General Superior summons foundress to support new SMWC president

Sister Denise Wilkinson, general superior of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, offered the following comments during the announcement of a new president for Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Dr. Dottie King. Dr. King had served as interim president for about eight months.

Sister Denise's comments:

"The General Council of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods unanimously approved the Board of Trustees' recommendation to appoint Dr. Dottie King as the next president of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Dr. King has consistently demonstrated professional excellence in her various roles at the College - faculty member, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and the interim President of the Woods.

As important and influential as her competency is, we Sisters of Providence find in her two other qualities essential to the president of this College - first, a deep, authentic and lived faith in God that shapes who Dr. King is and how she relates to others; secondly, a seemingly intuitive and deeply real understanding of the Providence God and of the life and legacy of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. Mother Theodore founded the College and has left her indelible mark upon it and all of us associated with the College.

Let me use a collection of her words, Dr. King, to express the confidence the Sisters of Providence have in you, and the hope for success and happiness we wish for you as your life as president of her College unfolds.

We have witnessed in your interactions with others the living out of advice Mother Theodore gave to a sister just named superior of a local convent: 'The talent of a good Superior is ... to require of each one only what she can give.' May you continue to experience the gifts of wisdom this requires!

The office of president brings blessings and trials. Through it all may you continue to rely on the presence of God in your life, may you continue to be a woman of prayer.

Mother Theodore affirms what you already know, Dr. King. 'What strength the soul draws from prayer. In the midst of a storm, how sweet is the calm one finds in the heart of Jesus.'

And she reminds you, as she reminds the Sisters of Providence, 'Our hope is the Providence of God, which has protected us until the present, and which will provide, somehow, for our future needs.'

The Sisters of Providence warmly welcome you as President of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Dr. King. We promise you our support and our prayer.

And - on those days when you feel as Mother Theodore did when she wrote, 'I have already exceeded the amount of work my head can bear!' - be certain to call on her, mindful of these words of hers: 'No one loves you as your old Mother Theodore does.'

May all the blessings of Providence be yours, Dr. King! Please accept this small sign of Mother Theodore's presence to keep with you."

Letters from the battlefield

As we rapidly approach the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, Wabash Valley Visions & Voices is putting the final touches on a special collection celebrating and remembering the War Between the States or the War of the Rebellion. Many of the items in this collection are personal letters of soldiers. These letters provide a “ground level” view of the war — the hardships, sickness, death and, yes, the simple joys of life.

One such letter [a transcript] is from Confederate soldier Joseph Thompson to his wife, Mary, written near Corinth, Miss., April 27-29, 1862. It is part of the Vigo County Historical Society’s collection. Part of this letter reads:

“At dress parade, an order from [P.G.T.] Beauregard [Confederate general] was read commanding us to cook five days[’] rations and always keep that much ahead. Our boys were very much excited last evening as it was thought that the enemy would attack us this morning. They are surely advancing upon us. Yesterday, our advance guard had a bloody skirmish with them. Quite a number of our men was lost. Indeed, there is not a day but what there is a skirmish.

“The conscript law is, I fear, going to do much more harm than good. Our Volunteers are greatly excited. While regiments and companies whose time expired last week are now under arrest for stacking arms and declaring they would go home. The Soldiers feel that this law takes away their liberties and robs them of all the honor and patriotism of volunteering. With compulsory feeling in their breasts, they never will fight as they have done.

“They say that they will pay us today and, as soon as I get the money, I will close this letter. O, how I wish I could take the money to you my Self! Although my time is now so short, God only knows, in these critical times what may happen [h]ere then. But some how, I am bouyed up by hope, and hope bids me be of good cheer. What a blessed thing is hope.”

To view this transcript more closely, click here. To learn more about the Vigo County Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project, visit here.

The digitization of Civil War memorabilia is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act Mini-Digitization Grant from the Indiana State Library. Partners in the project include Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial Library, the Vigo County Public Library, the Vigo County Historical Society and the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

Providence Associates and Candidates: now is the time to register for retreat

“Deepening the Providence Story” is the topic for the April 1-3 retreat at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for Providence Associates and Candidate-Associates. Presenters for the retreat are General Superior Sister Denise Wilkinson and General Officer Sister Marie McCarthy. To learn more about this retreat and how to register, click here.

Please note that this is a retreat for Providence Associates and Candidate-Associates only. For more information about Providence Associates, visit here.

It's official ... confirmation from Rome came five years ago

It was almost a "pinch me" moment, except the intensity of planning made it very real. On Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, the Sisters of Providence received word that the Ordinary Congregation of Cardinals in Rome made a positive declaration concerning a second miracle attributed to Saint Mother Theodore Guerin's intercession, opening her way to canonization.

A local celebration was planned that afternoon as the message was relayed to sisters on mission away from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, and to close companions. A news conference to make a public announcement occurred on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2006. And, thanks to Terre Haute and Indianapolis media, and the Associated Press whose representative was in attendance, the word spread quickly.

Only the approval of Pope Benedict XVI was needed for Mother Theodore's sainthood. It would be safe to say that not many people in the media really understood the importance of the announcement that day, but, as their reporting progressed in weeks ahead, many became enthusiastic storytellers of Mother Theodore's life.

Sister Ann Margaret O'Hara, then general superior, and Sister Marie Kevin Tighe, then vice postulator and promotor of the cause for Mother Theodore, both addressed the media that Wednesday morning. Phil McCord, director of Facilities Management at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, talked about the favor he received after he prayed to Mother Theodore for the strength to endure an upcoming corneal transplant. All took questions from the media after their statements.

Several local committees began forming to handle various duties surrounding the potential canonization. We'll share some of those strategies in March as plans started developing.

Every day is "Valentine's Day"

General Superior Sister Denise Wilkinson encourages us to “pray for the gift of tender hearts” in her Valentine’s Day reflection, a helpful lesson for us to keep top-of-mind throughout the entire year. Matthew says that “unless we become like children, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” This is poignantly exemplified in Sister Denise’s sharing of a family story about a very wise four-year-old. Read more ...

‘Honoring God by living our best life every day’

“Providence is …

a. delighting in the perfect love God has for us.
b. marveling in the unyielding grace that God has for us.
c. having a tolerant, forgiving and merciful heart.
d. keeping it real.
e. doing the right thing.
f. honoring God by living our best life every day.”

So writes Providence Candidate-Associate Joni Luna of Corpus Christi, Texas. Joni is being companioned by Sister Barbara Bluntzer.

Thus far in her year of candidacy, Joni has learned “that a true relationship with God requires that I reach to the depths of my soul and witness who is the real me. That each day I must read, react and respond to God’s calling — read how my day is playing out, be ready to react to circumstances as they unfold and respond as God would.”

To learn more about Joni and her spiritual journey with the Sisters of Providence, click here.

Thank goodness for Skype!

“We have a set schedule on Skype. We meet at 10 a.m. Pacific time the first Friday of the month to discuss that month’s topic in the white Providence Associates handbook. We talk for about an hour,” explains Providence Candidate-Associate Rachel Ambrose concerning her meeting times to discuss the Spiritual Integration Units with her companion, Sister Barbara Reder.

Many miles separate Rachel (pictured far left) and Sister Barbara (pictured second from left). Rachel resides in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., and Sister Barbara lives in Brownsburg, Ind. They’ve known one another since their Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College days, so the opportunity to share on a deeper level is a joy for both of them.

Rachel enjoys delving into the Spiritual Integration Units.

“The challenge is to bring out into the open some deep-seated questions. The challenge is to keep on track with your spirituality whereas in the past I would dismiss anything that seemed difficult and set it aside. The challege is to meet the difficulty head-on,” shares Rachel.

To learn more about Providence Candidate-Associate Rachel Ambrose, click here.

Happy New Year, Rabbits!

There's still time to celebrate!

The Chinese New Year celebration is getting close to its 15-day midway point. Congratulations, Rabbits, this is your special year!

There are a few decorations visible in buildings at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, and the Chinese New Year is something that the Sisters of Providence acknowledge.

After all, Mother Maria Gratia Leuking and five companions (sound familiar?) traveled to China at the request of the local bishop there to establish a school (sound familier?). Well, fast-forwarding to the future, the mission in Asia is alive and well today, with sisters ministering in Taiwan. It remains an important part of the Congregation's overall mission to devote itself to works of love, mercy and justice in service among God's people.

So, Happy Chinese New Year! Please remember the commitment six sisters made to travel abroad (sound familiar), to establish new opportunities in a world virtually unkown to them at the time.