Saint Mary-of-the-Woods scenery photos

The Reflection Garden is a small, peaceful setting at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. that can be enjoyed alone or with a group — and via the Internet like right here.

Please take a moment to soak up this beautiful scenery at the home of the Sisters of Providence from wherever you are in the world. Have a wonderful day!

Video captures moments of Providence weekend

Providence Associates Mike and Bernie Rydock of Elizabethtown, Pa., bow after presenting
the gifts during the Eucharistic Liturgy on Sunday, June 17.

It seems like there’s not much more we can share about the Providence Event 2012, Providence: Mystical Window on the World, with Ron Rolheiser, OMI, and the Providence Associates Annual Meeting June 15-18 at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, but we’re going to give them one last hurrah! This video highlights moments from this Providence weekend.

If this video has intrigued you about the Providence Associate Relationship, the application process to become an associate is open until June 30.

Praying for rain in a drought, other water issues

Being in drought conditions in our part of Indiana makes me think about water quite a bit – usually when I’m watering our garden.

Farm Manager Jeremy McKenzie tills the Sisters of
Providence cropland at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.
Forty-seven counties in Indiana are currently under a
burn ban due to lack of rain.

My meanderings take me to Scripture – Hebrew and Christian — and all the references to parched ground, the desert blooming or conversely the grass withering. I think about Jesus at the well and his conversation with the Samaritan woman.

I reflect on a mission trip to Mexico and listening to women from a very tiny village describe how they had a severe shortage of potable water because it had been diverted to a luxury hotel built nearby. One woman cried as she told us of watching hotel employees hose down horses as her children longed for drinking water.

Reading I’ve done regarding privatization of water vs. public administration, or public-private partnerships in the delivery of water occupies some of my thoughts. I am intrigued by the phrase “blue gold” to describe Earth’s water resources and sources and troubled by the implications of that phrase as well.

A June look at the CSA garden at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
The CSA is a program of White Violet Center for Eco-Justice,
a ministry of the Sisters of Providence.

I am aware of our own CSA gardens and our farm fields; I can picture the farms all around us and how much soaking rains are needed in all of these.

As we pray for rain during Eucharistic liturgy or in our communal or individual prayer, I get going on “what exactly are we praying for?” An end to global warming, to global deforestation, to the desertification of vast areas of Earth? God to change the cold fronts and warm fronts and atmospheric conditions necessary for rain? To divert rain from Minnesota and its flooding to Indiana? Or are we simply laying the recognition of our need before the Holy One, aware of our place in the vast created cosmos?

Well that’s what I’m pondering today. I will continue to water our garden and to pray for rain and to “trust in that Providence that has never failed us.”

And you?

Where better for a summer respite than Saint Mary-of-the-Woods?

Temporary shrine of Saint Mother Theodore
Guerin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence.

Saint Mother Theodore Guerin packed a trunk and headed out for a summer journey in 1840, hardly the ideal vacation voyage. Her travel of more than 5,000 miles brought her to a dense Indiana forest, as you know. There wasn’t much for her to see when she arrived. Alas, no postcards or souvenirs to be had.

Times have changed, for sure. Why not pack your travel bags and bring your family and friends to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for a day or a weekend, and you can probably even find those elusive postcards and souvenirs. You’ll see infinitely more than Saint Mother Theodore saw when she came here.

First off, you will want to visit the shrine of Saint Mother Theodore, the eighth U.S. saint. Then, you’ll want to spend some time walking through the Church of the Immaculate Conception, going to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, enjoying the Heritage Museum, touring the beautiful historic grounds, and, of course, visiting with Sisters of Providence and sharing their stories.

Sacred Heart Grove at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is a destination. You can enjoy nature’s beauty, find some spiritual time to reconnect with your soul and cherish the opportunity to kick back from society’s warp-speed pace.

It’s hard to say what brought all of them here, but from June 1st through June 15th, we had visitors from Missouri, Illinois, South Carolina, California, Nevada, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Kansas, Michigan, Texas, Washington, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. They also came from the Indiana cities of Indianapolis, Jasper, Hartford City, Princeton, Brazil, Danville, Evansville, Warsaw, Fort Wayne, and, of course, Terre Haute and West Terre Haute. And, to add a little international flavor, visitors from Sweden, Scotland and Canada signed the guest register in the Church of the Immaculate Conception during that time period. It’s a good bet that they wanted to spend a little time in the presence of Saint Mother Theodore, whose shrine is in the church.

Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint
Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

You know something you will not find at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods? Admission fees! So, plan your journey of peace, fulfillment, learning and enjoyment and invest some of your time at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The staff at Providence Center can assist you with any preparations or information you may need. Now, where was it you said you are planning to go on vacation? Have some friends you would like to bring with you? And, for those of you who have been here previously, what is it that you like best at the Woods?

Treasures from Archives

St. Sylvester Parish in Chicago has been around a long, long time. In fact, the parish was founded in 1884. The Sisters of Providence played an important role as educators in that parish, beginning in 1903.

The Rev. Michael O’Brien, third pastor of the parish, began his duties at the church in 1897. Two years later, he and the parish built their first school. Opening in 1900, the school was three stories tall and cost $25,000. The Sisters of Mercy initially had charge of the school, but the Sisters of Providence took over on Dec. 31, 1903.

In the files in Archives concerning St. Sylvester are several letters from the Rev. O’Brien to Mother Mary Cleophas Foley, general superior of the Congregation from 1890 to 1926. One such letter appears at right and concerns the proposition that Mother Mary Cleophas made to Father O’Brien concerning the SPs’ educational leadership of the parish school. The letter, dated Dec. 12, 1903, reads in part:

“Dear Sister, The proposition which you made to me last Thursday … that the teachers in my school receive 20 dollars per month and the music tuition go to the Community will be acceptable to me. I saw his Grace the Archbishop today and he approved of the step. …

“He also spoke very nicely of your Community and said he understood it did good work.

“I shall be ready for the sisters about the 30th of this month. I shall let you know just when they can come here. I think it would be well for two sisters to look the house over and if anything should be needed, they can get it at my expense.

“I believe in having sisters very comfortable. It encourages them in their work.”

St. Sylvester Parish, located at 2157 N. Humboldt Blvd., and its school are still going strong.

Another PA Annual Meeting comes to a close

Providence Associate Judy Jaberg (center) of Bunker Hill, Ind., responds to a comment during the 2012 Annual Meeting.

The time went by too quickly and another Providence Associate Annual Meeting is now over. A lot of hard work was completed, but there was also time for prayer, reconnection with one another and a bunch of laughter. More than 60 women and men from as far away as Washington state, New Hampshire, Georgia, Florida, Maryland and points in between came together at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Images from the June 17-18 meeting are now posted.

Prior to the Annual Meeting, many of these same associates participated in the Providence Event 2012, Providence: Mystical Window on the World, June 15-17. The featured speaker was Ron Rolheiser, OMI. This event was sponsored by the Women of Providence in Collaboration and was attended by more than 300 sisters and associates whose congregations bear the name and charism of Providence.

It was an awesome weekend for Providence people!

The spirit of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin was felt during the Providence Associate Annual Meeting.

Happy summer from the Sisters of Providence

Happy Summer Solstice! Tomorrow, June 20, is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.

We dipped into the Sisters of Providence photo files to show you what some sisters love about summertime.

Sister Marian Ruth Johnson, in the first photo, and Sister Mary Pat Peacock enjoy some fishing at St. Joseph Lake at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods back in 2004.

What says summer to you — picnics, blue skies, cookouts, flip flops, or lemon shake-ups? Is there a certain song that makes you think of summer? Please leave a comment below to share.

Have a safe and happy summer, everyone!

Annual Meeting: a time of work and of fun

These two happy faces best express the time that Providence Associates spent together during their Annual Meeting June 17-18. Providence Associates Beverly Adams (left) and Mel Marino Wolff, both of Chicago, are two of the more than 60 women and men who attended this year’s meeting which was held in the ballroom of LeFer Hall on the campus of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

The meeting was incredibly productive as the group worked hard to create mission and vision statements as well as a list of core values. While more work and input are needed, the associates have completed a strong foundation upon which to build their future with the Congregation.

In the days to come, check out our Providence Associates section to view more images from the event.

What a group!

Providence Event 2012 came to a close Sunday morning, June 17, with a Eucharistic Mass presided over by Father Daniel Hopcus. Upon the close of the event, General Superior Sister Denise Wilkinson had the wonderful idea to have a photographer take a group photo of all the Sisters of Providence and Providence Associates of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., attending the event. Hence the happy folks above!

Sunday afternoon then kicked off the Annual Meeting of Providence Associates. More than 60 women and men gathered for the third annual meeting. The meeting this year focuses on a vision statement for the associates and is being facilitated by Sister Paula Domiano. And since this was a Providence Associate event, there was also plenty of fun to be had!

The meeting continues today. Stayed tuned this week for more photos from our Annual Meeting.

Ron Rolheiser, OMI, headlines Providence Event

Ron Rolheiser, OMI, speaks during the Providence Event 2012 on Friday, June 15.

Ron Rolheiser, OMI, headlines this weekend’s Providence Event 2012, Providence: Mystical Window on the World. More than 300 sisters and associates whose congregations bear the name and charism of Providence plus several other guests are attending this event that is being held in O’Shaughnessy Dining Room in Providence Center. The day was sponsored by the Women of Providence in Collaboration (WPC).

Several members of Chicago Providence Women are attending the weekend events. Pictured above are (front row, left to right):  Ann Stauffer, Providence Associate Noreen Dennehy Jasinski, Sister Margaret Kelly and Providence Associate Lenore Renier; back row: Providence Associates Carol Passmore and Donna Kehoe.

Providence Associates Mike Rydock of Elizabethtown, Pa., and Pat Ruck (center) of Aliso Viejo, Calif., get a big laugh out of one of Father Ron’s jokes he told after everyone returned to O’Shaughnessy after a lunch break.

More images from Friday’s program are here.

First-generation American gives back at Providence Family Services in Chicago

Carla Hernandez is a first-generation American and a first generation college student. Growing up in a family that emigrated from Mexico and as a child of a single parent, Carla is keenly aware of the needs of immigrant families and their struggles. This understanding has impacted her life goals.

As a third-year student at DePaul University in Chicago, Carla has taken advantage of an opportunity to serve as an intern at Providence Family Services (PFS) in Chicago.

DePaul University intern Carla Hernandez works with two children in the
after-school homework club at Providence Family Services in Chicago.

Providence Family Services is a not-for-profit ministry of the Sisters of Providence that serves the largely Hispanic population in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. Providence Family Services provides sliding scale bi-lingual counseling, English as a Second Language classes, computer classes, citizenship classes, and an after-school homework club in which volunteer tutors help neighborhood children whose parents may not speak English well enough to assist them with homework at home.

“I have been able to work with the groups of people that I am most interested in assisting as I head closer towards my career path. My goal is to become a social worker and to help the underserved community, which is what PFS caters to every single day,” Carla said.

Carla and Yesenia Villalobos, also a third-year DePaul student intern, work 15 hours a week, largely with Providence Family Services after-school homework club. They also assist with clerical work, answer doors and phones and act as translators.

Sister Patty Fillenwarth, founder and director of Providence Family Services, is impressed by the students from DePaul.

“They are so enthusiastic, and they are bright. They like to help. They really come to do service. They are a wonderful help,” Sister Patty said.

Read more about our student interns at Providence Family Services. For more information on services offered or volunteer opportunities available at Providence Family Services, visit www.ProvidenceFamilyServices.org or call 773-235-8264.

Associate directors gather at the Woods

Sister Barbara McMullen, CDP, shares an overview of the day.

Thursday’s meeting of Women of Providence in Collaboration (WPC) associate directors and liaisons in the conference room of Providence Center kicks off a busy weekend for sisters and associates who bear the name and charism of Providence. This meeting represented the following congregations: Congregation of Divine Providence, San Antonio; Sisters of Providence, Holyoke, Mass.; Congregation of Divine Providence, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Sisters of Providence, Mother Joseph Province, Renton, Wash.; Congregation of Divine Providence of Kentucky, Melbourne, Ky.; Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, Kingston, Ontario, Canada; and the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

After a welcome by Sister Ann Margaret O’Hara, executive director of WPC, Sister JoAnn Showalter, SP (Sisters of Providence, Mother Joseph Province) led the group in prayer. The meeting was facilitated by Sister Barbara McMullen, CDP, who has held leadership positions in the North American Conference of Associates and Religious (NACAR) for several years.

In addition to providing an opportunity for WPC associate directors to network with one another, there were three topics for the meeting. These topics concerned connecting with associates who reside in geographic areas where there are few or no sisters; becoming a 501(c)(3) non-profit; and inviting potential associates from the local parishes. The meeting wrapped up mid-afternoon.

On Friday, more than 300 WPC sisters and associates will be gathering in O’Shaughnessy Dining Room in Providence Center for the Providence Event 2012, “Providence: Mystical Window on the World,” featuring guest speaker Ron Rolheiser, OMI.

Unconditional love

Each June we celebrate Father’s Day and we honor those men in our lives who either happen to be our birth father or those that have played a “father” role to us.
First and foremost, I must say that God could not have given me a better father and I could not be more grateful to God for the wonderful man my father is and always has been.

I’m aware that some of you may not have had a positive or loving experience with your own father or the father figure in your life but I would like to share some reflections from my own experience.

My own father is in very poor the health these days and so I cherish this coming Father’s Day in a way that is much different than years past. This year is not about shirts, ties, golf books, or any other novelty that my father may “like.” This year is simply about being together and cherishing the bond and love that we have shared over my last 40 years.

My dad and me.

I have never met a man that was more gentle, compassionate and generous than my father. My father sacrificed everything for me as well as for my brothers. There is no aspect of myself that was and is not loved by him.

Oh yes, I’m sure I gave him his share of gray hairs but regardless I always knew at my deepest level that I was loved by this man and nothing and no one would ever change that.

My mind flashes back a lot these days to better times and I remember the many moments that we shared together. There is an element of deep sadness to see such a decline in a man that was always so very active and “sharp minded.” However, I choose not to focus solely on the sadness and decline but on the new things that we are creating together in whatever time we have left to share.

These are the important gifts this father’s day: the cherished memories of old and new, the ability to just “be” present with each other whether that includes talk or silence. There is also the gift of being able to share my father with those in my life, particularly my sisters in community…those sisters that he has come to love and respect very much over the years. Oh, how he wishes he could make another trip to “The Woods” but physically he is unable to do so. So, we share stories about “The Woods” each time I return from a trip there and I update him on all his “girlfriends.”

My father has been the one person that has truly embraced my religious life choice and has loved and respected that choice from day one…even when he was “worried about his baby.” I don’t care how old I am, I think that label will always be with me. His only care in the world is that I am happy and peaceful and, yes, safe from the many long drives I make.

My only care in the world for him is now the same as his has always been for me…his happiness, his peace, as well as his safety as we entrust him to caregivers.

My promise to him for all that he has done for me: to love him to the best of my ability, to care for him even with professional caregivers involved, to make the right choices that result in what is best for him and to hopefully be the best daughter I can be.

In thanksgiving to our God for him, in thanksgiving to him for his many years of undying unconditional love, I now care for him as he has always cared for me.

The little hula hooper

Family Day 2012 brought me two assignments — ring toss and children’s golf.

To win at ring toss, one had to toss a Frisbee over a liter bottle of pop. Just an observation, boys took this way more seriously than girls. Hardly anyone managed to ring the bottle; but many boys took it personally.

We had one fellow, probably 8- or 9-years-old, come back 11 times until he finally won! His prize? The Frisbee — not a $10 dollar bill or anything valuable.

Obviously, his real prize was successfully accomplishing a goal he had set for himself. My prize was seeing his dazzling smile when the Frisbee landed.

Even though ring toss offered a study in human behaviors around “winning,” my favorite event of the day happened while I was helping with the golf.

The drill: a child would choose a plastic golf club, and we walked her or him over to one of three hula hoops on the lawn. We dropped three golf balls down in the grass and explained that s/he had three chances to putt the ball into the hoop. The distance of the balls from the hoop was determined very scientifically — by the size and age of the golfer.

Our pint-sized golfers displayed an amazing variety of grips on the club, swings and responses to missed shots. Some tried a one-handed approach; others used the club more like a croquet mallet. And, yes,
some just picked up the ball and dropped it into the hula hoop. (We adult helpers were rather lax in insisting on the “rules.”)

My absolute favorite of the day, however, was one little girl, maybe 3- or 4-years-old. She very seriously chose her club based on its color. She listened – again very seriously – to my directions. I stepped aside and, holding her club, she very seriously studied the three balls on the ground and looked over to the hula hoop.

This photo shows my favorite moment of the Sisters of Providence
Family Day 2012. This little hula hooper made me laugh. 

With that, she very carefully placed the club on the ground, She walked over to the hoop and stepped inside of it. To my delight, she then “hula hooped.”

Smiling and laughing, she tried to hula fast enough to make that hoop stay around her waist — to no avail. So she tried again and again — “laughing all the way.” All watching laughed with her!

Needless to say, she won a prize — for delighting herself and all of us who watched.

I went to bed that night smiling just thinking about her; I woke up the next morning and she was still on my mind and making me smile.

I hope I remember her approach the next time I’m confronted with a task or a challenge. I hope I find in that task or challenge that which delights me, makes me laugh, lifts my spirit and the spirit of others around me.

Thank you, Little Hula Hooper, for your life lesson — for your laughter.

Do you need an intervention?

It was no surprise that a rainbow appeared
during our visit at Guest House.

The Sisters of Providence leadership team just spent three days at an intensive workshop sponsored by Guest House for Religious Women, a ministry dedicated to providing the information, education, treatment and care needed to assure that women religious suffering from alcoholism and other specified addictions, have the best opportunity for quality recovery.

Entitled Walking with the Wounded, the workshop offered leaders and ministers of care the opportunity to understand addiction problems and compulsive behavior in our sisters. I came home with a binder full of information and a head full of knowledge.

But nothing touched my heart more than the experience of being with one of the sisters who is in treatment and lives at Guest House. We shared meals with the sisters who live there, and it was almost at the end of our first meal together that this sister explained how and why she had come to Guest House.

The details aren’t really important. What brought her to seek healing was an intervention from someone who was able to break through whatever was holding her captive with a message of loving care. She told us, “They cared enough to help me…….”

Providence is another name for God’s loving care. We are called to be instruments of that Providence.

Some days, I really need this kind of intervention. I need someone to break through whatever struggles or worries are keeping me from being my best self. And, some days, I know I can be that Providence for
others.

I have come home from this workshop with a binder full of information and a head full of knowledge but also a new way of understanding intervention. My heart is full of hope that this experience will help me deal more compassionately with all the people of my life, myself included.

Great company, food and fun at Family Day at the Woods

A day at the Woods wouldn't be complete without a visit
with the SPs alpaca herd, a gentle animal raised for
its quality fiber and gentle spirit.

Hundreds of parents, grandparents, children and even pets came Sunday to sample the games, food, musical performances and fun at this year's 5th Annual Family Day at the Woods, sponsored by the Sisters of Providence.

Yesterday proved to be a warm and beautiful setting for a free day dedicated to families and old-fashioned fun at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The Eco-Obstacle Course, the Soccer Challenge (new this year), Children's Crafts and many other activities enticed children and parents alike.

When the temperature reached more than 85 degrees, families sought respite at the Church of the Immaculate Conception for three unique musical performances, a visit to The Gift Shop at Providence Center or Face-painting at Woods Day Care/Pre-School. Hot dogs, cookies, Pepsi products and popcorn were all available, free, while supplies lasted.

This young flying student studies
his "flight map" (Booth Bingo sheet)
inside the cockpit of the guest helicopter
provided by Terre Haute Helicopter,
Robert "Bobcat" Garzolini.

Back by popular demand this year was the Sugar Creek Fire Department, their fire truck and their personable staff complete with free fire hats and official "stickers". Also back this year was Terre Haute Helicopter out of West Terre Haute with their Bell helicopter. Lucky participants were able to sit inside the helicopter, get a feel for the controls and instrument panel and peer out the clean, sloping windows.

It seemed like a record crowd turned out this year, as many said they heard about it from friends who had attended previous years, on the radio, they had seen the ad in the newspaper or they'd read about the event on Facebook. Whatever brought families to Family Day, the sisters were grateful to see such an enthusiastic crowd visit the Woods. One family commented on how "peaceful" it was to visit the home of the sisters, whether they were on the hayride, eating dinner at the shaded food area or listening to the performances in the church.

Children who got 10 stamps on their Bingo Sheet received a stuffed animal from the Prize Booth. People also entered to win two Sunday Brunch tickets at the Woods simply by entering their name and contact information into a drawing.

Providence Associate and volunteer Dick Hillier built to the
sisters' specifications these two Football Toss
frames. Children received prizes for throwing the ball
through the tire. General Officer Sister Jenny Howard (far left)
prepares to return the ball as Sister Jeanne Knoerle,
(second from right, helps a winner choose a prize).

 Sisters, Providence Associates, staff members and volunteers all pitched in to make the day a success. It's a wonderful way to enjoy Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, the motherhouse grounds of the Sisters of Providence and the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College campus.

If you attended this year's event and helped to make it so special, we thank you and invite you to next year's event. We appreciate you sharing your time and energy with us and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Heaven: The view from Time, Mother Theodore, and you

Do you ever think about Heaven? Do you plan to end up there? What does it look like to you? Will it be a garden? Will it be a banquet room? Will it be a Cathedral in which we will have a sacred seat? Could it be a glorious Disney World?

Time magazine tried to examine some of those thoughts in its April 16, 2012, cover story called “Heaven Can’t Wait. Why rethinking the hereafter could make the world a better place.”

Making the world around us better surely would not be a bad idea.

Author Jon Meacham examines many different ideas and offers images of Heaven from the perspective of different faith traditions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity and Catholicism.  In the story, one spiritual leader said Heaven is not a place to go, it is how you live your life. Even the opinion of expert cosmic scientist Steven Hawking is offered: “I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for a broken-down computer; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”

But, the one glaring oversight in the essay is that author Meacham did not research some of Saint Mother Theodore’s thoughts about Heaven. So let’s fix that! In the Saint Mother Theodore perpetual calendar filled with her quotes (and available in The Gift Shop at Providence Center), you can find several references to Heaven:

She talked about the expected perfect love and holiness that is to be found there:

“To love in the right way is to accomplish the whole Law; it is to begin that happy life which will have its perfection only in heaven, where we shall live forever with a holy and perfect love.”

She talks about Heaven as our true home, our true nation:

“Oh, adieu, dear country … we exclaimed. … hence, interiorly, we said to ourselves: The true country of a Christian, but above all a Religious, is Heaven. It is toward this we are tending.” (Leaving France for Indiana)

She talks about how Heaven is given to all, and the eternal joy that awaits:

“It seems to the saint that heaven has been given away, and it is true. It has been given to them for very little; for what is a brief time of humiliation compared to an eternity of joy?”

She talks about the anticipated beauty:

“What will Heaven be if our poor Earth is at times so beautiful?”

She recognizes the challenges and tests that present themselves to us on the way to Heaven:

“Let us take courage, my very dear Sisters; the Cross, it is true, awaits us at every turn, but it is the way to Heaven.”

And, she envisions Heaven as the ultimate: 

“Whatever may please our Lord! Pray and suffer – Heaven is the reward.”

Are you among the 85 percent of U.S. citizens who believe in Heaven? What do you think you will find in the afterlife? Do you expect to enjoy eternal rest as your reward? Will you reunite with loved ones and enjoy one another’s spirit again? Share your thoughts.

Sisters with California's Providence in the Desert offer English classes, friendship

Martha Arrendondo is improving her
English with help from Providence
in the Desert

Martha Arrendondo is 46 years old and has been in the United States for 26 years. She works in the grape fields in and around the Coachella Valley in California. Right now she is looking for a better job, and she knows that improving her ability to speak English would help.

Martha says she speaks English so-so: “muy poquito” [a very little bit].

About six months ago, Providence in the Desert, a group run by three Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, went to Martha’s home in St. Anthony Trailer Park in rural Mecca and began offering the residents, most of whom are immigrants to the United States from Mexico, free English-as-a-Second-Language classes in their trailer park.

Martha and many other residents jumped at the chance and have been attending the classes twice a week in the evenings since.

“I like the class because I am learning more,” Martha said.

The beginning English class at St. Anthony Trailer Park in rural
Mecca, California, poses with Providence in the Desert Founder
Sister Carol Nolan, SP, second adult from the right standing.

“We believe we render real service to people by teaching them in the proximity of their homes. People come in and they are so tired!  But they can make it to the class,” said Providence in the Desert founder Sister Carol Nolan.

With a mission of love, mercy and justice and backgrounds in education, the three sisters have traveled from Indiana to California over the past nine years to teach English to some of the poorest residents in the United States.

“I know there are poor all over the country, but these people are really very poor. And they are very near some of richest areas in the country. They are marginalized. People keep saying they need to learn English, they need to learn English, but they have no idea how hard it is to learn English,” Sister Loretta Picucci said.

“Besides the language, I think we help them with their sense of self-esteem. They want to be able to go to school and talk to their kid’s teacher, they want to be able to go to a doctor and speak in English. And this is what we do, we help them with that. To help the parents is to help the children. We help both to be better,” Sister Loretta said.

For more information about Providence in the Desert, visit www.ProvidenceintheDesert.org or call 760-347-3937.

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