Go global with a New Year’s resolution

National global warming preach-in Feb. 10-12.

As the new year fast approaches, many people are thinking about resolutions. Often the resolution addresses one’s health or relationships. Resolutions are good, especially if they are accompanied by perseverance. 

In considering a commitment to improving personal health, why not a commitment to the health of Earth?

There is a growing awareness of the plight of Earth, its fragility, and the devastating abuses impacting its health. A healthy planet contributes significantly to healthy inhabitants, including humans.

Many organizations invite participation in saving the planet. One such organization is Interfaith Power and Light. They are organizing a National Preach-In on Global Warming Feb. 10-12, 2012. Visit their website. Learn more about the preach-in. Get involved. Involve your faith community in this national effort, for the well-being of Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.

Please let us know if you hope to participate in this event or have made a new commitment to the health of Earth by leaving a comment below.

It's your last chance for 2011 tax credit!

Sisters of Providence gather for the 2011 General Chapter.

The Sisters of Providence are eternally grateful for the support of our faithful benefactors and companions who contribute in many ways to the life, mission and ministries of the Sisters of Providence.

As we wrap up 2011, we want to issue one last gift-giving reminder. We know many of our readers have already made an annual donation and we appreciate your support! For others, this is a gentle reminder that time has almost run out to get your tax credit for a 2011 donation.

Our online donation form always accepts gifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so any donation made by midnight Dec. 31 will be counted as a 2011 gift.

If you'd like to mail a check, donations must be postmarked by Dec. 31 for us to process it as a 2011 gift. You can mail a check to: Sisters of Providence, Office of Congregational Advancement, 1 Sisters of Providence Road, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876.

As always, all of our companions in Providence are remembered in the daily prayers of the Sisters of Providence. Whether you contribute to the Sisters of Providence by praying, by volunteering your time, by contributing as a staff member, Providence Associate or board member, or by making donations, you are deeply appreciated as you partner with the Sisters of Providence in mission and ministry.

Remembering 2011 in photos

Sister Diane Mason is blessed by candidates and associates during last spring’s retreat.

2011 was a busy one for Providence Associates, Candidate-Associates and the Sisters of Providence. We bade farewell to Sister Mary Alice Zander, first director of the Providence Associate Relationship, in March. But as Sister Mary Alice would have wanted it, we kept busy throughout the year.

Last spring’s retreat featured then-General Officer Sister Marie McCarthy and General Superior Sister Denise Wilkinson. A very special part of this retreat was the blessing by associates and candidates of Sister Diane Mason in her new role as director.

During the year there were renewal ceremonies, orientations and local gatherings. Sister Catherine “Cathy” Schwemer, PHJC, was the main speaker during June’s Annual Gathering. During this gathering, Providence Associates met with sisters for the opening of the Congregation’s 2011 General Chapter. The year culminated in the Rite of Commitment and Renewal at the Woods in November.

This past fall, we said goodbye to Sister Jane Marie Osterholt, former General Officer liaison to the relationship, and welcomed Sister Dawn Tomaszewski as our new liaison.

A new video unwraps memories of  2011.

Father Dan raises a village

It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes Father Dan Hopcus to raise a village at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

Father Dan Hopcus talks
about the Christmas village.

Father Dan (pictured, at left), chaplain for the Sisters of Providence, welcomed sisters and staff members to his Dec. 22 open house to view the village he has worked on, and added to, for three decades.

So just how did this fascination with the village people and miniature town begin?

"Some 30 years ago, I was given this first piece — a Starbucks," he said, pointing to the tiny coffee shop. It was a gift from Sister Paula Damiano, who knew he loved coffee.

"Then, I got another piece and someone said, 'Oh, you collect those?' I didn't know I was collecting them," he said, with a chuckle.

Guests admire the village, as Father Dan
welcomes them to his Open House.

But over time Father Dan was bitten by the collecting bug. "I'd go into a shop and there would be a sign ... 60 percent off!" he noted.

How could he resist?

The Christmas village and adjoining works are a beautiful and fun way to celebrate the season. Father Dan has counted on Sister Paula Damiano, Sister Marie McCarthy and Sister Jan Craven to help him set things up. The sisters were happy to help, telling him: "You help us decorate our house so we should help decorate yours."

A choir "performs" in the village.

Father Dan's village includes several houses and shops, an airport (with a plane approaching and ready to land), a Post Office and a police station with a doughnut shop next door. You'll see a choir performing carols and there's wildlife, too, as a tiny fox peeks out among the buildings. The village is well lighted. Lights adorn the trees along the streets and homes are aglow. By golly, there's even a full moon.

"Who pays the light bill?" one sister joked at the open house.

Father Dan said there is a little something new added to the village each year. This year's additions included a flower shop and a Main Street pharmacy. He still receives some village items as gifts; others he buys.

For many of us this year, our gift was seeing Father Dan's Christmas village representing Peace on Earth.

Picture of the week: December 22

Today the new greenhouse at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice is getting a roof! Two sheets of sturdy translucent plastic form the covering. A fan will create a pocket of air between the two layers, creating a wonderful insulation to keep the interior the perfect temperature no matter the season.

Saint Mother Theodore Guerin's original log cabin church nears completion

Do you want to pray? Do you want to experience a little history? Do you want to sit quietly in a peaceful, natural place?

The new old cabin at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods might be just the place for you. The Sisters of Providence, their staff and a group of volunteers have had this project in incubation for five years. Now, it has become reality.

Erected near the stone marking the place where Saint Mother Theodore Guerin first visited when she arrived here in 1840, the new replica of the first log cabin chapel is nearly complete. Some trim work needs to be finished. Work is continuing on the interior furnishes and the sidewalk needs to placed when the ground dries sufficiently. Benches also will be placed inside and outside to accommodate those who wish to stay a while.

The cabin will be open to visitors soon. A dedication and blessing is planned for Women in History  Month in March, but no date has been set yet.

The cabin was made possible by a donation from David and Faye Masterson of Owensville, Indiana, and was brought to life by Terre Haute volunteers Keith Ruble, Max Miller and Earl Rodgers. Funding assistance was provided by the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau. Also, some of the men from the U.S. Penitentiary camp near Terre Haute provided labor to build the replica.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to share an important piece of our history with our friends, companions and visitors. Our sisters are really excited about it. We believe Mother Theodore would look at this project fondly for the amount of loving effort that went into it. We are truly fortunate to have this available for everyone to enjoy and we are grateful to all who made this possible," said Sister Denise Wilkinson, general superior.

Christmas season liturgies and services

The Sisters of Providence schedule of Christmas season liturgies and services to celebrate and honor the birth of Jesus is listed below. All services are open to the public and to people of all faith traditions. All gatherings are in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

• The Christmas Vigil is 7-8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. Sisters of Providence and the wider community will gather for a reflective prayer service that includes scripture readings, prayer, instrumental carols, singing of carols and candle lighting. Eucharistic Liturgy will be at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 24.

Sisters of Providence Christmas tree in Owens Hall.

• Christmas Day will be celebrated with Eucharistic Liturgy at 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. A prelude of instrumental carols and singing will begin at 10:45 a.m.

• The Feast of the Holy Family will be celebrated Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, with Eucharistic Liturgy at 11:30 a.m.

• New Year’s Eve Eucharistic Liturgy will be at 11:30 a.m. The Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God, will be celebrated with Eucharistic Liturgy at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012. Christmas Season Vespers will take place at 4:30 p.m.

• Eucharistic Liturgy for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord will be at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012. Christmas Season Vespers again will be offered at 4:30 p.m.

• Eucharistic Liturgy for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 9, 2012.

Also, this information may be viewed on our online calendar.

Opwatki is another name for love

This week, my wonderfully NON-Polish sister-in-law will travel to a Polish deli near her home outside of Chicago in search of kielbasa. She has chosen this deli because her daughter’s band director told her she also would find Opwatki there.

Opwatki is another name for love.

“I know we have to have Opwatki,” she told me proudly when we spoke over the phone about the menu for the Christmas Eve party she is hosting for my family.

For most of the past 12 Christmas Eves while living in Chicago, I hosted this gathering for my family. There was always kielbasa and pierogi and sauerkraut and dumplings. And always there was Opwatki.

In the Polish tradition, the Christmas Eve meal starts with the sharing of the blessed Opwatki, a wafer similar to the communion wafer used by Catholics for the Eucharistic Liturgy.

At our gatherings, the head of each of the families present receives a wafer imprinted with some image of the nativity. A piece of the wafer is broken off and exchanged with each other family member, with a wish for good health and happiness. Once finished with their own families, they move into each other’s family circles, sharing pieces of wafer and greetings with the aunts, uncles and cousins of their lives.

You might call this a Polish version of the handshake of peace. I call it love … the kind of love that only God provides … a moment of communion when all that divides us, when all that troubles us is forgotten and exchanged for a promise of peace on Earth, good will toward all. 

What will your family exchange this Christmas?

Connecting with something bigger

Sister Dawn Tomaszewski

“The [associate] movement is growing. It seems to me that there is a future for this movement because of people’s deep desire for connection with something and someone bigger than themselves — to express and live a charism that is already deep within themselves. This movement seems to have found a way for people to do this in a meaningful way, in a mutually beneficial way for the religious communities involved and for the associates themselves,” says Sister Dawn Tomaszewski in her first interview since becoming the General Officer liaison to the Providence Associate Relationship.

The gathering of associates and sisters in St. Meinrad, Ind., on Sunday, Dec. 11, illustrates how these two communities come together in meaningful ways. On that day, five Providence Associates in southern Indiana and Kentucky renewed their commitments. Supporting them were not only sisters, but associates who had recently made their first commitments as well as other associates.

Sister Dawn has been a companion for an associate. This experience will definitely help her as she provides leadership and insight into the relationship. She says about her time with her candidate: “Having had the privilege of being a companion to an associate and participating in various association activities in Chicago with other associates and their companions gave me the opportunity to see the movement in action. I have a real desire to support these efforts and for this relationship to grow, for our collaboration to deepen.”

Learn more about Sister Dawn and Providence Associates by checking out our latest issue of PA newSPaper.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

As we begin this third week of Advent, we are mindful of the “holy ones” who model for us by their lives, how we, too, might “be with” those around us who find themselves on the margins of society. How we, too, may by a source of strength and hope to those most in need. For many, Our Lady of Guadalupe is indeed one of those “holy ones.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe actually came to “baptize” the union of the Spaniard and the Indian, so that out of the diversity of these two cultures we would have a greater source of richness and greater source of life. Not only did the Indian undergo change of life and culture, but also the Spaniard.

Our Lady of Guadalupe not only came to stand with her people in distress and to encourage them in their struggles, but she also brought to them the faith and the hope that the people needed to undergo their pain and their sorrow. She is a loving symbol of the compassionate Mother who continues to encourage the poor, the disinherited, and powerless in their struggles toward seeking freedom as children of God.

It is evident that Our Lady of Guadalupe is an integral part of the Mexican people, not only in Mexico itself, but also in all parts of the world where there is a Mexican root and tradition. However, she finds her place in the very heart of all the children of the land.

She is a living force and inspiration in all people’s struggles. Mary, under the title of “Our Lady of Guadalupe” is the blessed patroness of the Americas.

The Gift Shop featuring special ornaments

Make your way in person or online to The Gift Shop at Providence Center in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Today is the last day for The Gift Shop's Light Up for Christmas Sale. Sunday hours are 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.Sunday.

The Gift Shop is featuring a great selection of gifts sure to please your loved ones. If you are shopping in person at the Light Up for Christmas Sale, take your selections to the check-out counter. You will be asked to draw a colorful bulb from our holiday stocking. Depending upon the color of the bulb, you will receive a discount from 10 to 40 percent. (Some restrictions apply.) You can also shop online here.

Among the merchandise this year are the beautiful Saint Mother Theodore Guerin ornament and an ornament showing the birthplace and childhood home of Saint Mother Theodore in Estables-sur-Mer in Brittany, France. Both are sure to be keepsake items.

The Saint Mother Theodore Guerin ornament is full color and oval. It measures 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" and comes with a red ribbon hanger. The reserve reads: Saint Mother Theodore Guerin; 1798-1856, Foundress of the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. You can order it online or find out more details here.

The ornament of Saint Mother Theodore's birthplace and childhood home has a photo taken at Estables-sur-Mer in Brittany, France, by French photographer Jean Michel Daoudal, who gave The Gift Shop permission to use his photo. The birthplace ornament is a first in a series. It is a full color, 3-inch round ornament. You can order the birthplace ornament or find out more details here.

The Gift Shop has several more unique and beautiful gifts for persons, both young and old, on your shopping list. For more details, call The Gift Shop at 812-535-2947 or 1-866-996-2947 (toll free). Regular hours at The Gift Shop are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday, and 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday & Sunday.

No lumps of coal for these sisters!

Santa and Mrs. Claus join one nice and one naughty Hillier and Jan and Ron Easter to bring Christmas cheer to the sisters.

Santa and Mrs. Claus made a surprise visit to the Woods on the feast of St. Nicholas, Dec. 6. Thanks to Providence Associates Kathryn and Richard Hillier, sisters received good cheer and some presents from the jolly ol’ fellow from the North Pole.

Before the arrival of St. Nicholas, the Hilliers introduced singing duo Jan and Ron Easter of Charleston, Ill. This pair got the sisters singing, moving, clapping and toe-tapping! Lots of familiar tunes were sung, including some Christmas carols.

Santa and Mrs. Claus agree that Sister Rosalie Marie Weller has been good this year.

Sisters Joan Matthews (second from right) and Agnes Maureen Badura help Jan and Ron Easter belt out “Rocky Top.”

Sister Joanna Brown blends her voice with Ron’s.

Sister Martha Ann Rifner uplifts her voice in song.

Carolers on horseback

Some Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College seniors, staff and faculty spread Christmas cheer.

Some Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) staff, faculty and Mari Hulman George Equine Studies seniors traveled around Saint Mary-of-the-Woods singing Christmas carols on horseback this week for the Equine Holiday Ride at the Woods.

The top three photos above show SMWC President Dottie King and two students spreading Christmas cheer outside LeFer Hall on Tuesday. In the two bottom photos the children and staff at Woods Day Care/Pre-School enjoy the Christmas carols.

Educational/Family Services: a second chance at education

Dale Howk, left, studies vocabulary words with his volunteer
tutor Ron Horndasch during his tutoring session
at Educational/Family Services in West Terre Haute, Ind.

It’s never too late to learn.

Educational/Family Services, our Guerin Outreach Ministries sponsored ministry in West Terre Haute, Ind., puts that belief into action. Dale Howk, a 25-year-old from Rosedale, Ind. is just one of the adults who benefits from the free basic adult education and the free after-school tutoring for children that are offered here.

"The most rewarding part has been the confidence it has built in me," Dale said. "I’ve always been a shy reader, and I wouldn’t read out loud. But now I’m confident enough to sit down and read a book and even read out loud."

Read more about Dale’s journey to greater literacy.

Read more about the ministry at Educational/Family Services, including ways you can help from volunteering tutoring to donating snacks and supplies.

California candidates attend orientation

Five Providence Candidate-Associates and their companions gather with Sister Diane Mason (foreground) for a photo.

It was a beautiful day in Coachella, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 3, for five Providence Candidate-Associates and their companions to participate in an orientation about the Providence Associate Relationship. Several sisters, two Providence Associates and a few friends gathered in the home of Sisters Concetta Bañez, Loretta Picucci and Carol Nolan for a day of introductions, prayer, conversation and dinner.

During the orientation, Providence Associate Pat Ruck renewed her commitment for five years.

Pat Ruck signs her commitment form as Sister Diane Mason looks on.

Sister Mary Evangelista, Jessye the Cat, and Advent Waiting

By Sister Lisa Stallings

A number of years ago, when she was well into her nineties, Sister Mary Evangelista Herber (RIP) told me that she had decided to learn to wait. Her life involved a good deal of waiting, she reported. She had never been very good at it, so she had begun to use the ordinary activities of her day to build the habit of waiting well.

The most useful exercise, she said, was waiting for the elevator. Instead of looking up at the numbers above the doors, tracking their progress and growing more impatient with each stop, Sister Mary Evangelista had trained herself simply to look at the doors. "And when they open," she said, "I get on."

Jessye the Cat could wait. 

Jessye the Cat also knows how to wait. Jessye is past her prime now, but in her day, she was a champion pouncer. She would wait, crouched and alert, poised for action, ready to spring at whatever came into her line of vision — a shadow on the wall, a feather on a string, a hapless cricket or ladybug who dared venture into her domain. And when the time was right, she acted swiftly, decisively, purposefully. Jessye the Cat could pounce. And she could wait.

For Christians, Advent is a season of waiting — not passive, standing-in-the-checkout-line waiting, but active, purposeful waiting for the commemoration of the birth of Jesus, for the inbreaking of the Holy One into our world and our lives.

Like Sister Mary Evangelista, we wait in stillness for what we know will come. Like Jessye the Cat, we wait in readiness — ready to hear God's word of justice in a new way, ready to act as agents of that justice in the world.

May we all know the blessings of this season of waiting.

Light Up for Christmas Sale is Dec. 5-11

Interested in buying presents for the holidays and saving money, too?

Then, come to The Gift Shop at Providence Center in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for the Dec. 5-11 Light Up for Christmas Sale. 

Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The Light Up for Christmas Sale gets its name from the discount a customer receives. Bring your items to the check-out counter in The Gift Shop, pull a colorful bulb from our holiday stocking and earn between 10-40% off your total purchase price. (Some restrictions apply.)

Our great selection of holiday gifts are sure to please children, adults and other loved ones on your shopping list. The Gift Shop features unique Saint Mother Theodore Guerin merchandise, along with crosses, Bibles, rosaries, jewelry, home decor, toys and books for children, coffees and teas, and alpaca fiber items from White Violet Farms. There are also many items handmade by the Sisters of Providence, including pillows, aprons, baby blankets, wall hangings and more.

For more information, call The Gift Shop at 812-535-2947 or 1-866-996-2947 (toll free).