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2 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 3 HOwithinPE Features Cover story 4 Valuing education Guerin College Prep 6 A pleasant sounding instrument Providence Cristo Rey 8 Opening new doors Woods Day Care/Pre-School 10 Loving the children first SMWC 12 A gadget-happy sister Departments Partners in our mission 16 Alumnae/i news 18 Newsnotes 19 Obituaries 20 Sustainable living 21 Upcoming events 22 Photo album 23 Mission Statement: The purpose of HOPE is to extend the energy and power of Providence to our friends by sharing information about the mission, spirituality and ministries of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. Volume 6 • No. 3 summer 2011 Executive Editor: Sister Rosemary Schmalz Editors: Sister Ann Casper and Diane Weidenbenner Publication Manager/Designer: Connie McCammon Cover Photos: Sister Dawn Tomaszewski Cover Designer: Pam Lynch Editorial Board: Rosie Blankenship, Christina Blust, Cheryl Casselman, Andrew Conner, Dave Cox, Sue Heck, Becky Igo, Sister Jeanne Knoerle, Sister Bernice Kuper, Sandy Scroggins, Sister Joan Zlogar Contact Information: Office of Congregational Advancement, 1 Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876 For change of address: cdavis@spsmw.org or 812-535-2804 Website: www.SistersofProvidence.org Children’s website: www.WoodsUp.com Printed on recycled paper See us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube! Follow our blogs! The Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin For information about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, contact Sister Jan Craven, coordinator of the Office of the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, Providence Hall, 1 Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876-1007 or 812-535-2925 or jcraven@spsmw.org. Page 10 Page 7 Page 14 On the cover: Guerin College Prep students in a theology class of Sister Kay Manley partipcate in a classroom discussion. Sister Kay is pictured at the top of the cover with her trusty laptop. To learn more about Guerin Prep, turn to page 6. Female Institute of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods ‘located in a retired, healthy and pleasant situation’ This is an early advertisement for the Female Institute, predecessor of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. It appeared in a Terre Haute, Ind., newspaper. (Image courtesy of Archives) 4 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 5 H Cover story Photo above: This 1930 Archives photo is of the Holy Childhood Home in Kaifeng, China. Pictured are (left to right) Sister Marie Patricia Shortall (RIP), Mother Marie Gratia Luking (RIP) and Sister Mary Margaretta Grussinger (RIP). Valuing education Mary-of the Woods College stands as the fruit of those small beginnings! By 1842, as the Congregation attracted new mem-bers, Mother Theodore was able to provide sisters to open a parish school in Jasper, Ind. Over the years Sisters of Providence were invited to staff parish schools in other states, eventually traveling to the East and West Coasts of the United States not only to teach reading, writing and arithmetic, but always to show the face of a loving God through lives that reflected love, mercy and justice. While education in traditional classrooms seemed to be the norm for many decades, Sisters of Provi-dence reached out in other ways to meet pressing human needs. In 1920, responding to the request of a bishop in China on behalf of the needs of abandoned children in his diocese, especially girls, six Sisters of Providence volunteered to carry the mission of Providence to the Orient. Expelled from China by the Communist regime in 1948, the sisters moved to Taiwan where the mission of Providence continues to flourish today through the efforts of the Sisters of Providence and a native congregation, the Missionary Sisters of Providence. Service is pro-vided at Providence University and other ministries that respond to pressing needs of the people. In the latter half of the 20th century social changes began to affect the specific ministries of the Con-gregation. The decline of vocations to religious life began to show itself. The need for education was being met by the growth of the public school system in the United States. Many parishes could no longer financially support a school and many women and men who had been taught in SP schools were now active in sharing that education in their parishes in other ways than in a school. In addition, documents of Vatican Council II, such as “The Church in the Modern World” called the Cath-olic Church to reach out to the needs of all people, not just the young. In another document, religious congregations throughout the world were instructed to revisit their original charism in order to determine where the Spirit might be calling them to respond to the overwhelming needs of people in modern times. In this issue of HOPE magazine we feature several of these sponsored ministries of the Sisters of Provi-dence. It is important, however, to call attention not only to the fact that there are other sponsored min-istries in which members engage but also that every sister regardless of age shares herself and her gifts in response to the needs of those around her — living out her commitment to make God’s loving presence more visible in our world through her own acts of love, mercy and justice — which might be expressed in teaching, hospitality, tutoring, visiting prisoners on death row, volunteering in a food pantry, visiting the sick and the dying, serving in a clinic to meet the needs of the sick poor, and certainly praying for the needs of the world. Resource suggestion: “Love, Mercy, Justice: A Book of Practices of the Sisters of Providence” available at The Gift Shop at Providence Center or www.ProvCenter.org. By Sister Bernice Kuper Because in our world a loving God chooses often to respond to human needs through the actions of each of us, Providence spirituality expresses itself primarily in service to God’s people. At times this happens through our way of being with one another; at other times it happens through our actions to help those in need, and it is always our prayer and relationship with God that keeps us mindful of this responsibility. The Constitutions of the Sisters of Providence state that “The purpose of this Congregation is to honor Divine Providence and to further God’s loving plans by devoting itself to works of love, mercy and justice in service among God’s people.” For 170 years generations of Sisters of Providence have honored God’s loving presence in the world by trying to make that presence more visible to others through their own acts of love, mercy and justice. In 1840, in the person of Mother Theodore Guerin and her five companions, the French community responded to the request of the bishop of Vincennes for sisters to help educate the children in frontier families, especially girls. While learning how to live their lives in a wilderness and trusting in a Provident God to guide them, the sisters opened an Acad-emy for young girls at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods within a year of their arrival. Today Saint See EDUCATION on page 5 Education Continued from page 4 By Sister Ann Casper Q. Just what are sponsored institutions? A. Religious congregations through the years have founded many institutions, especially in education and health care, and continue in special relation-ship with them after their establishment. While each congregation defines sponsorship a little differently, the most common elements of spon-sorship include: separate incorporation of the sponsored institution; the leadership of the con-gregation serving as members of the corporation and having certain reserved powers according to the Articles of Incorporation. Q. What are examples of reserved powers? A. Powers reserved to the members of the corpora-tion may include the approval of the president of the sponsored institution; approval of its budget; and approval of any change in its mission. Q. Who operates the sponsored institution? A. The sponsored institution is governed by a board Sponsored institutions 101 See SPONSORED on page 11 6 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 7 Guerin College Prep A pleasant sounding instrument Story by Connie McCammon, photos by Sister Dawn Tomaszewski Pedagogical methods have certainly changed since Sister Kay Manley began teaching at Guerin Col-lege Preparatory High School (then known as Mother Theodore Guerin High School), in River Grove, Ill., in 1993. Teaching methods may come and go, but a true teacher takes to heart Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s wise counsel to “Love the children first, then teach them.” Sister Kay en-deavors to use the modern ways of connecting with students, but she knows Mother Theodore’s advice is the most important component in creating hope and breaking boundaries for her students. “After 17 and three-quarter years of teaching at Guerin, friends will often suggest that I know it all by now and teaching should be a breeze,” said Sister Kay, who teaches freshman and sophomore theology. “But about five years ago, Guerin Prep introduced one-to-one computing for students, pro-viding each student with a computer laptop. Many of my current colleagues grew up with a laptop on their highchair. Others were quick to learn the ins and outs of computer use. I admit I’m the tortoise at being proficient with a computer. “During my first PowerPoint presentation I ad-vanced a slide too soon and panicked. The students told me to press the back button, and there was the slide I needed to teach! Since then I’m not embar-rassed to ask the students ‘how to’ when it comes to computer applications. They teach me much. My favorite line, which one senior just quoted to me recently, is that I always say, ‘I teach theol-ogy, not technology,’” continued Sister Kay, who celebrated her golden jubilee in 2008. Sister Kay may not teach technology, but she has certainly become very savvy using it. Her chalk-board has given way to PowerPoint presentations; scanned charts, graphs and documents; and the use of Inspiration® software. This software assists Sister Kay in creating presentations, outlining and visually mapping content to help students retain information and to be able to organize and synthesize it. Students at Guerin are required to take four years of theology. Sometimes there is a little grousing among the students about this requirement. Sister Kay pa-tiently responds to these students, “While you do not need theology to get into college, you need theol-ogy to get through life. You will always need to have God, no matter what college you go to or where you go in life. … You need to keep up that relationship,” continued Sister Kay. “The young girls and boys that I teach are among the fortunate because their parents have as a priority the value of Catholic education. So these young people are involved in 45 minutes on a daily basis in a the-ology classroom. There’s an opening prayer. There are intentions for which they wish to pray, and a les-son about God being involved in their lives through the Word of God, Scripture, or how Christianity grew from the time of Jesus to the time of 2011,” said Sister Kay. This study of God also takes place outside the classroom and in God’s creation. Students are involved in a myriad of service and justice pro-grams. These service proj-ects include ones close to home like the annual “Adopt a See INSTRUMENT on page 7 Instrument Continued from page 6 Kid” Christmas program to more global ones in-cluding Haiti and most recently tsunami and earth-quake victims in Japan. “I hope to be an instrument — a pleasant sound-ing one — to lead [my students] to love God as a friend. And I hope to be one who has taught them Background photo: Students in one of Sister Kay Manley’s theology classes eagerly raise their hands to respond to a question. Photo at right: Sister Kay with her laptop in hand, assists a student in a theology class. GUERIN PREP … … is a Catholic, co-educational college preparatory high school. … was founded in 1962 by the Congregation as an all-girls school. … became coeducational in 2004. … has honors and gifted programs. … has 30 clubs/organizations and seven honor societies. … has an exceptional fine arts program. Students must take fine arts classes as a requirement for graduation. … has a current enrollment of 540 students. … has one of the most extensive computing pro-grams offered by a secondary school in the Arch-diocese of Chicago. … is accredited by AdvancED, formerly North Cen-tral Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. respect for who they are and whose they are and to spread this respect in all of their daily encounters at home, in school and with their friends,” said Sister Kay. Yes, Sister Kay has been and continues to be a pleasant sounding instrument, bringing her students to a fuller understanding of God in their lives by loving them first and then teaching them. H Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, Indiana Gov. Oliver Perry Morton requested that the Sisters of Providence provide assistance in the administration of City Hospital in India-napolis, which had been turned over to the fed-eral government for the care of soldiers. Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly, second general superior of the Congregation, gave her permission for some sisters to answer this call to duty. During the four years of the war, the Sisters of Providence provided care to Union and Confederate soldiers in Indianapolis and Vincennes, Ind. With the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War this year, the Sisters of Providence are proud to be a part of the Vigo County Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project, a special col-lection of Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (WV3), a digital memory project. Other partners include Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial Library, the Vigo County Public Library and the Vigo County Historical Society. All digitized items are fully searchable online at http://bit.ly/i3RutH. A Library Services and Technology Act Mini-Digitiza-tion Grant from the Indiana State Library provided funding for this project. Visit the site and view the Congregation’s Civil War collection. Items include information and a few images of the sisters who served during the war, transcripts from various Indianapolis news-papers regarding the war, books that address the war-related service of women religious and letters from soldiers, among other material. Congregation Civil War collection available online 8 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 9 Providence Cristo Rey Opening Photo above: Sister Maureen Fallon (right) uses SMART Board technology to engage her students in working out calculus problems. new doors hile the Sisters of Providence have a goal of “breaking boundaries, creating hope” in their work, it’s not often this gets to happen by opening a new school. But that’s what happened in 2007 when the Congregation sponsored Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis. Sister Jeanne Hagelskamp, along with other Sisters of Providence and volunteers, worked hard with the Cristo Rey Network to create the school, which is a college prepartory program that includes work study at local businesses. Stu-dents come from families that cannot afford other private school options. Students spend four days a week in classes and one day a week at a corporate job site, such as Eli Lilly, AIT Laboratories, Advantage Heath, many downtown law firms, as well as St. Vincent, St. Francis and Community hospitals. Businesses receive the benefit of a full-time employee with five students filling one job, while students receive a substantial tuition benefit that provides a private school education. The program offers students the opportunity to build essential job skills while completing their college preparatory pro-gram. Last year, 100 percent of the students in the Cristo Rey Network were accepted to college. Some of these students were at risk of not completing high school and in a few short years Story and photo by Rosie Blankenship W have been transformed into true leaders, on track to reach significant success in their lives. Sister Maureen Fallon has been present for this transformative experience in the school and the students. Sister Maureen has taught high school for 30 years as a Sister of Providence, but Providence Cristo Rey was her first opportunity to start something from scratch. “I spent the first week shoveling out the leftover trash, then I opened my desk drawer and it was empty,” she said. “It’s part of the thrill.” There was a big challenge in creating a school where none existed before. “We were trying to create a culture of college prep and college ready where there was none,” she said. It wasn’t easy, but the faculty and staff are getting there. It’s exciting to see, too, that the culture is developing with the heavy influence of the Sisters of Providence and Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. All sophomores at Providence Cristo Rey visit Saint Mary-of-the-Woods where they learn about the foundress, the SP history and traditions and learn about White Violet Center for Eco- Justice. Portraits of Saint Mother Theodore hang in every classroom at Providence Cristo Rey and the stu-dents seem to grasp her importance and influence on their history. Sister Maureen went with the volleyball team to a game at St. Theodore Guerin High School in Noblesville, Ind., and the students were surprised to see a large portrait of their saint at the school. “They said, ‘Sister, what’s our saint doing in their school?’ I told them it was OK – the school was named after her. They asked, ‘Did they get permission?’” The students have surprised Sister Maureen in their beliefs and relationship to Jesus. “Their spiritual life is way deeper than anything I have seen,” she said. “It really gives me hope for the next generation.” The culture of the school as being born from the original mission of a saint is one way the sisters are trying to create a culture. Another is by constant re-inforcement of the benefits for students of their edu-cation. “We are really trying to change the culture of education for these kids,” she said. The school is open on Saturdays, so students without comput-ers or a quiet place to study, or who need help with homework or a term paper, can have access to a place to work and to assistance with study. “I think they were told they could be successful, but they had no idea what that meant,” she said. “They never had models for success.” Teachers engage the students in discussions about current events, even Sister Maureen, who teaches physics, algebra II and calculus. All of the teachers encourage the students in their educational quest toward college. She finds herself explaining the de-tails of the process of test-ing, applying for and being accepted to college, as well as telling kids what life will be like on their own: setting their own study habits, doing laundry and all of the experi-ences that come with college life. Many of these students don’t have family and friends to whom they can look for this advice and guidance. “We broaden their experi-ences, broaden their horizons, and they broaden our understandings, too,” she said. “We bring in more global issues than the students have in the forefronts of their minds.” And much like the transformation of the school from a dusty mess to the bright, cheerful education-al home it is today, Sister Maureen has witnessed similar transformations in her students. Most of the kids have never passed an ISTEP test (Indiana’s standardized test where passing is a requirement for high school graduation) when they enter Providence Cristo Rey. “We don’t give up on them,” she said. “If you create a culture that says it is OK to be successful, then the students learn how to do it.” JUST THE FACTS: Year opened: 2007 Number of students enrolled: 70 Number of seniors 2011: 25 College scholarships for the Class of 2011: $1 million Number of faculty & staff: 27 Number of SP faculty & staff: 4 Continued on page 9 Continued from page 8 H 10 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 11 Woods Day Care/Pre-School Story and photos by Diane Weidenbenner aint Mother Theodore Guerin began an educational legacy of “breaking boundaries, creating hope” in 1840. Just as Saint Mother Theodore provided loving leadership, service to the needy, a welcom-ing spirit and a thankful heart, so the Sisters of Providence further this legacy today at the Woods Day Care/Pre-School (WDC/PS), a sponsored institution of the Congregation. Sister Judith Cervizzi has been director of WDC/PS since July 2005. As an SP, she models the Congregation’s mission (doing works of love, mercy and justice). She begins her day with prayer and reflection which equips her to handle the day. Saint Mother Theodore said to “love the children first, then teach them.” Sister Ju-dith helps to achieve this by offering children a quality curriculum but also a chance for the children to experience the “beautiful woodland home where Mother Theodore lived, prayed, participated in the Eucharist … and walked.” Sister Judith also serves as a confi-dant for some parents whose children attend the day care. “A mother came to me at closing one day to ask me to suggest a church in the area where she and her children would feel welcomed. Her young daughter was asking about going to church and she wanted to provide a good church community for them. She came to me for guidance because she felt I was a woman of faith, even though she herself was not Catho-lic.” Sister Judith put her in contact with another sister who worked with local parishes and an inter-faith group. Sister Mary Rita Griffin, administrative assistant at WDC/PS, has always had a heart for the needy. She has 13 years of experience as an elementary school principal and 18 years of experience in adminis-tration with agencies that served the homeless in Washington, D.C. Her faith affects how she fulfills her position. “When Mother Theodore founded schools she tried to assure that the poor would also be served. Our center has two sources of fund-ing for low-income parents. The WDC/PS participates in the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), an Indiana govern-ment program that pays day-care tuition for the children of low-income parents who are working and/or attending school. The Sister Gertrude Smith Scholar-ship Fund also provides tuition subsidy for parents in need of financial tuition as-sistance.” Sister Mary Rita strives to see Jesus in each person. “Over the desk in my office is a framed piece of art depicting a tree. The leaves on the tree spell out the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The roots spell out the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is the focal point of the art. The quote at the bottom is, ‘If the root is holy, the branches are too,’ from Romans 11:16.” Sister Mary Rita has experienced joy through WDC/PS’s efforts to assist six infant children whose parents were still in high school. “After completing high school each of these parents has enrolled in post high school education and is work-ing part-time. Each of these children’s parents was eligible to receive CCDF tuition assistance at WDC/PS,” said Sister Mary Rita. Sister Mary Ann Phelan offers a welcoming spirit as a volunteer, part-time receptionist at WDC/ PS. When a parent calls in about an absence, she “not only inquires about the child’s illness but also wishes the parent and child well as the illness con-tinues.” She feels that being a volunteer gives her a different perspective than going to a job. “The chil-dren see that the sisters here are truly interested in them and love them,” said Sister Mary Ann. “Many of our families aren’t Catholic, but I have explained to parents who have a gravely ill member about our devotion to saints and what a relic is. I have offered relics and prayer cards to them. They accept this because they see that I respect their beliefs and do not try to change them,” said Sister Mary Ann. Sister Hannah Corbin, a canonical novice with the SPs, is a volunteer teacher’s aide in the infant room. Sister Hannah sees her ministry as “a way to share God’s love.” She approaches the infants as “complete persons, who are manifestations of God in this world.” As an aide, she helps to create a supportive, lov-ing and safe environment. Sister Hannah is also thankful for the many blessings she receives from her ministry. “The children teach me as well, what it means to trust, play and ‘be.’ It is ministry because we bring each other to a greater wholeness and a deeper connection with all of life,” said Sister Hannah. When she rocks a fussy baby to sleep, she encounters her own tendencies to kick and cry, “resisting the gentle whisper of God to sur-render.” The other Sisters of Providence that serve at WDC/ PS are Sisters Jackie Hoffman, Lucille Lechner, Mary Ann Lechner, Jean Anne Maher, Florence Norton, Margaret Quinlan and Mary Margaret Quinn. Lovingoving thethe childrenchildren firstfirst S See CHILDREN on page 11 Children Continued from page 10 Sponsored Continued from page 5 of trustees/directors, which is entrusted with over-all planning, management and fiscal responsibility for the institution. Q. How else is the religious congregation involved? A. An important responsibility of the sponsoring congregation is to promote a deeper understand-ing of the congregation’s mission and heritage among all the people associated with the spon-sored institution. Additionally, sisters are encour-aged to minister in sponsored institutions and to be aware of the ways it furthers the congrega-tion’s mission. Background photo: One of the walls in the day care features the logo of the preschool and a list of benefactors. Photo at right: Music prodigy Max Perry plays a few bars for Sister Hannah Corbin. The children see that the sisters here are truly interested in them and love them. — Sister Mary Ann Phelan “ ” H H 12 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 13 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College A gadget-happy Sister By Dave Cox Sister Joanne Golding is a self-proclaimed computer nut. So, she seems to be well connected in ministry as director of academic computing at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods College, even though she plans to retire at the end of the current semester. A lover of mathematics, she jumped at the opportu-nity when Indiana State University allowed doctoral students to switch from two foreign languages to one language and one unit of computers and statis-tics to satisfy their degree requirements. That was in the 1960s, and she’s been plugged in ever since. “Shortly after I finished my doctorate, I was prin-cipal at St. Ann School (Terre Haute) for a while and then I went to work for a computer company in Chicago. I came back here when the college com-puter offerings were first beginning in 1982 and I’ve been here ever since. It’s like the kid who found her toys,” Sister Joanne said. She is involved in “everything computer” on the academic side, including the Woods External Degree (WED) program. She has seen dramatic opportuni-ties blossom for those who choose distance learning. “Let’s take a regular professor who has a campus class. The faculty would go in two or three times a week, depending on the powers that be, and they would teach. For WED students, we used to give them the books, the syllabus and the assignments, and say, ‘Now, go home and do this.’ What we are coming down to now is understanding that teaching and learning must be more interactive.” Come August and the new academic year, all SMWC classes will be available online. WED stu-dents, as well as Woods On Line students, and tra-ditional resident students, will have access to every-thing at their fingertips, including peer discussion boards, contact with teachers and advisors, con-tent that includes everything from recorded lectures to interactive movies, virtual office hours for faculty, even immediate feedback after taking a quiz. Another feature allows a student to post a report, or class assignment, and massage it up to 10 times before it goes to the professor for evalu-ation. “Students can continue massaging their work. In doing so, they learn better,” Sister Joanne said, adding that students “had better not pass it along to their little sister” because of the plagiarism checking system. “I think we’re just scratching the surface on what we are being able to do. I think there is going to be much more interaction. Much more of the work is going to fall to the student,” she added. Sister Joanne also sees a shift to competency-based education. “I’m going to be educated. I’m going to talk to people in industry. I’m going to talk to professors. I may take a class, but there will come a time when I have to be tested on my competency. That’s probably what tuition will be in the future. You pay for the testing of competency, but that’s years into the future,” she said. For now, “I think the programs we have are wonder-ful. I think we are the undiscovered gem in Indiana. Faculty and staff here do care about their students. They won’t let them fail if at all possible. It’s im-portant for a student to walk away from this college feeling good about herself and saying, ‘I can do it,’” Sister Joanne said. She emphasizes that the current trend is not without challenges. “There are some things that we have not conquered,” she noted. “How do I know you took the quiz? How do I know you took the quiz without looking at the book? We are going to need to de-velop ways to monitor everything. There are a lot of dangers, but if you really want to learn, the world is open to you,” she said. And, what if this world had been open to her when she was a traditional, residential student, and not working at home, having a snack at 2 o’clock in the morning as some students do as they work on their courses? “I would have been a much bet-ter student. First of all, I like the whole idea of gadgets. I’m gadget happy. I would have spent much more time with studies. It would have kept my attention, especially in courses where I wasn’t too enthusiastic. When I did my dissertation, we had to type it on a type-writer. You remember typewriters?” Sister Joanne Golding loves being plugged into all sorts of technology. (Photo by Connie McCammon) Continued on page 13 Continued from page 12 When I did my dissertation, we had to type it on a typewriter. You remember type-writers? — Sister Joanne Golding “ ” H 14 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 15 Providence Center Two new faces welcome visitors, pilgrims Stories and photos by Becky Igo Meet Sister Jan Craven Sister Jan Craven embraces her new role as the coordinator of the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine and is excited about the shrine’s future as well. “My vision for the shrine is to continue the legacy of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin,” said Sister Jan, who has been a Sister of Providence almost 32 years and a former member of the Youngstown Ursulines for 10 years. She will strive to “continue to share [Moth-er Theodore’s] wisdom with people, both far and near” and wants those who walk the grounds at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods “to experience a kind of hope they find no place else.” Sister Jan is grateful to have been called to the min-istry of overseeing Saint Mother Theodore’s Shrine. “There is always something new to learn about her,” Sister Jan said of Saint Mother Theodore. “To come and know her anew is my hope.” Sister Jan said each day is different in the shrine office, which is located in Providence Center, the welcome center at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Prayer requests arrive daily and meetings to plan public activities fill her days. “We are on our way to planning for the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Fest,” Sister Jan said, referring to the event set for Oct. 21-23 this year. The inaugural Fest, conducted in 2009, drew hundreds to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to celebrate Saint Mother Theodore’s legacy. Sister Jan, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, is a graduate of Youngstown State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She received a master’s degree in spirituality from Fordham University in New York and a master’s degree in the philosophy of religion and theology from Claremont University in California. She has ministered as a teacher, director of religious education, pastoral associate, provincial councilor, and tribunal advocate at various locations in Indiana, Illinois and California, and also as director of postulants at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods. Currently, the home for the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine is in the Church of the Immacu-late Conception on the grounds of the motherhouse. However, the shrine is the focus Meet Andrew Conner As the new director of Sisters of Providence Pro-gramming and Hospitality, Andrew Conner has a clear vision for the future at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods. “I want people to experience the beauty and peace of this place, and to find a comfortable and welcoming place to explore and deepen their spirituality,” he said. “That isn’t news to people who have been here before, but there are more people for us to reach. We don’t want to be a ‘best-kept secret.’” Andrew has a natural knack for being successful at raising awareness. Prior to his employment with the Sisters of Providence, he served as executive director of Downtown Terre Haute Inc. and earlier as an economic developer with the Indiana Department of Commerce. As the leader of Downtown Terre Haute, Andrew was instrumental in breathing new life into a city that had lost faith in itself. Since then, the downtown has enjoyed a renaissance and Terre Haute was named the 2010 Indiana Chamber Community of the Year. No doubt Andrew’s past leadership roles will serve him well in his new position. At his office in Providence Center, the official welcome center of the Sisters of Providence, Andrew works to develop and coordinate “sustainable programs that are reverent of the mission of the Congregation.” On any given day, he might be meeting with staff at the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice or attend-ing one of many organizational meetings in the Wabash Valley. Andrew is always on the move, and he is as visible as he is likeable. Andrew wants to take program-ming — tours, retreats and public gatherings — to a higher level. “Grounded in Mother Theodore’s love of nature, and in the values of love, mercy and justice, our pro-gramming will range from seminars and workshops that challenge, engage and inspire to less-structured retreats that provide time to unwind, decompress and recharge,” he said. “We have a special setting and a special tradition to share. It is an atmosphere that opens the mind to the importance of sustainability, the heart to the dignity and worth of each person, and the soul to the wonder of Creation and love of the Creator. God is everywhere, but this is a great place to renew the connection!” For the future, Andrew looks with excited anticipa-tion of seeing a new home established for the Saint Mother Theodore Shrine. That move alone will fos-ter growth. “As we develop the permanent Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore, I anticipate that pilgrimages will become a large part of the daily life at Provi-dence Center,” he said. “I hope that visitors to the shrine will be moved in a way that lasts beyond their tour. The lessons and gifts of Providence are for all time, even if your introduction begins with just a brief tour stop.” Even before serving as the director of Programming and Hospitality, Andrew has had his own lessons of exciting plans for the future. Sister Jan said she looks forward to her involvement with the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine Committee, adding its members have done a “marvelous job, thus far” in planning for the shrine’s new permanent home at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. (For more details about the shrine, see www.SistersofProvidence.org and click on “Saint Mother Theodore” at the top of the page.) For those who know Saint Mother Theodore well and others yet unaware, Sister Jan offered this message: “Make [Saint Mary-of-the-Woods] your second home. Discover anew your own deep peace by coming to walk these grounds. Enter into the shrine of this great Saint of God to unearth your own saintliness. You are always welcome, again and again.” See SISTER JAN on page 15 Sister Jan Continued from page 14 To learn more about the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine, the Sisters of Providence and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, contact Sister Jan at 812-535-2925 or email jcraven@spsmw.org. H Andrew Continued from page 14 and gifts from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. He’ll tell you about the connections he had as a youngster with the Sisters of Providence as he waited while his siblings took piano lessons at the Woods. Now, as an adult, he shares those connections with his own family. Often, you’ll see his wife, Jill, their daughter Isabelle, twin sons Charlie and Theo, and youngest son Henry, enjoying Sunday Brunch, tak-ing in an event or coming to see the alpacas. But it’s the word “welcome” that Andrew embraces most in describing what he wants visitors to experi-ence, upon arrival and departure, at the Woods. “We love to share the heritage and history and min-istries which we have been given, and the sisters and the staff want visitors to come here,” he said. “Everyone is welcome.” See ANDREW on page 15 H “Living the Legacy NOW!” is the theme of this year’s Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Fest sched-uled Oct. 21-23 at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The Fest, sponsored by the Sisters of Providence, will provide attendees with enlightening and fun opportunities to learn more about Saint Mother Theodore. For more information, contact Sister Jan Craven, coordinator of the Saint Mother Theodore Shrine Office, at 812-535-2925 or jcraven@spsmw.org. MTG Fest date set for Oct.21-23 16 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 17 Partners in our mission Trusting Providence in By Connie McCammon “Have confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us. The way is not yet clear. Grope along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient, be trustful.” — Saint Mother Theodore Guerin “I like this quote because it’s realistic and down to earth. Mother Theodore had a very good sense of just how hard — and great — life was and her words and wisdom speak to me about enduring life’s struggle in order to realize life’s re-wards. And sometimes the way is just not clear and the best we can do is grope,” reflected Martha Brennan, a planned giver to the Congregation who resides in Louisville, Ky. Martha sees life’s struggles every day in her job as a high school English teacher at Waggener Traditional High School in Louisville. “Waggener is a Title I school, and the majority of my students are at-risk students — many ‘free and reduced lunch,’ non-native English speakers and other minorities,” said Martha, a 1986 English graduate of Saint Mary-of- the-Woods College (SMWC). “It’s hard, demanding, messy work, but I am constantly amazed that I ‘get’ from my students more than I will ever be able to ‘give’ to them,” continued Martha, who was first introduced to the Sisters of Providence as a student at Cathedral High School, Indianapolis. Martha had to grope along slowly in order to find a ca-reer for which she is passionate. After graduating from SMWC in 1986, she worked for the Congregation’s Communications Office, the forerunner of the Office of Congregational Advancement (OCA). “It was through this work that I came to understand my ‘calling’ to share the gifts and talents I have been given and have developed,” said Martha, whose life-partner, Sheila Galvin, is a 1987 SMWC graduate and a special education teacher. Martha soon understood that her calling was in the classroom. But before she could follow this calling, she returned to SMWC to earn an education cer-tificate. Martha commenced teaching in 2005 and during four summers, she earned a master’s degree in English from Middlebury College in Vermont. Due to her passion about teaching at-risk students, Martha is very interested in the Congregation’s Indianapolis ministry at Providence Cristo Rey High School. “The current education problems within our society are the symptoms of our country’s growing problem with poverty — the growing gap between the rich and the poor. I see it every day in my classroom and my school. To me, Cristo Rey is a ministry that is trying, in a small way, to provide quality education to the most neediest in our society which can only be a positive effort in closing the gap between the rich and poor, educated and uneducated,” said Mar-tha. She could also be speaking about what she and her Waggener colleagues strive to do every day, too. Martha’s Catholic faith, her parents and the Sisters of Providence have all helped to form her into the person and teacher that she is. “Fortunately, both my parents and the Sisters of Providence bestowed a value system in me that nurtured a sense of how to treat others fairly and justly in this world and share the gifts and talents that were given to me from a divine source,” said Martha. “The sisters provided me, and still provide today, a model of how to ‘be’ in this world through their acts of love, mercy and justice,” said Martha, who generously supports the Congregation and has remembered the sisters in her will. “It’s one of the ways that I can possibly give back all that I have received from them and help [them] to sustain their mission. The SPs do vitally impor-tant work in this world.” Martha’s life isn’t all seriousness. Yes, she likes to read, and she also enjoys traveling, playing a little golf, walking and doing genealogical work. She recently purchased a motor scooter that she affec-tionately calls her “Mid-life Crisis Toy” that she tools around on. Just like most everyone else, Martha’s path hasn’t always been clear, but she gropes along slowly and trusts in Providence. Continued on page 17 Continued from page 16 H Photo below: Martha Brennan stands in front of a portrait of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin that adorns a wall in her home. (Submitted photo) 18 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 19 Alumnae news Newsnotes Alum gatherings are a family affair Dear Alums, Have you noticed that there are new faces at the reunions? I have. Alumnae/i are bringing their children and grandchildren to reunions, intro-ducing them to friends and shar-ing the stories from their high school days. It is a trend that I hope continues. If the thought has crossed your mind to invite your family to a reunion, please do so. We love to extend our Provi-dence family! The Heart-to- Heart fundraiser in Chicago in February was the most successful fundraiser in the area to date. The proceeds were donated to the renovation of Prov-idence Hall, the residence of the retired sisters. It was very gratifying to receive thank you notes for a fundraiser! A Family Day pig roast will be held Aug. 14. We look forward to a day of games and good food. Reunion plans are in the works for the following all-school reunions. Please contact your alumnae representatives for more information. If you need contact information, please call or email me at 773-463-2478 or spaweski@spsmw.org. June 5: St. Agnes, Indianapolis September: St. John, Indianapolis (TBA) Oct. 1: Marywood, Evanston, Ill. Oct. 1: St. Rose, Vincennes, Ind. Oct. 8: Immaculata Prep High School, Immaculata Junior College and Dunblane School, Washington, D.C. Oct. 30: Providence High School, Chicago It is with sadness that we mourn the loss of Mar-garet Villiger, class of 1938. Margaret served on the St. Co-lumbkille Alumni Association Board for more than 30 years. Please re-member her and her family in your prayers. Sister Sue Paweski Photo above: Marywood, Evanston, Ill., class of 1956 members Cecile (Rogers) Dunn, Sue Ann (Sullivan) Brander and Valerie (Berghoff) Yokie (left to right) enjoy the Heart-to-Heart fundraiser. (Submitted photo) Congregation receives award The Sisters of Providence commitment to diversity and justice has been recognized by an Indiana media company. The Congregation received a Champion of Diversity award during a recent annual awards program spon-sored by Indiana Minority Business Magazine. During the presentation, the Sisters of Providence were introduced as having “positively impacted others on virtually every level. … The Sisters of Providence focus on social justice, anti-racism, eco-justice, non-violent strategies for peace, immigration rights and persons living in poverty.” Sister Jane Marie Osterholt, general officer, who gave the invocation, accepted the award on behalf of the Congregation, along with Sister Mau-reen Fallon, who teaches at Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis, and Sister Demetria Smith, MSOLA, a member of the Congregation’s Anti-Racism Team. Green Town Conference date set The Sisters of Providence and White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, a ministry of the Sisters of Provi-dence, are among many partners that make up a new nonprofit in Indiana and Illinois called Our Green Valley Alliance for Sustainability (OGVA). OGVA is bringing a prestigious event to Terre Haute this fall: a Green Town Confer-ence that will highlight ways to attend to our environment. Green Town is a pre-mier one-day experience, with innovative speakers and other offerings, designed to emphasize how to create healthy, sustainable communities. It is a zero-waste, carbon-neutral event that will include pre-conference opportunities as well. It will take place at Indiana State University Nov. 16-17. This is the first Green Town event in Indiana. OGVA hopes people who attend leave the event energized, educated and better connected. Attendees will network with others in the community to create a more sustainable future and come up with tan-gible programs during the event. For more infor-mation or to register, please go to www.OurGreenValley.org. A big thank you to our donors! Good old-fashioned phone calls still work! God bless all of you who took time to chat with your volunteer-caller during the 2011 Phonathon. The stories we heard are priceless, the prayer requests are numerous, the amount raised in pledges is out-standing, and the grati-tude of the Sisters of Providence is endless! We do live in a mobile society, and many of you weren’t home when we called. We left you a message, and some of you have generously responded to those requests. Thank you! Our 2011 Phonathon goal is $130,000, and because of your generosity, more than $67,000 (52 percent) has been received to date. Outstanding! It takes many individuals to have a successful pho-nathon, so we would like to give a special thanks to the sisters, Providence Associates, Candidate- Associates, alumnae and staff members who made countless phone calls, and to those who served as clerks, cutting, sorting, stuffing, sealing, counting, etc. A heartfelt thank you to one and all! Welcome, Sister Anna! Sister Anna Ho (pictured), a native of Vietnam, transferred her vows as a woman reli-gious to the Sisters of Providence on Jan. 23. Her siblings from California, New York and Oregon came for the ceremony and her mother, Anna Nguyen Thi Phac, joined her from Vietnam for the festivities. (Submitted photo) www.SistersofProvidence.org 21 Obituaries 20 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 Sister Theresa Rose Butts April 7, 1915-Dec. 15, 2010 “Sister Theresa Rose kept a wonderful garden, always including Bells of Ireland, and she baked the best chocolate chip cookies, made with both butter and margarine.” Sister Theresa Rose entered the Congregation July 15, 1934. She ministered more than 50 years in education in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Sister Theresa Rose returned to the Woods in 1996. Sister Mary Isabelle Welsh June 30, 1918-Dec. 25, 2010 “Sister Mary Isabelle was loving and generous. She loved doing things for people, loved to be on the go, loved to visit family members and friends.” Sister Mary Isabelle entered the Congregation Jan. 11, 1936. She spent four decades in schools in Illinois, Indiana, California and Washington, D.C. Starting in 1979, Sister Mary Isabelle ministered in Indianapolis at St. Elizabeth Home, St. Philip Neri and Fatima Retreat House. She returned to the Woods in 1987. Sister Dorothy Deal (formerly Sister Damien) July 3, 1919-Jan. 2, 2011 “Sister Dorothy was perfect for adult learners, because she was determined that they would learn.” Sister Dorothy entered the Congregation Jan. 9, 1937. She ministered in education for four decades in Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. Sister Dorothy ministered several years as the coordinator of facilities at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Col-lege. She spent four years serving Annunciation Parish, Brazil, Ind., as a secretary and religious educator before returning to the Woods in 1990. Sister Ann Xavier Hau Nov. 12, 1920-March 1, 2011 “Sister Ann Xavier was a friend to all. She reached out to others when she saw difficulty or sadness.” Sister Ann Xavier Hau entered the Congregation Jan. 5, 1939. For more than 50 years she ministered in education as either a teacher or principal in Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri and California. She returned to the Woods in 1998. In memory “I sleep, but my heart watches … ” — Song of Songs Sister Mary Alice Zander (formerly Sister Joseph Gertrude) June 12, 1944-March 5, 2011 “Our Providence Associates! Sister Mary Alice gave her all to building this relationship. She loved this ministry. It was her ‘baby,’ and she continued as she was able after her surgeries and chemotherapies.” Sister Mary Alice entered the Congregation Sept. 17, 1962. For 19 years, she ministered as either an elementary school teacher or coordinator/director of religious education in the Chicago area. For seven years Sister Mary Alice served as a religious education consultant for the Archdiocese of Chicago. She ministered six years as the Congregation’s director of novices and then spent several years in retreat ministry and spiritual direction. Since 2005 Sister Mary Alice served as the director of the Providence Associate Relationship. Sister Mary Charles Spalding Jan. 7, 1914-March 11, 2011 “Sister Mary Charles took numerous summer courses to keep up to date, especially in her teaching of religion.” Sister Mary Charles entered the Congregation on Dec. 24, 1930. She ministered in educa-tion for more than 50 years in Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Washing-ton, D.C. She returned to the Woods in 1995. Sister Frances Maureen McGrory July 23, 1927-March 26, 2011 “Sister Frances Maureen was what we call in community a ‘real school woman.’ She kept up on all the new school trends and implemented them.” Sister Frances Maureen entered the Congregation Feb. 2, 1946. She spent four decades as either a teacher or principal in schools in Indiana and Illinois. She spent several years in provincial leadership for the Congregation. Sister Frances Maureen returned to the Woods in 2008. To read the entire obituary for a sister, visit www.SistersofProvidence.org and look for the “As seen in HOPE” link. Continued on page 21 Continued from page 20 Working together The Sisters of Providence and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College work together in doing what they can to prevent recyclables from going to the landfill. This effort to do their part in saving landfill space and reducing contamination brought in more than $32,000 in 2010. This recycling program that contributes to the reuse of materials includes scrap metals, mixed paper, newspapers, glass, plastic, cans and cardboard. The materials are trucked by an SP Facilities Management staff member to the Indiana State University Recycle Center, Data Management or Sugar Creek Scrap, all in Vigo County. The earnings from the aluminum cans are given to Woods Day Care/Pre-School. See the entire 2010 report and learn more about this recycling collaboration at www.SistersofProvidence.org. 22 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 23 Upcoming events Calendar June 2-5 Wilderness Fast at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. This retreat weekend is for anyone who is discerning, wanting to mark a significant “life passage” or seeking purpose in life. It is based on the Native American Vision Quest Ceremony. Cost is $325. Registration deadline is May 26. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or rmorton@spsmw.org. 17-19 Medical Herbalism Course with Matthew Wood at White Violet Center for Eco- Justice. This course covers plant identification, self-care, wild crafting and basic appli-cations. Cost is $250 which includes meals. Housing at the Woods costs $45 per night. Registration deadline: June 1. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or rmorton@spsmw.org. 25 Golden/Silver Jubilee Celebration, 1:30 p.m. (EDT), Church of the Immaculate Conception. 26 Profession of Vows, Church of the Immaculate Conception. 27-July 8 General Chapter of the Sisters of Providence July 17-23 Living in a Sacred Universe with Toni Nash, CSJ, and Mary Lou Dolan, CSJ, at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. These days will provide participants with the space to be a learning, reflective community, to move from knowing about this new relation-ship with Earth, to living within it, building beautiful, sustainable, mutually enhancing relationships with each being in the Earth community. Cost is $450 and includes meals and housing. Registration deadline is July 2. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or rmorton@spsmw.org. August 9-13 2011 Leadership Conference of Women Religious Assembly, Garden Grove, Calif. Congregation will have a presence at this event. 14 Come and See Day for women 18-42, California. Contact Sister Jenny Howard at 800- 860-1840 ext. 2897 or jhoward@spsmw.org. Photo album Young artists honored at reception To view more photo albums, visit www.SistersofProvidence.org and look for the “As seen in HOPE” link. Wabash Valley youth were honored at the Sisters of Providence Youth Art Contest reception March 10 in Providence Cen-ter at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The contest theme was “The Legacy of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin.” Winning awards were (front row, from left) Ages 5-7: Sophia Miranda, honorable mention; Trinity Miranda, third place; Adah Belle Shepherd, second place; and Trey Wallace, first place; Ages 8-10: Chloe Storm Isle, honorable mention; Adin Shepherd, third place; Zachary Klug, second place; and Sarah Chatman, first place; (standing, from left) Ages 11-13: Maddie Lee, honorable mention; Jamie Hoggatt, third place; Yzabel Tio, second place; and Alexis Klug, first place; and Ages 14- 18: Jonathan Flanary and Carson Seprodi, a tie for honorable mention; Karah Ellis, third place; Allisa Frazier, second place; and Kristin Bell, first place. (Photo by Becky Igo) Bill Wolfe, noted Terre Haute artist and sculptor, has been commissioned to create four murals for the Vigo County Court House rotunda that feature prominent scenes in the county’s history. His first creation is Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. Done in oils, the mural shows her life’s journey from birth, to walking on the Breton shore, arriving aboard ship in the United States and surviving the first Indiana winter. Bill, who also serves as a part-time security guard at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods, plans to complete the Mother Theo-dore mural this spring. The other murals will be Francis Vigo, the county’s founder, and two panels devoted to the county’s general history. Keith Ruble, director of the Vigo County Parks Department and local wood crafter, will build the frame for the five-foot by 10-foot mural. (Photo by Dave Cox) A religious icon of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin was presented recently to the Sisters of Providence by St. Theodore Guerin High School of Noblesville, Ind. Several representatives of the school, including students, traveled to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to make the presentation. The icon, created by Minnesota artist Jan Storms, was blessed during a Eucharistic Liturgy. Paul Lundsford, the school’s principal, is shown holding the icon being viewed by (left to right) Sister Denise Wilkinson, general superior, and Sisters Paula Damiano, Marie McCarthy, Jane Marie Os-terholt and Nancy Reynolds, all general officers. (Photo by Cheryl Casselman) Mural features Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Saint Mother Theodore icon presented to Congregation Sept. 16 9th annual Hole-y-One Golf Scramble, Hulman Links Golf Course, Terre Haute. Contact Diane Weidenben-ner for team registration or sponsorships at 812-535-2802 or dweidenb@ spsmw.org. Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Indianapolis Indiana Permit No. 593 Office of Congregational Advancement 1 Sisters of Providence Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Irish citizens of the year Sisters Rita Ann Wade (left) and Barbara McClelland enjoy their special recognition as the 2011 Irish Citizens of the year on March 17. This honor let them sit in a convertible and wave as they led the annual St. Patrick Day Parade in the state’s capital. Both sisters have grandmothers of Irish heritage. Sisters Rita Ann and Barbara have ministered for the past 11 years at Miracle Place in an Eastside Indianapolis neighborhood. (Submitted photo)
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Title | HOPE Vol. 6 No. 3 summer 2011 |
Alternative title | summer 2011 HOPE |
Description | A magazine dedicated to sharing the mission, spirituality and ministries of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. |
Transcription | 2 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 3 HOwithinPE Features Cover story 4 Valuing education Guerin College Prep 6 A pleasant sounding instrument Providence Cristo Rey 8 Opening new doors Woods Day Care/Pre-School 10 Loving the children first SMWC 12 A gadget-happy sister Departments Partners in our mission 16 Alumnae/i news 18 Newsnotes 19 Obituaries 20 Sustainable living 21 Upcoming events 22 Photo album 23 Mission Statement: The purpose of HOPE is to extend the energy and power of Providence to our friends by sharing information about the mission, spirituality and ministries of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. Volume 6 • No. 3 summer 2011 Executive Editor: Sister Rosemary Schmalz Editors: Sister Ann Casper and Diane Weidenbenner Publication Manager/Designer: Connie McCammon Cover Photos: Sister Dawn Tomaszewski Cover Designer: Pam Lynch Editorial Board: Rosie Blankenship, Christina Blust, Cheryl Casselman, Andrew Conner, Dave Cox, Sue Heck, Becky Igo, Sister Jeanne Knoerle, Sister Bernice Kuper, Sandy Scroggins, Sister Joan Zlogar Contact Information: Office of Congregational Advancement, 1 Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876 For change of address: cdavis@spsmw.org or 812-535-2804 Website: www.SistersofProvidence.org Children’s website: www.WoodsUp.com Printed on recycled paper See us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube! Follow our blogs! The Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin For information about Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, contact Sister Jan Craven, coordinator of the Office of the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, Providence Hall, 1 Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876-1007 or 812-535-2925 or jcraven@spsmw.org. Page 10 Page 7 Page 14 On the cover: Guerin College Prep students in a theology class of Sister Kay Manley partipcate in a classroom discussion. Sister Kay is pictured at the top of the cover with her trusty laptop. To learn more about Guerin Prep, turn to page 6. Female Institute of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods ‘located in a retired, healthy and pleasant situation’ This is an early advertisement for the Female Institute, predecessor of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. It appeared in a Terre Haute, Ind., newspaper. (Image courtesy of Archives) 4 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 5 H Cover story Photo above: This 1930 Archives photo is of the Holy Childhood Home in Kaifeng, China. Pictured are (left to right) Sister Marie Patricia Shortall (RIP), Mother Marie Gratia Luking (RIP) and Sister Mary Margaretta Grussinger (RIP). Valuing education Mary-of the Woods College stands as the fruit of those small beginnings! By 1842, as the Congregation attracted new mem-bers, Mother Theodore was able to provide sisters to open a parish school in Jasper, Ind. Over the years Sisters of Providence were invited to staff parish schools in other states, eventually traveling to the East and West Coasts of the United States not only to teach reading, writing and arithmetic, but always to show the face of a loving God through lives that reflected love, mercy and justice. While education in traditional classrooms seemed to be the norm for many decades, Sisters of Provi-dence reached out in other ways to meet pressing human needs. In 1920, responding to the request of a bishop in China on behalf of the needs of abandoned children in his diocese, especially girls, six Sisters of Providence volunteered to carry the mission of Providence to the Orient. Expelled from China by the Communist regime in 1948, the sisters moved to Taiwan where the mission of Providence continues to flourish today through the efforts of the Sisters of Providence and a native congregation, the Missionary Sisters of Providence. Service is pro-vided at Providence University and other ministries that respond to pressing needs of the people. In the latter half of the 20th century social changes began to affect the specific ministries of the Con-gregation. The decline of vocations to religious life began to show itself. The need for education was being met by the growth of the public school system in the United States. Many parishes could no longer financially support a school and many women and men who had been taught in SP schools were now active in sharing that education in their parishes in other ways than in a school. In addition, documents of Vatican Council II, such as “The Church in the Modern World” called the Cath-olic Church to reach out to the needs of all people, not just the young. In another document, religious congregations throughout the world were instructed to revisit their original charism in order to determine where the Spirit might be calling them to respond to the overwhelming needs of people in modern times. In this issue of HOPE magazine we feature several of these sponsored ministries of the Sisters of Provi-dence. It is important, however, to call attention not only to the fact that there are other sponsored min-istries in which members engage but also that every sister regardless of age shares herself and her gifts in response to the needs of those around her — living out her commitment to make God’s loving presence more visible in our world through her own acts of love, mercy and justice — which might be expressed in teaching, hospitality, tutoring, visiting prisoners on death row, volunteering in a food pantry, visiting the sick and the dying, serving in a clinic to meet the needs of the sick poor, and certainly praying for the needs of the world. Resource suggestion: “Love, Mercy, Justice: A Book of Practices of the Sisters of Providence” available at The Gift Shop at Providence Center or www.ProvCenter.org. By Sister Bernice Kuper Because in our world a loving God chooses often to respond to human needs through the actions of each of us, Providence spirituality expresses itself primarily in service to God’s people. At times this happens through our way of being with one another; at other times it happens through our actions to help those in need, and it is always our prayer and relationship with God that keeps us mindful of this responsibility. The Constitutions of the Sisters of Providence state that “The purpose of this Congregation is to honor Divine Providence and to further God’s loving plans by devoting itself to works of love, mercy and justice in service among God’s people.” For 170 years generations of Sisters of Providence have honored God’s loving presence in the world by trying to make that presence more visible to others through their own acts of love, mercy and justice. In 1840, in the person of Mother Theodore Guerin and her five companions, the French community responded to the request of the bishop of Vincennes for sisters to help educate the children in frontier families, especially girls. While learning how to live their lives in a wilderness and trusting in a Provident God to guide them, the sisters opened an Acad-emy for young girls at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods within a year of their arrival. Today Saint See EDUCATION on page 5 Education Continued from page 4 By Sister Ann Casper Q. Just what are sponsored institutions? A. Religious congregations through the years have founded many institutions, especially in education and health care, and continue in special relation-ship with them after their establishment. While each congregation defines sponsorship a little differently, the most common elements of spon-sorship include: separate incorporation of the sponsored institution; the leadership of the con-gregation serving as members of the corporation and having certain reserved powers according to the Articles of Incorporation. Q. What are examples of reserved powers? A. Powers reserved to the members of the corpora-tion may include the approval of the president of the sponsored institution; approval of its budget; and approval of any change in its mission. Q. Who operates the sponsored institution? A. The sponsored institution is governed by a board Sponsored institutions 101 See SPONSORED on page 11 6 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 7 Guerin College Prep A pleasant sounding instrument Story by Connie McCammon, photos by Sister Dawn Tomaszewski Pedagogical methods have certainly changed since Sister Kay Manley began teaching at Guerin Col-lege Preparatory High School (then known as Mother Theodore Guerin High School), in River Grove, Ill., in 1993. Teaching methods may come and go, but a true teacher takes to heart Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s wise counsel to “Love the children first, then teach them.” Sister Kay en-deavors to use the modern ways of connecting with students, but she knows Mother Theodore’s advice is the most important component in creating hope and breaking boundaries for her students. “After 17 and three-quarter years of teaching at Guerin, friends will often suggest that I know it all by now and teaching should be a breeze,” said Sister Kay, who teaches freshman and sophomore theology. “But about five years ago, Guerin Prep introduced one-to-one computing for students, pro-viding each student with a computer laptop. Many of my current colleagues grew up with a laptop on their highchair. Others were quick to learn the ins and outs of computer use. I admit I’m the tortoise at being proficient with a computer. “During my first PowerPoint presentation I ad-vanced a slide too soon and panicked. The students told me to press the back button, and there was the slide I needed to teach! Since then I’m not embar-rassed to ask the students ‘how to’ when it comes to computer applications. They teach me much. My favorite line, which one senior just quoted to me recently, is that I always say, ‘I teach theol-ogy, not technology,’” continued Sister Kay, who celebrated her golden jubilee in 2008. Sister Kay may not teach technology, but she has certainly become very savvy using it. Her chalk-board has given way to PowerPoint presentations; scanned charts, graphs and documents; and the use of Inspiration® software. This software assists Sister Kay in creating presentations, outlining and visually mapping content to help students retain information and to be able to organize and synthesize it. Students at Guerin are required to take four years of theology. Sometimes there is a little grousing among the students about this requirement. Sister Kay pa-tiently responds to these students, “While you do not need theology to get into college, you need theol-ogy to get through life. You will always need to have God, no matter what college you go to or where you go in life. … You need to keep up that relationship,” continued Sister Kay. “The young girls and boys that I teach are among the fortunate because their parents have as a priority the value of Catholic education. So these young people are involved in 45 minutes on a daily basis in a the-ology classroom. There’s an opening prayer. There are intentions for which they wish to pray, and a les-son about God being involved in their lives through the Word of God, Scripture, or how Christianity grew from the time of Jesus to the time of 2011,” said Sister Kay. This study of God also takes place outside the classroom and in God’s creation. Students are involved in a myriad of service and justice pro-grams. These service proj-ects include ones close to home like the annual “Adopt a See INSTRUMENT on page 7 Instrument Continued from page 6 Kid” Christmas program to more global ones in-cluding Haiti and most recently tsunami and earth-quake victims in Japan. “I hope to be an instrument — a pleasant sound-ing one — to lead [my students] to love God as a friend. And I hope to be one who has taught them Background photo: Students in one of Sister Kay Manley’s theology classes eagerly raise their hands to respond to a question. Photo at right: Sister Kay with her laptop in hand, assists a student in a theology class. GUERIN PREP … … is a Catholic, co-educational college preparatory high school. … was founded in 1962 by the Congregation as an all-girls school. … became coeducational in 2004. … has honors and gifted programs. … has 30 clubs/organizations and seven honor societies. … has an exceptional fine arts program. Students must take fine arts classes as a requirement for graduation. … has a current enrollment of 540 students. … has one of the most extensive computing pro-grams offered by a secondary school in the Arch-diocese of Chicago. … is accredited by AdvancED, formerly North Cen-tral Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. respect for who they are and whose they are and to spread this respect in all of their daily encounters at home, in school and with their friends,” said Sister Kay. Yes, Sister Kay has been and continues to be a pleasant sounding instrument, bringing her students to a fuller understanding of God in their lives by loving them first and then teaching them. H Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, Indiana Gov. Oliver Perry Morton requested that the Sisters of Providence provide assistance in the administration of City Hospital in India-napolis, which had been turned over to the fed-eral government for the care of soldiers. Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly, second general superior of the Congregation, gave her permission for some sisters to answer this call to duty. During the four years of the war, the Sisters of Providence provided care to Union and Confederate soldiers in Indianapolis and Vincennes, Ind. With the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War this year, the Sisters of Providence are proud to be a part of the Vigo County Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project, a special col-lection of Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (WV3), a digital memory project. Other partners include Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial Library, the Vigo County Public Library and the Vigo County Historical Society. All digitized items are fully searchable online at http://bit.ly/i3RutH. A Library Services and Technology Act Mini-Digitiza-tion Grant from the Indiana State Library provided funding for this project. Visit the site and view the Congregation’s Civil War collection. Items include information and a few images of the sisters who served during the war, transcripts from various Indianapolis news-papers regarding the war, books that address the war-related service of women religious and letters from soldiers, among other material. Congregation Civil War collection available online 8 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 9 Providence Cristo Rey Opening Photo above: Sister Maureen Fallon (right) uses SMART Board technology to engage her students in working out calculus problems. new doors hile the Sisters of Providence have a goal of “breaking boundaries, creating hope” in their work, it’s not often this gets to happen by opening a new school. But that’s what happened in 2007 when the Congregation sponsored Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis. Sister Jeanne Hagelskamp, along with other Sisters of Providence and volunteers, worked hard with the Cristo Rey Network to create the school, which is a college prepartory program that includes work study at local businesses. Stu-dents come from families that cannot afford other private school options. Students spend four days a week in classes and one day a week at a corporate job site, such as Eli Lilly, AIT Laboratories, Advantage Heath, many downtown law firms, as well as St. Vincent, St. Francis and Community hospitals. Businesses receive the benefit of a full-time employee with five students filling one job, while students receive a substantial tuition benefit that provides a private school education. The program offers students the opportunity to build essential job skills while completing their college preparatory pro-gram. Last year, 100 percent of the students in the Cristo Rey Network were accepted to college. Some of these students were at risk of not completing high school and in a few short years Story and photo by Rosie Blankenship W have been transformed into true leaders, on track to reach significant success in their lives. Sister Maureen Fallon has been present for this transformative experience in the school and the students. Sister Maureen has taught high school for 30 years as a Sister of Providence, but Providence Cristo Rey was her first opportunity to start something from scratch. “I spent the first week shoveling out the leftover trash, then I opened my desk drawer and it was empty,” she said. “It’s part of the thrill.” There was a big challenge in creating a school where none existed before. “We were trying to create a culture of college prep and college ready where there was none,” she said. It wasn’t easy, but the faculty and staff are getting there. It’s exciting to see, too, that the culture is developing with the heavy influence of the Sisters of Providence and Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. All sophomores at Providence Cristo Rey visit Saint Mary-of-the-Woods where they learn about the foundress, the SP history and traditions and learn about White Violet Center for Eco- Justice. Portraits of Saint Mother Theodore hang in every classroom at Providence Cristo Rey and the stu-dents seem to grasp her importance and influence on their history. Sister Maureen went with the volleyball team to a game at St. Theodore Guerin High School in Noblesville, Ind., and the students were surprised to see a large portrait of their saint at the school. “They said, ‘Sister, what’s our saint doing in their school?’ I told them it was OK – the school was named after her. They asked, ‘Did they get permission?’” The students have surprised Sister Maureen in their beliefs and relationship to Jesus. “Their spiritual life is way deeper than anything I have seen,” she said. “It really gives me hope for the next generation.” The culture of the school as being born from the original mission of a saint is one way the sisters are trying to create a culture. Another is by constant re-inforcement of the benefits for students of their edu-cation. “We are really trying to change the culture of education for these kids,” she said. The school is open on Saturdays, so students without comput-ers or a quiet place to study, or who need help with homework or a term paper, can have access to a place to work and to assistance with study. “I think they were told they could be successful, but they had no idea what that meant,” she said. “They never had models for success.” Teachers engage the students in discussions about current events, even Sister Maureen, who teaches physics, algebra II and calculus. All of the teachers encourage the students in their educational quest toward college. She finds herself explaining the de-tails of the process of test-ing, applying for and being accepted to college, as well as telling kids what life will be like on their own: setting their own study habits, doing laundry and all of the experi-ences that come with college life. Many of these students don’t have family and friends to whom they can look for this advice and guidance. “We broaden their experi-ences, broaden their horizons, and they broaden our understandings, too,” she said. “We bring in more global issues than the students have in the forefronts of their minds.” And much like the transformation of the school from a dusty mess to the bright, cheerful education-al home it is today, Sister Maureen has witnessed similar transformations in her students. Most of the kids have never passed an ISTEP test (Indiana’s standardized test where passing is a requirement for high school graduation) when they enter Providence Cristo Rey. “We don’t give up on them,” she said. “If you create a culture that says it is OK to be successful, then the students learn how to do it.” JUST THE FACTS: Year opened: 2007 Number of students enrolled: 70 Number of seniors 2011: 25 College scholarships for the Class of 2011: $1 million Number of faculty & staff: 27 Number of SP faculty & staff: 4 Continued on page 9 Continued from page 8 H 10 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 11 Woods Day Care/Pre-School Story and photos by Diane Weidenbenner aint Mother Theodore Guerin began an educational legacy of “breaking boundaries, creating hope” in 1840. Just as Saint Mother Theodore provided loving leadership, service to the needy, a welcom-ing spirit and a thankful heart, so the Sisters of Providence further this legacy today at the Woods Day Care/Pre-School (WDC/PS), a sponsored institution of the Congregation. Sister Judith Cervizzi has been director of WDC/PS since July 2005. As an SP, she models the Congregation’s mission (doing works of love, mercy and justice). She begins her day with prayer and reflection which equips her to handle the day. Saint Mother Theodore said to “love the children first, then teach them.” Sister Ju-dith helps to achieve this by offering children a quality curriculum but also a chance for the children to experience the “beautiful woodland home where Mother Theodore lived, prayed, participated in the Eucharist … and walked.” Sister Judith also serves as a confi-dant for some parents whose children attend the day care. “A mother came to me at closing one day to ask me to suggest a church in the area where she and her children would feel welcomed. Her young daughter was asking about going to church and she wanted to provide a good church community for them. She came to me for guidance because she felt I was a woman of faith, even though she herself was not Catho-lic.” Sister Judith put her in contact with another sister who worked with local parishes and an inter-faith group. Sister Mary Rita Griffin, administrative assistant at WDC/PS, has always had a heart for the needy. She has 13 years of experience as an elementary school principal and 18 years of experience in adminis-tration with agencies that served the homeless in Washington, D.C. Her faith affects how she fulfills her position. “When Mother Theodore founded schools she tried to assure that the poor would also be served. Our center has two sources of fund-ing for low-income parents. The WDC/PS participates in the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), an Indiana govern-ment program that pays day-care tuition for the children of low-income parents who are working and/or attending school. The Sister Gertrude Smith Scholar-ship Fund also provides tuition subsidy for parents in need of financial tuition as-sistance.” Sister Mary Rita strives to see Jesus in each person. “Over the desk in my office is a framed piece of art depicting a tree. The leaves on the tree spell out the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The roots spell out the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is the focal point of the art. The quote at the bottom is, ‘If the root is holy, the branches are too,’ from Romans 11:16.” Sister Mary Rita has experienced joy through WDC/PS’s efforts to assist six infant children whose parents were still in high school. “After completing high school each of these parents has enrolled in post high school education and is work-ing part-time. Each of these children’s parents was eligible to receive CCDF tuition assistance at WDC/PS,” said Sister Mary Rita. Sister Mary Ann Phelan offers a welcoming spirit as a volunteer, part-time receptionist at WDC/ PS. When a parent calls in about an absence, she “not only inquires about the child’s illness but also wishes the parent and child well as the illness con-tinues.” She feels that being a volunteer gives her a different perspective than going to a job. “The chil-dren see that the sisters here are truly interested in them and love them,” said Sister Mary Ann. “Many of our families aren’t Catholic, but I have explained to parents who have a gravely ill member about our devotion to saints and what a relic is. I have offered relics and prayer cards to them. They accept this because they see that I respect their beliefs and do not try to change them,” said Sister Mary Ann. Sister Hannah Corbin, a canonical novice with the SPs, is a volunteer teacher’s aide in the infant room. Sister Hannah sees her ministry as “a way to share God’s love.” She approaches the infants as “complete persons, who are manifestations of God in this world.” As an aide, she helps to create a supportive, lov-ing and safe environment. Sister Hannah is also thankful for the many blessings she receives from her ministry. “The children teach me as well, what it means to trust, play and ‘be.’ It is ministry because we bring each other to a greater wholeness and a deeper connection with all of life,” said Sister Hannah. When she rocks a fussy baby to sleep, she encounters her own tendencies to kick and cry, “resisting the gentle whisper of God to sur-render.” The other Sisters of Providence that serve at WDC/ PS are Sisters Jackie Hoffman, Lucille Lechner, Mary Ann Lechner, Jean Anne Maher, Florence Norton, Margaret Quinlan and Mary Margaret Quinn. Lovingoving thethe childrenchildren firstfirst S See CHILDREN on page 11 Children Continued from page 10 Sponsored Continued from page 5 of trustees/directors, which is entrusted with over-all planning, management and fiscal responsibility for the institution. Q. How else is the religious congregation involved? A. An important responsibility of the sponsoring congregation is to promote a deeper understand-ing of the congregation’s mission and heritage among all the people associated with the spon-sored institution. Additionally, sisters are encour-aged to minister in sponsored institutions and to be aware of the ways it furthers the congrega-tion’s mission. Background photo: One of the walls in the day care features the logo of the preschool and a list of benefactors. Photo at right: Music prodigy Max Perry plays a few bars for Sister Hannah Corbin. The children see that the sisters here are truly interested in them and love them. — Sister Mary Ann Phelan “ ” H H 12 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 13 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College A gadget-happy Sister By Dave Cox Sister Joanne Golding is a self-proclaimed computer nut. So, she seems to be well connected in ministry as director of academic computing at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods College, even though she plans to retire at the end of the current semester. A lover of mathematics, she jumped at the opportu-nity when Indiana State University allowed doctoral students to switch from two foreign languages to one language and one unit of computers and statis-tics to satisfy their degree requirements. That was in the 1960s, and she’s been plugged in ever since. “Shortly after I finished my doctorate, I was prin-cipal at St. Ann School (Terre Haute) for a while and then I went to work for a computer company in Chicago. I came back here when the college com-puter offerings were first beginning in 1982 and I’ve been here ever since. It’s like the kid who found her toys,” Sister Joanne said. She is involved in “everything computer” on the academic side, including the Woods External Degree (WED) program. She has seen dramatic opportuni-ties blossom for those who choose distance learning. “Let’s take a regular professor who has a campus class. The faculty would go in two or three times a week, depending on the powers that be, and they would teach. For WED students, we used to give them the books, the syllabus and the assignments, and say, ‘Now, go home and do this.’ What we are coming down to now is understanding that teaching and learning must be more interactive.” Come August and the new academic year, all SMWC classes will be available online. WED stu-dents, as well as Woods On Line students, and tra-ditional resident students, will have access to every-thing at their fingertips, including peer discussion boards, contact with teachers and advisors, con-tent that includes everything from recorded lectures to interactive movies, virtual office hours for faculty, even immediate feedback after taking a quiz. Another feature allows a student to post a report, or class assignment, and massage it up to 10 times before it goes to the professor for evalu-ation. “Students can continue massaging their work. In doing so, they learn better,” Sister Joanne said, adding that students “had better not pass it along to their little sister” because of the plagiarism checking system. “I think we’re just scratching the surface on what we are being able to do. I think there is going to be much more interaction. Much more of the work is going to fall to the student,” she added. Sister Joanne also sees a shift to competency-based education. “I’m going to be educated. I’m going to talk to people in industry. I’m going to talk to professors. I may take a class, but there will come a time when I have to be tested on my competency. That’s probably what tuition will be in the future. You pay for the testing of competency, but that’s years into the future,” she said. For now, “I think the programs we have are wonder-ful. I think we are the undiscovered gem in Indiana. Faculty and staff here do care about their students. They won’t let them fail if at all possible. It’s im-portant for a student to walk away from this college feeling good about herself and saying, ‘I can do it,’” Sister Joanne said. She emphasizes that the current trend is not without challenges. “There are some things that we have not conquered,” she noted. “How do I know you took the quiz? How do I know you took the quiz without looking at the book? We are going to need to de-velop ways to monitor everything. There are a lot of dangers, but if you really want to learn, the world is open to you,” she said. And, what if this world had been open to her when she was a traditional, residential student, and not working at home, having a snack at 2 o’clock in the morning as some students do as they work on their courses? “I would have been a much bet-ter student. First of all, I like the whole idea of gadgets. I’m gadget happy. I would have spent much more time with studies. It would have kept my attention, especially in courses where I wasn’t too enthusiastic. When I did my dissertation, we had to type it on a type-writer. You remember typewriters?” Sister Joanne Golding loves being plugged into all sorts of technology. (Photo by Connie McCammon) Continued on page 13 Continued from page 12 When I did my dissertation, we had to type it on a typewriter. You remember type-writers? — Sister Joanne Golding “ ” H 14 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 15 Providence Center Two new faces welcome visitors, pilgrims Stories and photos by Becky Igo Meet Sister Jan Craven Sister Jan Craven embraces her new role as the coordinator of the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine and is excited about the shrine’s future as well. “My vision for the shrine is to continue the legacy of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin,” said Sister Jan, who has been a Sister of Providence almost 32 years and a former member of the Youngstown Ursulines for 10 years. She will strive to “continue to share [Moth-er Theodore’s] wisdom with people, both far and near” and wants those who walk the grounds at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods “to experience a kind of hope they find no place else.” Sister Jan is grateful to have been called to the min-istry of overseeing Saint Mother Theodore’s Shrine. “There is always something new to learn about her,” Sister Jan said of Saint Mother Theodore. “To come and know her anew is my hope.” Sister Jan said each day is different in the shrine office, which is located in Providence Center, the welcome center at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Prayer requests arrive daily and meetings to plan public activities fill her days. “We are on our way to planning for the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Fest,” Sister Jan said, referring to the event set for Oct. 21-23 this year. The inaugural Fest, conducted in 2009, drew hundreds to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to celebrate Saint Mother Theodore’s legacy. Sister Jan, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, is a graduate of Youngstown State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She received a master’s degree in spirituality from Fordham University in New York and a master’s degree in the philosophy of religion and theology from Claremont University in California. She has ministered as a teacher, director of religious education, pastoral associate, provincial councilor, and tribunal advocate at various locations in Indiana, Illinois and California, and also as director of postulants at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods. Currently, the home for the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine is in the Church of the Immacu-late Conception on the grounds of the motherhouse. However, the shrine is the focus Meet Andrew Conner As the new director of Sisters of Providence Pro-gramming and Hospitality, Andrew Conner has a clear vision for the future at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods. “I want people to experience the beauty and peace of this place, and to find a comfortable and welcoming place to explore and deepen their spirituality,” he said. “That isn’t news to people who have been here before, but there are more people for us to reach. We don’t want to be a ‘best-kept secret.’” Andrew has a natural knack for being successful at raising awareness. Prior to his employment with the Sisters of Providence, he served as executive director of Downtown Terre Haute Inc. and earlier as an economic developer with the Indiana Department of Commerce. As the leader of Downtown Terre Haute, Andrew was instrumental in breathing new life into a city that had lost faith in itself. Since then, the downtown has enjoyed a renaissance and Terre Haute was named the 2010 Indiana Chamber Community of the Year. No doubt Andrew’s past leadership roles will serve him well in his new position. At his office in Providence Center, the official welcome center of the Sisters of Providence, Andrew works to develop and coordinate “sustainable programs that are reverent of the mission of the Congregation.” On any given day, he might be meeting with staff at the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice or attend-ing one of many organizational meetings in the Wabash Valley. Andrew is always on the move, and he is as visible as he is likeable. Andrew wants to take program-ming — tours, retreats and public gatherings — to a higher level. “Grounded in Mother Theodore’s love of nature, and in the values of love, mercy and justice, our pro-gramming will range from seminars and workshops that challenge, engage and inspire to less-structured retreats that provide time to unwind, decompress and recharge,” he said. “We have a special setting and a special tradition to share. It is an atmosphere that opens the mind to the importance of sustainability, the heart to the dignity and worth of each person, and the soul to the wonder of Creation and love of the Creator. God is everywhere, but this is a great place to renew the connection!” For the future, Andrew looks with excited anticipa-tion of seeing a new home established for the Saint Mother Theodore Shrine. That move alone will fos-ter growth. “As we develop the permanent Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore, I anticipate that pilgrimages will become a large part of the daily life at Provi-dence Center,” he said. “I hope that visitors to the shrine will be moved in a way that lasts beyond their tour. The lessons and gifts of Providence are for all time, even if your introduction begins with just a brief tour stop.” Even before serving as the director of Programming and Hospitality, Andrew has had his own lessons of exciting plans for the future. Sister Jan said she looks forward to her involvement with the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine Committee, adding its members have done a “marvelous job, thus far” in planning for the shrine’s new permanent home at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. (For more details about the shrine, see www.SistersofProvidence.org and click on “Saint Mother Theodore” at the top of the page.) For those who know Saint Mother Theodore well and others yet unaware, Sister Jan offered this message: “Make [Saint Mary-of-the-Woods] your second home. Discover anew your own deep peace by coming to walk these grounds. Enter into the shrine of this great Saint of God to unearth your own saintliness. You are always welcome, again and again.” See SISTER JAN on page 15 Sister Jan Continued from page 14 To learn more about the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Shrine, the Sisters of Providence and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, contact Sister Jan at 812-535-2925 or email jcraven@spsmw.org. H Andrew Continued from page 14 and gifts from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. He’ll tell you about the connections he had as a youngster with the Sisters of Providence as he waited while his siblings took piano lessons at the Woods. Now, as an adult, he shares those connections with his own family. Often, you’ll see his wife, Jill, their daughter Isabelle, twin sons Charlie and Theo, and youngest son Henry, enjoying Sunday Brunch, tak-ing in an event or coming to see the alpacas. But it’s the word “welcome” that Andrew embraces most in describing what he wants visitors to experi-ence, upon arrival and departure, at the Woods. “We love to share the heritage and history and min-istries which we have been given, and the sisters and the staff want visitors to come here,” he said. “Everyone is welcome.” See ANDREW on page 15 H “Living the Legacy NOW!” is the theme of this year’s Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Fest sched-uled Oct. 21-23 at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The Fest, sponsored by the Sisters of Providence, will provide attendees with enlightening and fun opportunities to learn more about Saint Mother Theodore. For more information, contact Sister Jan Craven, coordinator of the Saint Mother Theodore Shrine Office, at 812-535-2925 or jcraven@spsmw.org. MTG Fest date set for Oct.21-23 16 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 17 Partners in our mission Trusting Providence in By Connie McCammon “Have confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us. The way is not yet clear. Grope along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient, be trustful.” — Saint Mother Theodore Guerin “I like this quote because it’s realistic and down to earth. Mother Theodore had a very good sense of just how hard — and great — life was and her words and wisdom speak to me about enduring life’s struggle in order to realize life’s re-wards. And sometimes the way is just not clear and the best we can do is grope,” reflected Martha Brennan, a planned giver to the Congregation who resides in Louisville, Ky. Martha sees life’s struggles every day in her job as a high school English teacher at Waggener Traditional High School in Louisville. “Waggener is a Title I school, and the majority of my students are at-risk students — many ‘free and reduced lunch,’ non-native English speakers and other minorities,” said Martha, a 1986 English graduate of Saint Mary-of- the-Woods College (SMWC). “It’s hard, demanding, messy work, but I am constantly amazed that I ‘get’ from my students more than I will ever be able to ‘give’ to them,” continued Martha, who was first introduced to the Sisters of Providence as a student at Cathedral High School, Indianapolis. Martha had to grope along slowly in order to find a ca-reer for which she is passionate. After graduating from SMWC in 1986, she worked for the Congregation’s Communications Office, the forerunner of the Office of Congregational Advancement (OCA). “It was through this work that I came to understand my ‘calling’ to share the gifts and talents I have been given and have developed,” said Martha, whose life-partner, Sheila Galvin, is a 1987 SMWC graduate and a special education teacher. Martha soon understood that her calling was in the classroom. But before she could follow this calling, she returned to SMWC to earn an education cer-tificate. Martha commenced teaching in 2005 and during four summers, she earned a master’s degree in English from Middlebury College in Vermont. Due to her passion about teaching at-risk students, Martha is very interested in the Congregation’s Indianapolis ministry at Providence Cristo Rey High School. “The current education problems within our society are the symptoms of our country’s growing problem with poverty — the growing gap between the rich and the poor. I see it every day in my classroom and my school. To me, Cristo Rey is a ministry that is trying, in a small way, to provide quality education to the most neediest in our society which can only be a positive effort in closing the gap between the rich and poor, educated and uneducated,” said Mar-tha. She could also be speaking about what she and her Waggener colleagues strive to do every day, too. Martha’s Catholic faith, her parents and the Sisters of Providence have all helped to form her into the person and teacher that she is. “Fortunately, both my parents and the Sisters of Providence bestowed a value system in me that nurtured a sense of how to treat others fairly and justly in this world and share the gifts and talents that were given to me from a divine source,” said Martha. “The sisters provided me, and still provide today, a model of how to ‘be’ in this world through their acts of love, mercy and justice,” said Martha, who generously supports the Congregation and has remembered the sisters in her will. “It’s one of the ways that I can possibly give back all that I have received from them and help [them] to sustain their mission. The SPs do vitally impor-tant work in this world.” Martha’s life isn’t all seriousness. Yes, she likes to read, and she also enjoys traveling, playing a little golf, walking and doing genealogical work. She recently purchased a motor scooter that she affec-tionately calls her “Mid-life Crisis Toy” that she tools around on. Just like most everyone else, Martha’s path hasn’t always been clear, but she gropes along slowly and trusts in Providence. Continued on page 17 Continued from page 16 H Photo below: Martha Brennan stands in front of a portrait of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin that adorns a wall in her home. (Submitted photo) 18 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 19 Alumnae news Newsnotes Alum gatherings are a family affair Dear Alums, Have you noticed that there are new faces at the reunions? I have. Alumnae/i are bringing their children and grandchildren to reunions, intro-ducing them to friends and shar-ing the stories from their high school days. It is a trend that I hope continues. If the thought has crossed your mind to invite your family to a reunion, please do so. We love to extend our Provi-dence family! The Heart-to- Heart fundraiser in Chicago in February was the most successful fundraiser in the area to date. The proceeds were donated to the renovation of Prov-idence Hall, the residence of the retired sisters. It was very gratifying to receive thank you notes for a fundraiser! A Family Day pig roast will be held Aug. 14. We look forward to a day of games and good food. Reunion plans are in the works for the following all-school reunions. Please contact your alumnae representatives for more information. If you need contact information, please call or email me at 773-463-2478 or spaweski@spsmw.org. June 5: St. Agnes, Indianapolis September: St. John, Indianapolis (TBA) Oct. 1: Marywood, Evanston, Ill. Oct. 1: St. Rose, Vincennes, Ind. Oct. 8: Immaculata Prep High School, Immaculata Junior College and Dunblane School, Washington, D.C. Oct. 30: Providence High School, Chicago It is with sadness that we mourn the loss of Mar-garet Villiger, class of 1938. Margaret served on the St. Co-lumbkille Alumni Association Board for more than 30 years. Please re-member her and her family in your prayers. Sister Sue Paweski Photo above: Marywood, Evanston, Ill., class of 1956 members Cecile (Rogers) Dunn, Sue Ann (Sullivan) Brander and Valerie (Berghoff) Yokie (left to right) enjoy the Heart-to-Heart fundraiser. (Submitted photo) Congregation receives award The Sisters of Providence commitment to diversity and justice has been recognized by an Indiana media company. The Congregation received a Champion of Diversity award during a recent annual awards program spon-sored by Indiana Minority Business Magazine. During the presentation, the Sisters of Providence were introduced as having “positively impacted others on virtually every level. … The Sisters of Providence focus on social justice, anti-racism, eco-justice, non-violent strategies for peace, immigration rights and persons living in poverty.” Sister Jane Marie Osterholt, general officer, who gave the invocation, accepted the award on behalf of the Congregation, along with Sister Mau-reen Fallon, who teaches at Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis, and Sister Demetria Smith, MSOLA, a member of the Congregation’s Anti-Racism Team. Green Town Conference date set The Sisters of Providence and White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, a ministry of the Sisters of Provi-dence, are among many partners that make up a new nonprofit in Indiana and Illinois called Our Green Valley Alliance for Sustainability (OGVA). OGVA is bringing a prestigious event to Terre Haute this fall: a Green Town Confer-ence that will highlight ways to attend to our environment. Green Town is a pre-mier one-day experience, with innovative speakers and other offerings, designed to emphasize how to create healthy, sustainable communities. It is a zero-waste, carbon-neutral event that will include pre-conference opportunities as well. It will take place at Indiana State University Nov. 16-17. This is the first Green Town event in Indiana. OGVA hopes people who attend leave the event energized, educated and better connected. Attendees will network with others in the community to create a more sustainable future and come up with tan-gible programs during the event. For more infor-mation or to register, please go to www.OurGreenValley.org. A big thank you to our donors! Good old-fashioned phone calls still work! God bless all of you who took time to chat with your volunteer-caller during the 2011 Phonathon. The stories we heard are priceless, the prayer requests are numerous, the amount raised in pledges is out-standing, and the grati-tude of the Sisters of Providence is endless! We do live in a mobile society, and many of you weren’t home when we called. We left you a message, and some of you have generously responded to those requests. Thank you! Our 2011 Phonathon goal is $130,000, and because of your generosity, more than $67,000 (52 percent) has been received to date. Outstanding! It takes many individuals to have a successful pho-nathon, so we would like to give a special thanks to the sisters, Providence Associates, Candidate- Associates, alumnae and staff members who made countless phone calls, and to those who served as clerks, cutting, sorting, stuffing, sealing, counting, etc. A heartfelt thank you to one and all! Welcome, Sister Anna! Sister Anna Ho (pictured), a native of Vietnam, transferred her vows as a woman reli-gious to the Sisters of Providence on Jan. 23. Her siblings from California, New York and Oregon came for the ceremony and her mother, Anna Nguyen Thi Phac, joined her from Vietnam for the festivities. (Submitted photo) www.SistersofProvidence.org 21 Obituaries 20 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 Sister Theresa Rose Butts April 7, 1915-Dec. 15, 2010 “Sister Theresa Rose kept a wonderful garden, always including Bells of Ireland, and she baked the best chocolate chip cookies, made with both butter and margarine.” Sister Theresa Rose entered the Congregation July 15, 1934. She ministered more than 50 years in education in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Sister Theresa Rose returned to the Woods in 1996. Sister Mary Isabelle Welsh June 30, 1918-Dec. 25, 2010 “Sister Mary Isabelle was loving and generous. She loved doing things for people, loved to be on the go, loved to visit family members and friends.” Sister Mary Isabelle entered the Congregation Jan. 11, 1936. She spent four decades in schools in Illinois, Indiana, California and Washington, D.C. Starting in 1979, Sister Mary Isabelle ministered in Indianapolis at St. Elizabeth Home, St. Philip Neri and Fatima Retreat House. She returned to the Woods in 1987. Sister Dorothy Deal (formerly Sister Damien) July 3, 1919-Jan. 2, 2011 “Sister Dorothy was perfect for adult learners, because she was determined that they would learn.” Sister Dorothy entered the Congregation Jan. 9, 1937. She ministered in education for four decades in Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. Sister Dorothy ministered several years as the coordinator of facilities at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Col-lege. She spent four years serving Annunciation Parish, Brazil, Ind., as a secretary and religious educator before returning to the Woods in 1990. Sister Ann Xavier Hau Nov. 12, 1920-March 1, 2011 “Sister Ann Xavier was a friend to all. She reached out to others when she saw difficulty or sadness.” Sister Ann Xavier Hau entered the Congregation Jan. 5, 1939. For more than 50 years she ministered in education as either a teacher or principal in Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri and California. She returned to the Woods in 1998. In memory “I sleep, but my heart watches … ” — Song of Songs Sister Mary Alice Zander (formerly Sister Joseph Gertrude) June 12, 1944-March 5, 2011 “Our Providence Associates! Sister Mary Alice gave her all to building this relationship. She loved this ministry. It was her ‘baby,’ and she continued as she was able after her surgeries and chemotherapies.” Sister Mary Alice entered the Congregation Sept. 17, 1962. For 19 years, she ministered as either an elementary school teacher or coordinator/director of religious education in the Chicago area. For seven years Sister Mary Alice served as a religious education consultant for the Archdiocese of Chicago. She ministered six years as the Congregation’s director of novices and then spent several years in retreat ministry and spiritual direction. Since 2005 Sister Mary Alice served as the director of the Providence Associate Relationship. Sister Mary Charles Spalding Jan. 7, 1914-March 11, 2011 “Sister Mary Charles took numerous summer courses to keep up to date, especially in her teaching of religion.” Sister Mary Charles entered the Congregation on Dec. 24, 1930. She ministered in educa-tion for more than 50 years in Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Washing-ton, D.C. She returned to the Woods in 1995. Sister Frances Maureen McGrory July 23, 1927-March 26, 2011 “Sister Frances Maureen was what we call in community a ‘real school woman.’ She kept up on all the new school trends and implemented them.” Sister Frances Maureen entered the Congregation Feb. 2, 1946. She spent four decades as either a teacher or principal in schools in Indiana and Illinois. She spent several years in provincial leadership for the Congregation. Sister Frances Maureen returned to the Woods in 2008. To read the entire obituary for a sister, visit www.SistersofProvidence.org and look for the “As seen in HOPE” link. Continued on page 21 Continued from page 20 Working together The Sisters of Providence and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College work together in doing what they can to prevent recyclables from going to the landfill. This effort to do their part in saving landfill space and reducing contamination brought in more than $32,000 in 2010. This recycling program that contributes to the reuse of materials includes scrap metals, mixed paper, newspapers, glass, plastic, cans and cardboard. The materials are trucked by an SP Facilities Management staff member to the Indiana State University Recycle Center, Data Management or Sugar Creek Scrap, all in Vigo County. The earnings from the aluminum cans are given to Woods Day Care/Pre-School. See the entire 2010 report and learn more about this recycling collaboration at www.SistersofProvidence.org. 22 HOPE // SUMMER 2011 www.SistersofProvidence.org 23 Upcoming events Calendar June 2-5 Wilderness Fast at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. This retreat weekend is for anyone who is discerning, wanting to mark a significant “life passage” or seeking purpose in life. It is based on the Native American Vision Quest Ceremony. Cost is $325. Registration deadline is May 26. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or rmorton@spsmw.org. 17-19 Medical Herbalism Course with Matthew Wood at White Violet Center for Eco- Justice. This course covers plant identification, self-care, wild crafting and basic appli-cations. Cost is $250 which includes meals. Housing at the Woods costs $45 per night. Registration deadline: June 1. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or rmorton@spsmw.org. 25 Golden/Silver Jubilee Celebration, 1:30 p.m. (EDT), Church of the Immaculate Conception. 26 Profession of Vows, Church of the Immaculate Conception. 27-July 8 General Chapter of the Sisters of Providence July 17-23 Living in a Sacred Universe with Toni Nash, CSJ, and Mary Lou Dolan, CSJ, at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. These days will provide participants with the space to be a learning, reflective community, to move from knowing about this new relation-ship with Earth, to living within it, building beautiful, sustainable, mutually enhancing relationships with each being in the Earth community. Cost is $450 and includes meals and housing. Registration deadline is July 2. Contact Robyn Morton at 812-535-2932 or rmorton@spsmw.org. August 9-13 2011 Leadership Conference of Women Religious Assembly, Garden Grove, Calif. Congregation will have a presence at this event. 14 Come and See Day for women 18-42, California. Contact Sister Jenny Howard at 800- 860-1840 ext. 2897 or jhoward@spsmw.org. Photo album Young artists honored at reception To view more photo albums, visit www.SistersofProvidence.org and look for the “As seen in HOPE” link. Wabash Valley youth were honored at the Sisters of Providence Youth Art Contest reception March 10 in Providence Cen-ter at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. The contest theme was “The Legacy of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin.” Winning awards were (front row, from left) Ages 5-7: Sophia Miranda, honorable mention; Trinity Miranda, third place; Adah Belle Shepherd, second place; and Trey Wallace, first place; Ages 8-10: Chloe Storm Isle, honorable mention; Adin Shepherd, third place; Zachary Klug, second place; and Sarah Chatman, first place; (standing, from left) Ages 11-13: Maddie Lee, honorable mention; Jamie Hoggatt, third place; Yzabel Tio, second place; and Alexis Klug, first place; and Ages 14- 18: Jonathan Flanary and Carson Seprodi, a tie for honorable mention; Karah Ellis, third place; Allisa Frazier, second place; and Kristin Bell, first place. (Photo by Becky Igo) Bill Wolfe, noted Terre Haute artist and sculptor, has been commissioned to create four murals for the Vigo County Court House rotunda that feature prominent scenes in the county’s history. His first creation is Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. Done in oils, the mural shows her life’s journey from birth, to walking on the Breton shore, arriving aboard ship in the United States and surviving the first Indiana winter. Bill, who also serves as a part-time security guard at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods, plans to complete the Mother Theo-dore mural this spring. The other murals will be Francis Vigo, the county’s founder, and two panels devoted to the county’s general history. Keith Ruble, director of the Vigo County Parks Department and local wood crafter, will build the frame for the five-foot by 10-foot mural. (Photo by Dave Cox) A religious icon of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin was presented recently to the Sisters of Providence by St. Theodore Guerin High School of Noblesville, Ind. Several representatives of the school, including students, traveled to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to make the presentation. The icon, created by Minnesota artist Jan Storms, was blessed during a Eucharistic Liturgy. Paul Lundsford, the school’s principal, is shown holding the icon being viewed by (left to right) Sister Denise Wilkinson, general superior, and Sisters Paula Damiano, Marie McCarthy, Jane Marie Os-terholt and Nancy Reynolds, all general officers. (Photo by Cheryl Casselman) Mural features Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Saint Mother Theodore icon presented to Congregation Sept. 16 9th annual Hole-y-One Golf Scramble, Hulman Links Golf Course, Terre Haute. Contact Diane Weidenben-ner for team registration or sponsorships at 812-535-2802 or dweidenb@ spsmw.org. Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Indianapolis Indiana Permit No. 593 Office of Congregational Advancement 1 Sisters of Providence Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Irish citizens of the year Sisters Rita Ann Wade (left) and Barbara McClelland enjoy their special recognition as the 2011 Irish Citizens of the year on March 17. This honor let them sit in a convertible and wave as they led the annual St. Patrick Day Parade in the state’s capital. Both sisters have grandmothers of Irish heritage. Sisters Rita Ann and Barbara have ministered for the past 11 years at Miracle Place in an Eastside Indianapolis neighborhood. (Submitted photo) |
Publisher | Sisters of Providence Office of Congregational Advancement |
Repository |
Sisters of Providence Office of Congregational Advancement, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, 47876. |
Date Digital | 2011-09-05 |
Date original | 2011-04-05 |
Coverage | United States -- Indiana -- Vigo County -- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods -- summer 2011 |
Subject |
Alumni & alumnae Children Children reading & writing Day care Education Educational facilities College buildings College facilities College students College teachers Students Computers Art Children's art Art exhibitions Icons Schools High schools History Nuns Nurses Religion Religious education Religious facilities Religious communities Religious orders Religious retreats Religious services Guerin, Theodore, Saint, 1798-1856 Military personnel Military medicine Teaching Teenagers Terre Haute (Ind.) Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Women Women's education United States -- History -- Civil War -- 1861-1865 |
WV3 Subject |
Civil War -- Document Civil War -- Image Civil War -- Artifact Education Famous Hoosiers People Religion Wars & Conflicts |
Type |
text |
Material Type |
Magazines |
Technical Metadata | Adobe InDesign CS5 |
Copyright | Digital Image Copyright ©2011 Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana 47876 |
Identifier | Sisters of Providence Archives |
Language | English |
Audience | General public |
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