Thursday begins the Triduum, the last three sacred days of Holy Week. The celebration of Mass on this day is in late afternoon or early evening. This liturgy has several rites peculiar only to this Mass.

After the homily, the washing of the feet takes place (in most churches). This form varies from place to place. At the offertory of the Mass, in addition to the presentation of the bread and wine, the holy oils blessed during the Chrism Mass at the local Cathedral of the diocese are carried in procession to the front of the church and placed in a prominent location.

These holy oils will be used throughout the year for baptism, confirmation and holy orders. At the conclusion of the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament will be taken from the church and placed in another location called the altar of repose. This symbolizes Christ’s leaving the Passover meal to begin his night of intense prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. The altar and sanctuary are then stripped of all adornments.

Jesus asked his disciples to prepare the Passover supper (Seder). He was anxious to eat this last meal with his closest friends.

Now let’s become one in this intimate circle of Jesus’ friends.

While we are reclining around the table, Jesus gets up, takes off his outer tunic, wraps a towel around his waist, fills a basin with water, and then gets down on his knees and begins washing feet! We are all amazed. When Jesus gets to Peter he blurts out, “Rabbi, you’re not going to wash my feet!”

Peter’s protests cease when Jesus tells him he will have no part with him if he refuses. Then blustering Peter wants his whole body washed! When this ritual is completed, the meal begins.

Early on in the conversation, Jesus says that one of us will betray him. This created quite a stir among all of us. Then Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to us saying, “Take this and eat it. This is my Body.”

Taking the cup, he gave thanks and gave it to us saying, “Drink from it. This is my blood which will be poured out on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Jesus also warns us that we’ll all walk away from him. Once again, Peter is protesting loudly that the others might, but he would never do that. Jesus replies, “The truth is before the cock crows twice tonight, you will deny me three times.” Peter again protests loudly. All of us agree we will stick by Jesus.

We know of Peter’s denial, Judas’ betrayal and John the only faithful one at the foot of the cross along with Mary and the other women. BETRAYAL! DENIAL! FEAR! ABANDONMENT! Traits no one of us wants attached to our name.

However, we know Christ comes to us in the guise of others. Do we ever deny recognizing the full humanity of others who are different from us? Do we feel and act in a superior way toward them? Do we ever betray others by our silence when their reputations are being maligned by inaccuracies or gossip? Do we ever turn away from someone who needs our help because we’re too busy, or we really don’t want to get involved? Do we refuse help from others because we are too independent, too proud? Christ lived his life in SERVICE to ALL, excluding NONE!

Joan Chittister, in a reflection on the First Eucharist says: “At the institution of the Eucharist, Jesus models service to one another and nourishment of their sprits. He gives himself as both their reason to exist and the source of the strength they will need to go on giving themselves in his name. We are not alone but we are not here for our own sakes either. We are here to give of ourselves and to build the kind of human community — that congregation of foreigners and lepers and women and outcasts that are indeed the ‘people of God.’”

Hippity hop to Easter Brunch

Enjoy Easter Brunch April 8 in beautiful O'Shaughnessy
Dining Room at Providence Center. Also, join us for
Easter Sunday Eucharistic Liturgy at 11 a.m. (EDT) in the
Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Bring your loved ones to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., and enjoy Easter Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (EDT) Sunday, April 8, in Providence Center.

Dine in our beautiful, award-winning O'Shaughnessy Dining Room. Choose from delicious entrees featuring shrimp cocktail, carved prime rib, an omelet bar, parmesan chicken, beef stroganoff and fillet of sole. A wide variety of fresh salads and side dishes will complement your meal. Be sure and top off your dining experience off with a mouth-watering dessert.

For Easter Brunch, guests must be through the Providence Center doors by 2 p.m. Adult meals are $18.69, plus tax. There are special meal prices for senior citizens (ages 55 and older), veterans and children ages 4-11. Children ages 3 and under eat free of charge.

You may purchase Easter Brunch tickets in advance (cash or check) by calling Sodexo, the official caterer at Providence Center, at 812-535-4285.

While dining April 8 at Easter Brunch, be sure and
obtain a coupon for 15 percent off your purchase at
The Gift Shop at Providence Center.

Stop by The Gift Shop at Providence Center and take advantage of its Easter Sale. The Gift Shop features Saint Mother Theodore Guerin merchandise, in addition to clothing, cards, jewelry, rosaries, books, home decor and more. Brunch customers will receive an Easter Sale coupon for 15 percent off regularly priced merchandise (some restrictions apply). The coupon expires April 30, 2012.

The public is also invited to attend Easter Sunday Eucharistic Liturgy at 11 a.m. (EDT) in the Church of Immaculate Conception. Spend time at the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, the eighth U.S. saint, or stop in the Heritage Museum and see the display of the top winners' artwork entered in this year's Sisters of Providence Youth Art Contest.

Adults and children will have an opportunity to see our award-winning alpacas near the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, which is preparing for its annual Earth Day celebration 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 21.

The public is also welcome to take a walking or driving, self-guided tour of the grounds.

For more information about Easter Brunch, call 812-535-4531. Contact The Gift Shop at 812-535-2947 or 1-866-996-2947.

Stations of the Cross at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

One of the Stations of the Cross in the Church
of the Immaculate Conception at Saint
Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. 

Some of the first items installed in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods were the Stations of the Cross. They were made in Munich, Germany.

The Stations are sculptures that show various scenes of Jesus in his final hours before He died on the cross.

The Sisters of Providence also have the outdoor Stations of the Cross in Sacred Heart Grove at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

If you're planning to attend Easter Brunch at O'Shaughnessy, please allow time for praying at either of these Stations of the Cross this Easter.

Do you have a prayer request for the Sisters of Providence? If so, please leave them in the comments below.

On April Fool’s Day — What Kind of Fool am I?

The fact that April Fool’s Day and Palm Sunday coincide this year have led me to a completely different way of thinking about being foolish.
After all, how can we consider playing pranks as Holy Week opens and the passion of Jesus is read, remembered and reverenced at churches throughout the world? That’s what led me to the notion of “Being Fools for Christ’s Sake.”

In the process of researching that well-known phrase from Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 3: 18-19), I learned that there is actually an ascetic form of Christian life called foolishness for the sake of Christ. The fool-for-Christ set for him or herself the task of battling the root of all sin — pride — by taking on an unusual style of life, appearing as someone bereft of his mental faculties, thus bringing upon him or herself the ridicule of others.


Dorothy Day


Additionally, such a fool exposed the evil in the world through metaphorical and symbolic words and actions. Because I was pretty sure I was not up to this kind of foolishness either, my research continued until I stumbled upon: “Fool for Christ: The Story of Dorothy Day.”

Introduced to me by my college journalism teacher, Dorothy Day, who began as a journalist herself, has always been one of my heroes. Her work with the Catholic Worker Movement is legion, but I had never thought about her as a fool, until I read an excerpt from her story: Dorothy Day.

“Dorothy Day was a fool for Christ’s sake: her boss was the individual on the street who was forgotten by society, the one we see each day, the one on the park bench who smells of alcohol and urine…. Day set up Houses of Hospitality to help feed, clothe and comfort the poor — the very basis of Christianity, lived through the Beatitudes."

“Fool” takes on new meaning when thinking about Dorothy Day. If anyone can inspire us how to live more closely the Gospel and to claim as our own Christ’s life of service and love in all its foolishness, it is Dorothy Day.

Here is a thought to ponder as we move into Holy Week, written by Dorothy Day in April of 1964: “The mystery of the poor is this: That they are Jesus, and what you do for them you do for Him. It is the only way we have of knowing and believing in our love. The mystery of poverty is that by sharing in it, making ourselves poor in giving to others, we increase our knowledge of and belief in love.”

Finally, my favorite Dorothy Day quote: “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned the only solution is love and that love comes with community. It all happened while we sat there talking and it is still going on.”

Jesus… Dorothy Day... It is still going on… What kind of fool am I?... What kind of fool are you?

Palms and Passion: On the Road to Easter (Part 2)

By Leslie Thayer

Note: This is the second in a two-part series on our blog. The first was published yesterday.

As Jesus entered the gates of the city (an event recorded in all of the Synoptic Gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as the Gospel of John), the disciples and the crowd that formed threw branches from the nearby trees onto the ground before Him, and their cloaks as well, in a show of respect and support that would be offered any important visiting dignitary of state.

On Palm Sunday Christians hear of Jesus’
coming to Jerusalem.

The Gospels report that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey — an animal that symbolized peace and good will, rather than a horse that symbolized power and war. We now understand that Jesus’ reign had nothing to do with the overthrow of the Roman Empire, but everything to do with the restoration of humankind to the grace of God’s favor and eternal salvation.

A Spanish pilgrim by the name of Egeria (an avowed religious sister?) recorded in her diary a Palm Sunday celebration in Jerusalem in the early fifth century that she witnessed beginning on the Mount of Olives at approximately 5 p.m. with the reading of Matthew 21:1-11 (Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem) and continued with the crowd processing down into the city to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher carrying palm and olive branches. Subsequent records exist throughout Church history of similar celebrations through the centuries down to today.

In England, a Latin hymn was added to the procession by the choir that now is sung throughout most, if not all, English-speaking churches on this Sunday: Gloria laus et honor, “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” written by Theodulph of Orleans, c 760-821.

During the turbulent times of the Reformation the distribution of palms, ashes, candles and similar symbols of faith were criticized and suppressed as empty or superstitious signs. But as the centuries passed, the Church began to re-examine and recover many of the early liturgies, writings of early Christians, and reconnect with the symbols that long ago strengthened faith and linked Christians with the events of the life of Christ, celebrations such as Palm Sunday returned.

On Palm Sunday Christians hear of Jesus’ coming to Jerusalem in a celebration where, in a few days, He would be abandoned by all the adoring throngs, deserted by His disciples, and tortured and killed by the Romans in collaboration with leaders of the Jewish citizens.

Today, we receive branches to take home not as a re-enactment of an historic event, but as a reminder of the profound misunderstanding as to who Jesus Christ really was (and is), and for what purpose He underwent His passion, death, and resurrection.

This year, as you lift your palm branch high in procession and sing that ancient hymn, “All glory, laud, and honor, to you, Redeemer King: to whom the lips of children made glad hosannas ring …,” recall that you walk with Christians throughout history acclaiming Him God’s word among us, the Savior and true ruler of the world.