Monday, July 30, 2012

Sign up for our OLLI course on the Civil War

Discover how Sister Mary Agatha had a connection to Mary Todd Lincoln (pictured above) during our OLLI class Aug. 14 and 16. (Image credit: The Library of Congress)
The Sisters of Providence have a unique connection with the Civil War. Our sisters served as sister-nurses at Military Hospital in Indianapolis as well as at a hospital in Vincennes, Ind. You can learn more about this history by participating in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Indiana State University course, “Lest We Forget: The Civil War Service of the Sisters of Providence.” This class will be offered on the beautiful motherhouse grounds of the Congregation on Tuesday and Thursday, Aug. 14 and 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. (EDT) in the Community Room of Providence Hall. The course will be presented by Congregation staff member Connie McCammon, who has worked in the Office of Congregational Advancement since 1999.

You do not have to be an OLLI member to attend this class. You may register online or call 812-237-8707 for more information. Please register by Monday, Aug. 13.

We look forward to seeing you on Aug. 14 and 16!

This Civil War diary belonged to the grandfather of a Sister of Providence. Come to our OLLI course and learn more about George E. Blaire and his experience as a prisoner of war. George was a captain of Company A, 17th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

Friday, July 27, 2012

California associates and sisters celebrate

Sisters Loretta Picucci (left) and Concetta Bañez are two of the
lovely hosts of the special service.
Our Providence Associates, Candidate-Associates and Sisters of Providence in California take any occasion to gather and celebrate with one another. A week ago today, several sisters and associates gathered in the Coachella, Calif., home of Sisters Concetta Bañez, Carol Nolan and Loretta Picucci to celebrate women deacons of the early Church. And what gathering of sisters and associates would be complete without a little food?

Read more about our West Coast family.

From left, Providence Associates Jeannie Smith and Pat Ruck and
Sister Monessa, OSF, enjoy being together

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

From The Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin

Pen and ink drawing of Mother
Theodore by Terre Haute
artist John Laska.
The Sisters of Providence regularly receive prayer requests, as well as requests for relics and other Saint Mother Theodore Guerin information. Below is a list of some recent correspondence Sister Jan Craven has had with those in contact with The Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

From Germany:

I ask you kindly to send me a relic and a prayer card of Saint Mother Theodore. I am a student of Catholic theology in Germany.

From Washington, D.C.:

Your very kind and very generous box [of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin materials] arrived today. Holy Spirit and His Angels must have taken over the postal service to get it all moving so quickly. … I am just grateful for what you sent. Thank you. Actually "grateful" just doesn't cover the love and thanks in my heart for your loving care and responses. God is so good and generous and so very kind. Connecting with you and with your loving and generous heart is another evidence of His dear love and loving kindness. I hope you will whisper a prayer for me when you receive Communion and remember me to His dear heart. You and the sisters, and your intentions continue in my heart and prayers.

From Indiana:

I'd be grateful if you could send a relic to Tim and prayers to Mother Theodore that might give him strength and courage as he faces stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Please include his name at the shrine for prayers. He is a sweetheart of a guy who knows Mother Theodore only through his mom's great love of Theodore and the SPs who taught her as a child.

From the Philippines:

The Our Lady of Fatima Parish in the Philippines will celebrate its 30th anniversary July 10, 2012 to July 10, 2013 in honor of Our Lady of Fatima, the Mother of God. The Parish Council has prepared various activities wherein all the parishioners would be involved. In this regard, the Pastoral Council officers are requesting a Relic of Saint Anne-Thérèse Guérin. This will be placed in the Chapel of Holy Relics of the church in order to receive the veneration of our Marian devotees and the faithful, and to promote the devotion and the holy life of Saint Anne-Thérèse Guérin.

Also from the Philippines:

The Knights of the Blessed Sacrament is a religious organization in our parish (Christ, Light of the Nations) that focus in serving at the altar and Blessed Sacrament … We are highly devoted to Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. We up lift our request be granted that we ask for a relic. The relic will be placed in the church in order to receive veneration and prayers to the religious organizations, faithful parishioners, and other visitors of the parish. This request aims also to make our servers and parishioners more devoted to the life and works of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and work and serve not only by obligation but with love and compassion to God.


For more information:
Sister Jan
For more information about the shrine, to arrange a tour at Saint Mary-of the-Woods, to submit prayer requests or to report blessings that have touched your lives, contact Sister Jan Craven, coordinator of the Office of the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, at 812-535-2925 or email jcraven@spsmw.org.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Ce-le-brate good times ... and golf!

Cheryl Casselman (left) and Pam Lynch drive around in the
drink cart, handing out refreshing beverages and trail mix to
thirsty, Hole-y-One Golf Scramble participants.




The Sisters of Providence are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Hole-y-One Golf Scramble on Friday, Sept. 14, at Hulman Links Golf Course. You can schedule a morning or afternoon flight with a delicious lunch served at noon. We will again offer cash and prizes for three divisions: the women’s, men’s and mixed teams. And, we’ll offer some unexpected surprises throughout the day, since it is our anniversary!

Each year we have many returning teams for which we are grateful. It’s like a great group of friends who get together annually to play golf and enjoy each others company. You have many more scrambles to choose from and we very much appreciate your continued support. Win or lose, we hear frequently from players that they have a great time. It’s as much a friend-raiser as it is a fund-raiser for the Sisters of Providence.

We also encourage new players to try their hand (and club) at our event. If you haven’t joined us for a Hole-y-One Golf Scramble, why not make this year the first?  Due to its being a large golf course, Hulman Links offers five different tee-off options, making it a popular course for women who can utilize the black tees (at 4,810 yards). About one third of our teams are all-women and that number increases each year. Seniors play at the green tees (at 5,775 yards) and men tee off at the white. At this time, even with the area’s drought conditions, the greens are in good shape.

For best flight selection, reserve your foursome early! Call Diane Weidenbenner at 812-535-2802 or send me an email. Sponsorships are also available so call for details. We hope to see you at this year’s event. We plan the event but our players and company sponsors make it a success.

Monday, July 23, 2012

PAs keeping busy this summer

Providence Associate Mary Gilroy (center) is blessed by (from left) Peggy Balensuela, PA, Jim Gilroy, Sister Nancy Bartasavich and General Officer Sister Lisa Stallings.
After the Annual Meeting of the Providence Associates, things were a little quiet. Well, that changed last week! Mary Gilroy, PA, from San Cristobal, N.M., and her husband, Jim, visited the Woods on Tuesday, July 17, in order to visit sisters and to renew Mary’s commitment. Participating in her renewal ceremony that took place near the interim Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin in the Church of the Immaculate Conception were her companion, Sister Nancy Bartasavich of Albuquerque, N.M., General Officer Sister Lisa Stallings and Peggy Balensuela, PA, of Terre Haute, Ind.

Also on Monday and Tuesday last week, July 16 and 17, Providence Associates Sheila Donis and Melissa Pasko kept the sisters busy creating beautiful cards and bookmarks.The Activity Room in Providence Hall was kept hopping with sisters coming and going, making cards for all occasions. Lots more photos can be found on our website.

Enjoy!

Pictured from left are Jim Gilroy, Sister Nancy Bartasavich, Mary Gilroy and General Officer Sister Lisa Stallings.

Providence Associate Sheila Donis (left) gets a chuckle out of Sister Rosalie Marie Weller’s enthusiasm.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

SP Used Book Sale coming Aug. 4

You can never have too many books! Especially if you get them for a reasonable price and they are gently used. The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods will have their Used Book Sale beginning Saturday, Aug. 4 and ending Aug. 12 in the Providence Center Conference Room. The sale is hosted by The Gift Shop at Providence Center.

This event has become a favorite for many avid readers in the Wabash Valley. Hours for the sale are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. We’ll have fiction and non-fiction hardcover and paperback best-sellers, mysteries, biographies, cookbooks, gardening and craft guides, spirituality books, children’s books, medical books and more. And, you’ll also find DVDs, CDs and puzzles at this year’s event.

Payment is by free-will donation with all proceeds benefiting the Sisters of Providence mission and ministries. Providence Center is just 10 minutes northwest of the Vigo County Courthouse, off of U.S. 150.

The Gift Shop at Providence Center will also be open for your shopping needs. Questions? Call The Gift Shop at 812-535-2947 or 1-866-996-2947. You may also visit us online.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Gardening in a drought

As if those working in the organically grown gardens at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, a ministry of the Sisters of Providence, wouldn't already have their hands full during a season of good weather, this growing season has brought new challenges with the drought.

Last week, federal officials declared more than half of Indiana a natural disaster area because of the dry conditions. This makes for a stressful time for Candace Minster, WVC garden manager, who leads the efforts in providing for the Community Supported Agriculture program and a stand at the weekly Terre Haute Downtown Farmers' Market.

"The early spring was helpful to us because we were able to get a lot in the ground," she said. "Pretty much as soon as we got the plants all in the ground we had to weed them. Then it was starting to get really warm and dry. It just kept getting hotter and hotter. We've replanted and replanted."

Arrianne, left, and Hannah replant melon seeds on June 19 in the garden at
White Violet Center for Eco-Justice at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, a ministry
of the Sisters of Providence.
Candace said for some plants it's been too hot for germination. Using shade cloth on some plants has been helpful, though, she said.

"We've been able to keep our kale and chard. We got two cuttings off field lettuce before it got really hot," she said.

The tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant are on drop irrigation. A line is placed down each garden bed and every 12 inches an emitter allows only drips of water to come out. This provides deep watering for these plants. Candace said that water sitting on the plants can lead to some diseases, such as powdery mildew.

Just barely making it


Participation at the Downtown Farmers' Market has not gone as planned. WVC has only participated in three Saturday markets since June 2 because there hasn't been enough harvested vegetables.

The CSA program provides weekly shares of fresh produce to full shareholders and shares every other week for those who purchased half shares.

"Every week I think we're not going to have anything for the CSA," Candace said. "We're getting by, but our members are not going to get the varieties in the quantities we had planned due to nature."

The hot and dry conditions have meant delayed harvest.

"We should've been getting green beans by now, and summer squash, baby carrots, turnips, and radishes," she said. "Growing things is very hard. This is a good year to prove the CSA members take the risk with us."

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Sister Hannah experiences "the grace of the vows"

Sister Hannah Corbin is about to profess first vows
at Eucharistic Liturgy in the Church of the
Immaculate Conception

By Sister Hannah Corbin

“The grace of the vows” is a saying I have heard, and is what one sister reminded me of the day I professed the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. At the time I was not aware of the grace of the vows, but I knew of the grace in the journey.

Almost seven years ago I met my first Sister of Providence and began to fall in love with the sisters and the way they choose life. Four years of initial discernment, which included a summer of volunteering at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice and Providence Health Care, and three years of formal formation within the community proceeded my first profession of vows. What an affirming, challenging, and grace-filled journey it has been!

Before I entered community, I had a limited understanding of the vows, but I resonated with the little I knew. I saw the vow of poverty as a way to live out my desire to live simply. The vow of obedience connected with a new realization that independence was becoming a false virtue in my life. And the early call I felt to give all I am in service with others seemed to fit with the vow of chastity. I saw religious life as a way for me to honor who I was and to become who God calls me to be.
  
Once I entered the Sisters of Providence I began to watch how the sisters lived the vows. I read about the vows, listened to sisters as they shared about their own “living into the vows”, and had discussion groups on what the vows can mean for us, the Church, the world, and the whole cosmos today. As my understanding of the vows deepened, I was drawn by the challenge to live intentionally and in alignment with the life and teaching of Jesus.

On July 1, as I stood in front of my sisters, associates, family, and friends, my heart raced with excitement and perhaps a little stage fright. I had long anticipated the opportunity to profess publicly what I had already been trying to live. When I spoke the words of profession, I spoke from the depths of who I am. I joyfully proclaimed my intentions to unite myself even closer, through the vows, to the God I seek, within the community that I love and who calls me to be my best self.

Now the journey continues. I have returned to my life-giving ministry and local community and am “living into the vows,” one day at a time, with the support of my sisters. And “the grace of the vows?”... It is the grace God offers as I make the effort to integrate my life with the vows. It’s real, I’ve experienced it, and I rely on it.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Treasures from Archives

Sister Cecile Morse ministered as a printer from 1938 to 1979.
The Sisters of Providence have a long history of printing and publishing. Take, for example, “Lest We Forget: The Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods in Civil War Service,” by the late Sister Mary Theodosia Mug. It was printed in 1931 by Providence Press of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Yes, indeed, having a print shop to help not only share information about the Congregation and its many schools, but also to evangelize has always been of great importance to the Congregation.

According to information gathered by Sister Mary Roger Madden, Congregation historian, there was a small printing office established in the old novitiate in 1898. Six years later, a new novitiate was built and the office was moved there to the first floor and a Gordon Press was added in 1905. By 1913, the printing office was moved to the second floor of the cannery building. (Note: the cannery building was razed in June.) Four years later, an improved Linotype was purchased.

What, exactly, did Providence Press print? Well, there were always exams for the schools, including the old Academy, the predecessor to today’s Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. There were prayers, death notices, place cards, menus and much larger jobs including Les Bois, the college’s annual; Fagots, the college newspaper; the Aurora, the college magazine; Alumnae News; and The Bugle Call, the missionary magazine of the Congregation.

Mr. W. H. Niccum was hired in 1931.
By the late 1920s and early 1930s Congregation leadership questioned the wisdom of having a printing office. The sisters began researching the possibility of contracting the work and also investigating more modern equipment. They also turned to St. Joseph and intercessory prayer. St. Joseph and the sisters’ research came through and soon money became available to begin purchasing new equipment. In 1931, Mr. W.H. Niccum was hired as a printer. By 1938, two sisters were working full time in the print shop, and Mr. Niccum employed four men to assist in the office. One of the sisters who was assigned to the print shop was Sister Cecile Morse, who died in 2006.

Sister Cecile had printer’s ink in her blood. Her father owned his own print shop and she and her siblings learned the ropes of printing at an early age. When Sister Cecile graduated from high school in 1926, she joined the International Typographical Union and worked in the printing industry until she joined the Congregation in 1935. In 1938, Sister Cecile was assigned to Providence Press, a position she maintained until 1979.

From 1979 to 1982, Sister Mary Lee Mettler took over Providence Press. New equipment was purchased allowing for offset printing. The shop was also moved to the first floor of the laundry building. In 1983, the leadership of the print shop was transferred to Sister David Ellen Van Dyke, who died in 2011. She ran the office until 1988. It was on May 1, 1988, that Providence Press ceased operations, and Providence Printery, as the office is now known, was opened June 7 on the first floor of Owens Hall. Today, the Printery is managed by the very capable Roberta King, a staff member of the Congregation since 1987. Roberta is also a Providence Associate.

In the stacks in Archives there is a plethora of information about Providence Press/Printery. Included in the files are invoices for several jobs. The following shows the price for some publications in 1931:
  • The Bugle Call: 8,800 copies with 16 pages including cover — $345
  • Aurora: 400 copies with 76 pages including cover — $184.50
  • Alumnae News: 850 copies with 24 pages including cover — $153.25

Thursday, July 12, 2012

All things possible with Sister Terri Boland

Sister of Providence Terri Boland.
Sister Terri Boland is a teacher in the Aquin Catholic School Corporation in Freeport, Illinois who recently celebrated her 25th anniversary as a Sister of Proivdence.

When asked why she chose to become a Sister of Providence the following was her reply:

Initially, It was not my intent to become a Sister of Providence. I came to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for a vocation weekend just to explore the possibility. It didn’t take long to fall in love with the beauty of these Woods but that alone is not the thing that drew me back.

It was the story and life energy of the women I met here. It was the whole idea that as we come together the energy that each one of us brings becomes a force greater than anything we could accomplish alone. It was that spirit that moved me. I was looking for a greater commitment in my life and I felt I found it here at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

More about Sister Terri

Learn more about Sister Terri and read her answers to questions like, "Why would women today find being a Sister of Providence an attractive life choice?" and "What role does prayer have in your life?" in a recent issue of the Sisters of Providence vocations publication All things possible.

Sister of Providence Terri Boland, right, spruces up the front gate of the Sisters of Providence and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College entrance with an SMWC student in 2010. Sister Terri loves to garden.

Here are some of Sister Terri's favorites:
Flower/plant: Four o’clocks
Book: Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Recreation: Bowling
Hobby: Gardening (Master Gardener; photography, worm farmer)
Musician: John Denver
Animal: Cats
Scripture passage: Seed grows of itself. Mark 4; 26-29
Dessert: Fresh blackberries and raspberries
Time of day: Morning
Season: All four, but spring with the arrival of spring flowers.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Body Prayer workshop

Light shining through the trees at peaceful Saint Mary-of-
the-Woods, Indiana. Plan now to attend the Body Prayer
workshop Aug. 24-26, 2012.
White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, a ministry of the Sisters of Providence since 1996, is offering Body Prayer — More to Us Than Just Words Aug. 24-26 at peaceful Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

In working with our breath, Tai Chi, Chi Gong and Shibashi, we can learn to pray in a physical way.

Honor creation, honor our Chakras (energy forces within us) and honor the senses that act as the mediators of the Divine during this workshop lead by Sister Paul Bernadett Bounk, CSJ.

The workshop begins at 9 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 24 and ends at 11 a.m. on Aug. 26.
The cost is $240 for residents and $100 for commuters. For more information or to register by the Aug. 12 deadline, please call 812-535-2932 or email rmorton@spsmw.org.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

A Parable of Providence


Early one winter morning, well before sunrise, a farmer sent his daughter to the barn to feed the cattle.

“I can’t go now,” the girl told her father. “It’s dark and I’m afraid. I’ll wait until it’s light outside.”

“The cows can’t wait,” the farmer replied. “You need to go now. I’ll help you.”



The two stood in the doorway of the farm house. “Can you see the porch steps in the moonlight?” asked the farmer.

“Yes, I see them.”

“Then go to the bottom of the steps.”

After the girl reached the bottom of the porch steps, her father asked, “Can you see the gate from there?”

“Yes,” she answered. “I can see it.”

“Then walk to the gate and pass through it.”

After the girl had done so, her father asked, ”Now can you see the path to the barn?”

“Yes,” the little girl said. “I can see the path in the moonlight.”

“Then follow the path to the barn doors,” said her father.

When she had walked down the path to the barn, the little girl called out, “I’m here! I’m at the barn.”



“Good,” said the farmer. “Now feed the livestock.”