Women’s History Month: It took everyone

Yes, Saint Mother Theodore was an incredible woman, but it took every sister to help make the Sisters of Providence a reality. “The Eighth American Saint” describes Mother Theodore’s gratitude for two special women — Sister Olympiade Boyer and Sister Francis Xavier Le Fer (Irma):

“One bright fact stood out for Mother Theodore: all her sisters stood loyally by her and gave her courage. She thought with special gratitude of Sister Olympiade, for whom no labor, no matter how menial, was too much, who took care of the academy laundry and the mending as well, who was baker for some forty people, who cared for the stock, acted as infirmarian and who, best of all, was always as cheerful as she was efficient.

“It was Sister Francis who was perhaps Mother Theodore’s greatest comfort and joy. The very opposite of Sister Olympiade, Sister Francis was never able to do any hard work, but her humility and her love of God were a constant inspiration to her superior as well as to the novices whom she trained. At Ruillé, Mother Mary [Lecor] had said Sister Francis was ‘good only to love God,’ but it was this love which gave her value to her congregation. As time went on she lost much of her early timidity — no doubt because of her constant work among novices and postulants. Her English was still faulty, but even so she made an excellent teacher, one who taught by example as well as by words. More and more she was put in charge of the convent when Mother Theodore was ill or away on a trip. Of herself she wrote to one of the sisters at Ruillé, ‘I am a little less disorderly in my affairs, a little more proper in my appearance — but my cap is still always a little crooked.’

“ … Mother Theodore called her the saint in the house, the angel of virtue whose example animated her, ‘I am in the chapel near her, distracted with temporalities and business, and see her there, lost in God,’ she said, ‘and I come away strong again to meet life.’” (page 141)

To learn more about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, click here.

Women’s History Month: ‘remoteness did not daunt people’

Although Saint Mother Theodore had her reservations about the remoteness of the location of Congregation, “The Eighth American Saint” illustrates how this fear was soon quelled.

“It did not take Mother Theodore very long to realize that despite its inaccessibility her school was going to prosper. She was beginning to learn, in fact, that nearly everything was inaccessible in that part of the country and that remoteness did not daunt people in the least; that even Saint Mary-of-the-Woods was not too isolated.

“It was also true that the little school was very simple, its furnishings were restricted to necessities, its lighting and heating very primitive; but the pupils were girls of pioneer stock and were used to privations. They did not expect anything better. Even the clothing and supplies they were asked to bring were simple — six summer and three winter dresses, a few towels and napkins, ‘a fine and a coarse comb and a small drinking cup.’

“The simplicity of the life did not trouble their parents either; what they wanted for their daughters was an education in the basics and in the graceful arts, and these they expected the sisters to supply. They evidently felt the sisters did, for the academy was soon going so well that Mother Theodore hoped to open a day school the following year. Already more Catholics were coming to the settlement, and obviously they were the poor for whom a free school would be needed.” (pages 112-113)

To learn more about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, click here.

Women’s History Month: Devotion to Our Lady

“The Eighth American Saint” describes Saint Mother Theodore’s devotions, especially her devotion to Our Lady:

“She [Saint Mother Theodore] had other devotions — to the Holy Spirit, to Our Lady, to the Holy Infancy, and she loved the tradition of guardian angels. This last she had brought with her from Ruillé, where the religious carried out the lovely custom of saluting the guardian angel of whomever they met. It was a devotion, she said, excellent for religious teachers, because their own duties to children were in so many ways like those of the guardian angels.

“St. Anne, too, she loved dearly, and the great Teresa; but the deepest and most tender of her devotions was to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for there she saw best exemplified the providence of God — their own title, their own aim.

“Almost from the time the sisters came to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Mother Theodore had established a devotion to Our Lady. ‘We began the month of Mary as solemnly as possible.’ She wrote in her journal in May, 1841, and it was a devotion that was to spread from their convent to Terre Haute and to other towns. Later the sodality of the Children of Mary was founded at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. This organization was the first of its kind in Indiana.” (pages 99-100)

To learn more about the spirituality of the Sisters of Providence, click here.

March 2006: Momentum is building

OK, on February 21, 2006, the announcement was made that the Ordinary Congregation of Cardinals in Rome had made an extraordinary gesture to the Sisters of Providence by accepting as authentic the second miracle for then-Blessed Mother Theodore Guerin's cause, paving the way for her to become saint.

Various committees were meeting to plan strategies. A communications committee had been meeting regularly. A local celebration planning committee was on the horizon, and pending the expected approval by Pope Benedict XVI, the committee preparing the journey to Rome was gaining momentum. In fact, the intensity level was elevating just about everywhere as excitement filled the hearts in the Congregation. The only step left was the pope's approval.

Media were beginning to sense the excitement as well. They wanted to know more about what this pronouncement would mean. Could they actually talk to the person who received the miracle cure? Could they come to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for interviews? It started slowly with local media, then spread to most major newspapers and television stations in Indiana. There were even a few requests for live radio call-in conversations.

The committees were hard at work to form the right messages to share, focusing on the educational opportunities wherever Sisters of Providence might be in ministry, including Asia. As Mother Nature shed its Winter coat and Spring's renewal began to blossom, the energy was building for what would soon become reality.

See you in April.

Women’s History Month: The excitement of letters and spring

“The Eighth American Saint” describes what joy spring and letters from France brought to the nascent Congregation:

“Spring came at last, their first spring in their new home. It was heralded by a long, hoarse whistle from the banks of the river, for the ice had broken and this was the signal that announced that navigation on the Wabash had begun again. The air grew balmy; trees were green with early leaf. At the convent doors, wild flowers bloomed, and in the forest farmers were tapping the maple trees for sap. The sisters from France saw for the first time the beauty of Indiana in April, with plum and hawthorn blossoms making the air sweet and the bright plumage of birds everywhere.

“At Saint Mary’s, they rejoiced in the variety the season brought, for the winter had been a time of monotony. Their greatest excitement had been the arrival of letters from France, and these were read again and again. These letters brought about an odd custom, carried out in a spirit of sacrifice but a source of difficulty to later historians of the sisters’ early days: when they wanted a certain favor very much, they burned some of these treasured letters as an offering to God of their dearest possessions.

“Fortunately many of these letters survived. Letters from Mother Mary [Lecor], from the bishop of Le Mans, from the curé of Soulaines, were nearly all preserved.” (pages 91-92)

To learn more about the Sisters of Providence Archives, click here.

New Shrine coordinator beaming about ministry opportunity

Sister Jan Craven is on top of the world when she goes home each night from her hodgepodge of excitement. She was named coordinator of the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods a little more than a month ago and she's enjoying the kaleidoscope of activities.

She could be reading emails, receiving prayer requests from around the world, meeting people, leading tours, or learning new ways to incorporate Mother Theodore's presence and legacy into her own prayer life.

"Each day is different and that's something I really love," she said. "I've learned a lot about Mother Theodore. I need to know a lot more, too. I thought I knew a lot about this woman already, but there is so much more to learn, to reflect on, to incorporate into my own prayer life."

Speaking of prayers, requests for spiritual support have come from Italy, Holland, Paraguay and other nations just in the short time Sister Jan has ministered as coordinator. Here's an example:

"One man, he's a famous chef from New Jersey. He's an executive chef at a French restaurant. He was browsing through Barnes and Noble's one day. He picked up a book on Mother Theodore. He has requested prayers and relics. We've been in communication. He's even shared some of his recipes with me," she remarked.

Sister Jan said there are several committees working to carry forward the story of Saint Mother Theodore in various ways, most notably focusing on the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Fest at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Oct. 21-23, 2011. Keep watching for details about that exciting weekend.

And if you see Sister Jan around the motherhouse grounds, or find her at a meeting or event, watch out, her enthusiasm is contagious.

Remembering a friend

Sister Mary Alice, right, and me at our first
Providence Associate Advisory Board meeting.

This blog is written from my heart about a woman who was more than a colleague, but a friend. You see, I have been privileged to work for and with Sister Mary Alice Zander for the last six years. I work in the communications part of the Office of Congregational Advancement, and I was blessed with being selected to work with Sister Mary Alice and the Providence Associate Relationship.

On March 5, 2011, Sister Mary Alice left us after a long, courageous and hope-filled battle with cancer. Perhaps “hope-filled battle” sounds incongruous, but hope is exactly what she gave each of the people who loved her. Her two years of surgeries and chemotherapies would have left most of us depleted. I’m not saying Sister Mary Alice didn’t struggle and have bad days, but I personally know that every time I talked with her on the phone, via e-mail or in person, I came away feeling the positive energy that always exuded from her. Yes, that energy radiated from her even when her health was declining.

And like so many others whose lives were touched by Sister Mary Alice, my heart is very heavy and a huge piece of me is missing. I grieve that I will no longer be in the physical presence of this woman of Providence. I miss her gentle ways. I miss how she made you feel when you talked with her that you were the only one she wanted to be with. I miss her sense of humor. And I just miss her.

Yesterday, Sister Jan Craven, one of Sister Mary Alice’s many good friends, saw that I was struggling and talked with me. Yes, she, too, grieves for her dear friend and sister. But she also reminded me that we are all left not only with good memories of Sister Mary Alice, but also with her energy.

To help me remember Sister Mary Alice I created a video that will hopefully help others to remember this very special woman. To view the video, click here.

Indeed my life has been blessed and is far richer for having known Sister Mary Alice Zander. And like so

Women’s History Month: English as a Second Language

“The Eighth American Saint” describes how the French sisters learned English after arriving at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in October of 1840:

“Sister Theodore made ready to greet the new postulants as best she could in her few words of English. One of them was a French girl, Josephine Pardeillan, from Alsace; she had arrived earlier and had been living for some time with the Picquets at Sainte-Maire [Ill.]. Two others came from Vincennes — Frances Theriac and Genevieve Dukent. The fourth, who had also been for some time in Vincennes, was Mary Doyle. She had been Sister Gabriella, a Sister of Charity of Emmitsburg [Md.], who Bishop de la Hailandière [image on this page] had persuaded to leave her own congregation and join the Sisters of Providence.

“Sister Theodore was not happy about accepting ex-members from other congregations; in fact, the rule forbade it. But in this case the bishop had acted before the sisters came, without reference to her judgment, and she was not sufficiently established to take a stand. Then, too, it seemed that in Mary Doyle they had a valuable acquisition. She was about twenty-five years old, well educated in French and English, a good musician, and reputed to be an excellent teacher. She knew the locale well, for she had taught at Vincennes for almost three years. She was what Sister Theodore needed most of all: an English teacher. To learn English was a vital need for the French sisters, and Mary Doyle was willing to teach them.” (page 84)

To learn more about the interesting twists in the life of Mary Doyle, visit The Gift Shop to purchase “The Eighth American Saint.”

SPs welcome two new postulants in Asia

Sisters of Providence will welcome two new postulants on March 23 through its Asian mission. In addition, three postulants will become canonical novices.

Please keep these women and their SP directors in your prayers. The five women in Asia join eight women in the U.S. in initial formation with the Sisters of Providence.

The Sisters of Providence have had a missionary presence in Asia since 1920, when six sisters responded to a call for missions. Mother Maria Gratia Luking is considered the foundress of the mission in Asia.

According to a study on religious vocations completed in 2009, 34 percent of religious communities have no women in initial formation. The Sisters of Providence will now have 13, placing us in the top 8 percent of religious communities nationwide in terms of numbers of women in initial formation

This is a hope-filled, energetic sign for the future.

Women’s History Month: Such speed!

“The Eighth American Saint” describes the railroad experience of Mother Theodore and her traveling companions:

“They rode to Philadelphia on the South Amboy and Camden Railroad, opened only a few years before, the first rail route between New York and Philadelphia. The locomotive, the John Bull by name, was imported from England and was the first the sisters had ever seen. It was amazingly large and the coaches were too, seating a least forty people. The train went like lightning, past fields and villages with white houses and green blinds, along a canal where they saw boats pulled jerkily by a horse that walked along one bank. They were glad they did not have to travel so slowly. The train, they were told, went twenty miles in a single hour. The sisters were not at all alarmed by going so fast and greatly enjoyed the new experience.” (page 65)

To learn more about the transportation of the mid-1800s, click here.

(Image credit: The Library of Congress)

Congrats to our SXSW star!

It seems like everyone is talking about the South by Southwest Conferences and Festival taking place today through March 20 in Austin, Texas. The Sisters of Providence are proud to have our very own connection to this celebration of music, media, film and interactive technologies through our very own Christina Blust.

Christina is the graphic designer/photography coordinator for the Sisters of Providence. You definitely know her work as the designer for our website and other online tools, such as this blog!

But her creative spirit isn't contained within this job. In her spare time, she is a singer-songwriter. She released a solo album, Sudden Amaryllis in 2009, and is the member of the Terre Haute based folk group Yearbook Committee, which just released their album, Sing Till You Die, last week.

Yearbook Committee was chosen from thousands of entries to perform at SXSW and will have their official showcase at 9 p.m. March 16 at Esther's Follies in Austin.

Many of Christina's songs from her solo album were inspired by her time as a Providence Volunteer Minister with the Sisters of Providence, as well as her other social justice work, her family and life.

One of Christina's contributions to Yearbook Committee's Sing Till You Die is "The Ballad of Eleanor Cecilia Bailly," a song about the life and history of Mother Mary Cecelia Bailly, the second general superior of the Sisters of Providence.

Congratulations, Christina!

Women’s History Month: France disappears over the horizon

“The Eighth American Saint” describes the feelings of Saint Mother Theodore as her ship leaves France:

“At last, on July 27, the hour they had both hoped for and dreaded arrived. The sails extended, one after the other, as the wind swelled them. The land grew dim to the little group at the rail, until first Port Francis disappeared, and then the last bit of land faded.

“Sister Theodore, learning against the cordage, watched the shore of her country flying away from her until it was only a line on the far horizon. She stood there thinking of all she was leaving — her convent home, her sisters, Soulaines, her own sister Marie. Then she turned and saw her sisters in tears, for their thoughts were like her own. She forgot her own grief in comforting them. (page 57)

To learn more about Saint Mother Theodore, click here.

‘Falling into the arms of Providence’

Jenny Nowalk of Culver, Ind., became a Providence Associate two years ago. As she went through her candidacy process she shared her journey with her husband, Bob. Bob became intrigued and also desired a fuller understanding of Providence spirituality.

“As [Jenny] began her year of discernment, I was beginning my last year in active ministry as the Catholic liaison to the 270+ Catholic students of the Culver Academies. I had held this position for 12 years and had acted as catechist, ministry trainer and sacristan. Prayer had led me to discern that God would allow me to lay fallow for a year before giving me an inkling of what would come next,” said Bob.

“As Jenny began her year as a Providence Associate, I became Bob in the pew, one of the many who gather each week to fill the church with the collective yearning for the transcendent presence of Christ. In many respects Jenny’s journey was in my awareness as my prayer for her focused on what she was doing. I read some of the materials, the Litany of Non-Violence and ‘A Woman for All Time’ and, within a year, I found myself yearning to join her free-fall into the arms of Providence,” shared Bob.

To learn more about Bog and his “free-fall” into Providence, click here. To learn more about Providence Associates, visit here.

Women’s History Month: China or Russia? Yes. New World? No.

“The Eighth American Saint” describes some of the feelings Mother Theodore had about leaving her beloved France for the New World:

“Sister Theodore, on a short trip to Soulaines to settle certain matters there, went to say goodbye to the doctor who had given her medical training when she first came there. He was very troubled to hear she was going so far away. ‘It is like hearing that a friend has been condemned to death,’ he said. ‘And you are far from well, Sister. Think of the hardships of the journey and then of the rough life in that wild country.’

“‘Well, I had never thought of going to America myself,’ said Sister Theodore, ‘and I am still surprised to know that I am actually going. I did want to work for souls in other lands, but I always thought of going to China or Russia — and instead it is to be the New World.’

“Later, when she wrote to say goodbye to her sister Marie, she had to repeat these words, for Marie had wept at the thought of her sister going away — ‘so far and to such a wild place.’

“‘I am certain it is the will of God for me to go there,’ Sister Theodore told Marie, but the latter remained unconvinced. ‘You will be unhappy so far from home, and in a place where the language is different and the customs too,’ Marie answered.

“‘I know, I know all that. I am even now torn between a desire to get to work there very soon and the knowledge that my heart will all but break when I leave. I do love you all and Ruillé and Soulaines and all my beloved France. But I am sure it is God’s will for me, Marie — of that I am certain.’” (pages 51-52)

To learn more about Saint Mother Theodore, click here.

Jennie Bear: becoming a friend to the Congregation

“I first met three Sisters of Providence in 1994 when they delivered a grant proposal to my office at the Indiana Department of Education. Sisters Barbara Ann Zeller, Joanne Cullins, and Eugene Francis Keaveney were happy and upbeat. Their proposal was selected for funding, and I worked with them for the next 10 years, receiving reports, approving expenses, and evaluating their adult education program. …

“One day when I was at the Woods to evaluate the adult education program, these … women and I went to lunch. … I was in awe of this group of women who do what they love and love what they do, who live their faith through action every day of their lives. In time, I felt more a friend to them than a funding source,” says Jennie Bear, a Providence Candidate-Associate from Reno, Nev.

Jennie, who is being companioned by Providence Associate Linda McMahon of San Clemente, Calif., is about half way through her year of candidacy. In a recent interview, Jennie shares a little about her own story and why she wants to become a Providence Associate. Click here to learn more.

Want to become a Providence Associate? Here’s how

As the Lenten season and spring approach, what better time to ponder becoming a Providence Associate? The application process for 2011-2012 Providence Candidate-Associates is now open until June 30.

Do you have a yearning to deepen your spiritual journey? Do you want a deeper and richer relationship with the Sisters of Providence? Do you wish to know more about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin? Then you might want to think about becoming a Providence Associate.

To find out how to apply to become a Providence Associate, click here.

Women’s History Month: God chooses the humble

Like any human, Saint Mother Theodore had her doubts about her upcoming mission to the New World. “The Eighth American Saint” describes her feelings:

“What chiefly troubled her [Saint Mother Theodore] about this new mission was that its success or failure would depend on her. She was already forty-one years old, perhaps too old for pioneering; she had never been in really good health since she was a postulant. On the other hand, there were no ties of family to hold her. Her mother had died the year before; her sister Marie was happily married.

“More than once during those last months at Soulaines, Sister Theodore’s courage failed her. She was tempted to tell Mother Mary [Lecor, image on this page] that she could not go, but she was held back by the fact that on her depended the establishment of the mission. The group could not go if she withdrew. She had all but completely made up her mind to accept when she learned she would be given the title of superior general for the new group and any other houses set up in the United States ‘until such time as the bishop of Le Mans and the bishop of Vincennes shall otherwise jointly decide.’ Again her courage failed her.

“This time she decided to write to the bishop of Le Mans for advice. He answered reassuringly that our Lord did not choose the powerful of earth for His apostles, but humble working people: ‘Let us then consider ourselves nothing, but let us be ready for anything. Since you have been chosen, think of nothing but preparing yourself in the best manner you are able; bring to it a good will and rely constantly on help from above.’” (page 48)

To learn more about Saint Mother Theodore, click here.

Women’s History Month: Thank goodness she said no!

Prior to her entrance into the Sisters of Providence of Ruillé, France, Anne-Thérèse Guerin (aka Saint Mother Theodore) did have a few suitors. “The Eighth American Saint” describes an encounter between Anne-Thérèse and one young man:

“‘I feel I must do something for God,’ she said falteringly, ‘and for souls. It is the only way I can help.’

“‘What can woman do to help?’ he asked with an amused smile. ‘Anyway, leave it to others — and marry me.’

“To this first question she had no answer ready; his offer of marriage she refused. But after he had gone, she began to wonder if perhaps she had been too bold in thinking she could really do something for God. She felt vaguely distressed, but she began to draw from her store of names of women who had done things for God, and this made her feel better. First of all there was Our Lady, greatly daring, greatly obedient. There was Judith, who had freed her people, and Esther who had delivered hers by her bravery and wit. There was Catherine of Siena, unafraid of the brilliant men who opposed her; Clare holding up the monstrance before the Saracens at Assisi; the great Teresa, tramping through Spain on her errands for God; Margaret Mary who worked for God in her quiet cloister.

“Anne-Thérèse would never be among those great names; that she knew, but she felt in her heart that there was a work ahead of her that would advance the kingdom of God — a small work, but nevertheless hers. What it was or where it would take her she did not know. But she was definitely certain that it was in the religious life that her own work must be carried out.” (page 33)

To purchase “The Eighth American Saint,” click here.