Letter from a saint

Portions of a letter to the Rev. Julian Delaune, May 31, 1841

(The Rev. Julian Delaune was a priest in several parishes in the Diocese of Vincennes from 1836 to 1842. From 1842 to 1846 he was the pastor of St. Michael Church in Madison, Ind.)

“So we shall have a postulant from Madison! I cannot sufficiently express my thankfulness, dear Reverend Father, for the interest you take in our novitiate. Yes, we must have subjects if we are to continue the work begun here at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. In the six months that have passed since our arrival twelve have joined us. That would be very encouraging if all persevered; but, fortunately, one returned to her family, unable to sacrifice her affections; and there are some others who we shall be obliged to dismiss unless a great change takes place in their hearts. I beg your Reverence to pray for these dear children, that they may acquire the spirit of their holy vocation. It is difficult for many to understand the necessity of religious obedience; especially does that seem to be the case in this country where the spirit of independence is carried into everything.” (“Journals and Letter,” p. 76)

For books about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, visit The Gift Shop.

Finding the Words

What is your end of the dialogue when you take a moment to pray? Do you recite rote sequences that lull the mind into meditative stillness, or is yours a stream-of-consciousness experience that leads your spirit from the superficial to the intimate?

I am here to confess that lately I have struggled a bit to hold up my end of things in my prayer life. I seem to lack the ability to find the words I want to say: rote recitation feels rushed and insincere, while waiting for the stream of consciousness to take over I often find myself in the depths of sleep!

Of course there are people and things about which I wish to pray, and often I can at least manage to bring those things to mind. Yet something feels lacking, and I can't help but believe it is due to my lack of bringing everything I can to the experience. This has come to be such a disheartening feeling that my prayer life has gradually winnowed down to a few "please help so-and-so" and quite a lot of "thank you" prayers flung carelessly heavenbound throughout the day. Round that out with the odd "Hail Mary" and you have...not much.

Does it count that I am grateful for the fresh air and green leaves and birds outside my window, or for the intense gratitude I feel at being entrusted with children? Is the act of my daily routine a prayer if I occasionally remind myself that it is all for God? Or is that just me lacking discipline in terms of communing with God? I'm really not sure.

I would like to break this cycle of prayer despair, and I get the sense that what I need is to shake things up, maybe try something new. I am currently reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett, in which one of the main characters has written out her prayers in lieu of saying them since childhood. I must admit I find that approach intriguing. Maybe prayer doesn't have to include words at all; some sing or dance or create art to pray. What about you? What are the prayer habits and patterns which allow you to enjoy a rich dialogue and intimacy with our Provident God? Please comment below--you may inspire the prayer lives of others out there who are struggling with a stale approach to prayer, myself included!

Letter from a saint

Portions of a letter to the Rev. Augustine Martin, May 1, 1841

(Father Martin gave the sisters their first retreat in the United States Nov. 30 to Dec. 7, 1840. In 1841, he was the pastor of the parish in Logansport, Ind.)

“I have followed exactly your recommendations in regard to the Bishop [Celestine de la Hailandière, 1839-1847], and I have found them good — indeed, very good. He is an excellent father. I have never found a more compassionate heart, one more charitable, under so cold an exterior. One thing that deeply grieves my heart is the pain we give to him. So far there is nothing but complaints about us. I confide this to your paternity, lamenting it, and at the same time admiring the ways of Providence; for, most truly we are all disposed to do all we can to acquire the perfection of our state, to walk with courage in the narrow path, and to follow the Divine Spouse who has deigned to call us in preference to so many others who would be worth infinitely more than we are. This good will, of course, is not equally strong in all the Sisters; but you know, dear Father, grace is not given equally to all, nor at the same time.” (“Journals and Letter,” p. 74)

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

A gathering at Paddock Lake, Wis.

Saturday, Aug. 14, was a perfect day to gather at Paddock Lake, Wis., for the annual Day of Reflection on Making and Renewing a Commitment for Providence Associates and Candidate-Associates. Eleven associates and candidates from the Chicago area and one from Terre Haute, Ind., gathered for a time of prayer, reconnection, reflection and discussion.

To view some photos from this day, click here.

To learn more about Providence Associates, click here.

Picture of the Week: August 13

Sisters of Providence and friends slicing tomatoes grown organically at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice before placing them in the dehydrating machine to make sun-dried tomatoes.
(Clockwise from left in blue jumper: Mary Catherine Gibson; Sister Sharon Richards, SP; Patricia O'Connell; Sister Jeanne Marie Greenen, CSJ; Sister Peggy Nau, SP; Sister Francine Costello, CSJ; Sister Judy Miller, CSJ; Sister Maria Castagnaro, SSJ.)

Archives and the Civil War

The Sisters of Providence Archives has several historical documents and photos related to the Civil War. The Congregation, of course, provided nursing service at the Military Hospital in Indianapolis as well as the emergency hospital in Vincennes, Ind., during the conflict. Of the 11 sisters who served during the Civil War, our Archives has images of three sister-nurses: Sisters St. Felix Buchanan, Helena Burns and Henrietta MacKenzie.

Every Memorial Day the Congregation recognizes all Sisters of Providence who served in the military. The photograph above is an undated image of students from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College placing flowers at the grave of one sister-nurse. For more images, click here.

Discerning a commitment

Discerning a commitment was the topic of the day during the Day of Reflection for Providence Associates and Candidate-Associates on Saturday, Aug. 7. Twenty-six people gathered for this special day. Next Saturday, Aug. 14, associates and candidates in the Chicago area will gather at Paddock Lake, Wis., for their Day of Reflection.

To learn more about the day and to view some photos, click here.

For more information about Providence Associates, click here.

Texan renews her commitment

Karen Rangel of Fort Worth, Texas, renewed her commitment as a Providence Associate on Thursday, Aug. 5. Karen and her three boys — Elias, Emilio and Esteban — made it an adventure and drove all the way from Texas to the Woods.

The Renewal of Commitment Ceremony took place during the Eucharistic Liturgy in the chapel in Owens Hall. Present for the renewal were Sister Mary Alice Zander, director of Providence Associates, and Sister Diane Mason, assistant director. Also attending the ceremony was Sister Alexa Suelzer, companion to Karen.

To learn more about Karen, click here. For more information about Providence Associates, click here.

‘Nuns of the Battlefield’

“Cloistered by forest, the convent and academy at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, in 1860, would seem to have been too remote, too securely enclosed, to hear the rumblings of approaching war. Echoes of the trouble, however, seeped into this cloistered home. Realizing that if the war must come, so too must service, the latent spirit of nursing was aroused. One and all stood in readiness to serve and when the call did come, the Mother Superior [Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly] wrote: ‘This is an eventful occasion for the Community. May our Divine Lord help us to perform well the duties we are now undertaking.’”

Thus begins the story of the Civil War and the Sisters of Providence in the book “Nuns of the Battlefield” by Ellen Ryan Jolly. In this work, Dr. Jolly traces the service provided by women religious in the North and the South during the Civil War. The story of the Sisters of Providence is told in chapter 20. To view this chapter, click here.

For more information about the Sisters of Providence and the role they played during this tumultuous period in our nation’s history, click here.

The Hand of Providence

In 1949, a small booklet written by the Rev. John F. McShane was published. “The Hand of Providence” is a short history of Indianapolis General Hospital. It was at this facility that Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton requested the assistance of the Sisters of Providence in running during the Civil War. The Sisters of Providence, under the leadership of Sister Athanasius Fogarty, took over the administration and “domestic arrangements” of this hospital, known then as Military Hospital, on May 17, 1861.

To read “The Hand of Providence,” click here. For more information about the Sisters of Providence during the Civil War, click here.

A vision of Mother Theodore

Mother Superior Gertrude Clare Owens, general superior from 1954 to 1960, had always been in frail health since her entrance into the Congregation in 1904. Members of the Congregation believed that Sister Gertrude Clare would not live long after the death of her sister, Sister Genevieve Therese, who died of tuberculosis in 1910.

However, the mother of Sisters Gertrude Clare and Genevieve Therese, Mrs. Michael Owens, had a vision of Mother Theodore one night. In that vision, Mother Theodore told Mrs. Owens, “Sister Gertrude Clare will not die now; she is going to live and do great things for the Community.”

To read more about this vision, click here.

Unconditional love

Providence Associate Jenny Nowalk (pictured at left) spent one week at the Woods volunteering and on a mini-retreat the week of July 12. What she learned during this week was unconditional love.

Jenny shares about her experience in a letter. To read about her week, click here.

To learn more about Providence Associates, click here. And to volunteer at the Woods, contact Volunteer Services.

Lest We Forget

The rich history of the service of the Sisters of Providence during the Civil War comes alive in the small book, “Lest We Forget.” Written by Sister Mary Theodosia Mug and published in 1931 by Providence Press, this book provides insight into the role the sisters played at the Military Hospital in Indianapolis.

Click here to view the book. For more information about the sisters and the Civil War, click here.

To view other Our Past in Print publications, click here.

Providence and Social Media

Your day has begun, whether it consists of rolling out of bed and heading off to class or feeding an infant with a foggy,'Good morning.' to your spouse(more my speed these days), if you read this than most likely at some point you check in on this thing we call the internet. Be it your email inbox, the people you follow on twitter, your blog reader or your Facebook home page, you eventually begin your virtual day as well. I work in web based technology, but sometimes even I am so busy I don’t have time to do the fun stuff. Still at some point within the week I get updates from my social media sources.

I am still amazed how much social media has enabled us to re-connect and continue connecting to the people we love on a regular basis. We can still know what is going on in the lives of the people we don’t get to see every day, that we probably had fallen out of contact with except for special occasions. And, while some updates might seem mundane, I wouldn’t change any of the messages that come across (except those Farmville requests, I am thankful I can hide those) because being aware of the trivial parts of our lives connects us in a way that is even more important when the not so trivial events happen.

How much quicker do you know that someone you love needs prayers or positive thinking because of social media? As Gavin Richardson writes in his blog regarding Spirituality and Social Media, twitter (or any of these tools) could be considered the new town square, or even the ‘temple’ during the time of Christ. We can go here to share ideas, to reach out to one another, to reflect on our life and our spirituality. And, I believe they will continue to help us grow collectively, to understand more of the world around us, to strengthen our trust in Providence and promote works of Love, Mercy and Justice.

At the April Retreat for Providence Associates, I remember hearing concerns from many PAs that letter writing was dying out. It was suggested that all of these emails, tweets, status updates and blog posts would ruin saving information for posterity. I immediately disagreed. I can’t see a better way to save what inspires us and how we live than in digital form. There is always the ‘Older Posts’ option at the bottom of the feed. A blog has a history of all of the posts and you can read them anytime. You can even forward them on to other people with a click or two rather than having to copy by hand or with a printing machine.

And what is most important is that where we are, God is. Providence is in twitter, Providence is in Facebook, and Providence is in a blog post.

Owning Our Gifts

One of the greatest blessings I've been given this year is the chance to be my mother's Companion in her year as a Candidate Associate. I feel so lucky to be able to share this journey with her as we make our way through the Spiritual Integration Units, and of course it is an added bonus that I get to revisit the material and see how much has (or hasn't!) changed since my year of discernment.

One thing that stood out for mom and I this week is the notion of acknowledging and really "owning" the unique gifts that God has given each of us. While it sounds like a simple idea, I think for many of us it is a very difficult concept to embrace. Sure, it is easy to recognize the external gifts we are given--a roof over our heads, money in our pockets, medical technology, our families and friends. But what of those things which are internal gifts, or parts of our nature that our Provident God has given us so that we may better participate in the unfolding of God's mystery? Mom and I found this week that, at least for us, it is easier said than done to boldly identify some part of ourselves as "gifted."

Perhaps owning our gifts is uncomfortable because we have been raised to believe that humbleness is a virture. What happens, though, if our attempts at humbleness put us at risk of missing out on part of God's plan for us? Of course I am not suggesting that we become braggarts--to become so would be to behave as though our gifts are superior to those of others rather than just different. We are all gifted in some wonderful way, are we not? What I AM suggesting is that by acknowledging and thanking God for our own unique giftedness perhaps we can participate more fully in our dance through life with Providence.

When you give a gift to a close friend, chances are you really appreciate a "thank you" and perhaps even the chance to see that gift put to good use. Why should God be any different? How rude of us to sweep our own giftedness under the rug!

Think about your own life for a moment, and notice if you have difficulty when it comes to listing your gifts. If so, I extend to you the same challenge that mom and I have taken on this week: find your gifts and thank God for them, then ask yourself how they can be used to create works of love, mercy, and justice! Maybe you are a good cook--why not use that gift by creating meals for a food pantry? An excellent listener? Perhaps you would enjoy volunteering for a crisis line. If you really draw a blank, ask a friend or loved one for help. It is likely that those closest to you see your gifts very clearly, and they are likely to understand that you are not fishing for compliments when you ask for help.

Enjoy discovering your unique gifts, and if you are so inclined please share your experience with us here in the comments!