The Sisters of Providence at St. Mary of the Woods, IN witnessed eighteen women and men make commitments as Providence Associates last Fall with plenty of others on the way!  This article comes from Jason Moon, who works in their Mission Advancement Office.

“Eighteen people recently deepened their relationships with the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. On Saturday, Oct. 9, residents from Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oregon and Taichung, Taiwan, made commitments as Providence Associates, choosing to walk more closely with the Sisters of Providence and live out their mission of love, mercy and justice.

“I’m honored to have been accepted to complete this faith journey,” Ashley said. “As I move forward into my first commitment, I hope to find new ways to connect with the Sisters of Providence as well as continue to explore my faith.

“Having gone through this process during COVID, I’m sure my experiences are different from the norm,” Ashley said. “Sister Janice and I would select a unit to work from and then set a deadline. We would both do the unit and then I would email my reflections and questions to her.

“We then would schedule a phone call and spend the morning discussing what we both took from the unit. The units and following phone calls are something I will greatly miss as they really did fortify my faith and help guide me in everyday life.” Ashley’s companion was Sister Janice Smith, SP.

For Robb, reconnecting with Sister Mary Morley, SP, was wonderful.

“We knew each other from her days in Linton,” Robb said. “She was good friends with my mother and father and spent quite a bit of time at our house. She was such a breath of fresh air and it was fun and enlightening to learn about the Sisters of Providence and their mission of love, mercy and justice.”

Providence Associate Co-Director Sister Susan Paweski, SP, said in order to become a Providence Associate, a candidate is paired with a Sister of Providence or Providence Associate companion and goes through a year of study, prayer and reflection. Sister Sue said the 2021 commitments brought the total of Providence Associates to more than 300 in the United States and Taiwan.

Another twenty-nine individuals began their Providence Associate journey on Nov. 13, 2021.”

Barbara McMullen, CDP