Sisters of Providence celebrate church centennial, Foundation Day
The Church of the Immaculate Conception was filled to near capacity for the special Oct. 21 liturgy marking the church’s 100th anniversary. (Submitted photo)
Special to The Criterion
ST. MARY-OF-THE-WOODS—The Sisters of Providence and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College have begun a year of celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
The church was near capacity for the eucharistic liturgy on Oct. 21 with Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein presiding. The Sisters of Providence Schola and the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Chorale sang during the Mass.
A Centenary Organ Concert, sponsored by the Wabash Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, was also held in the Church of the Immaculate Conception. Artists included Sisters of Providence and guild organists.
“Today, we begin the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the dedication of this magnificent home of God under the patronage of the mother of Jesus under the title of her Immaculate Conception,” Archbishop Buechlein said in his homily.
“These awesome walls are a pledge to the dedication and vitality of your religious congregation of the Sisters of Providence, members past and members present. It would be difficult to compute how many sisters, college students, friends and visitors have celebrated Mass and prayed in this church over the years,” the archbishop said. “It is a special grace that you can worship in this truly special dwelling place of God.”
The archbishop continued, “This church has a splendid history. I doubt that even Mother Theodore [Guérin] would have envisioned the splendor one of her associates, Mother Mary Cleophas, and her associates would create for worship for her beloved congregation of sisters. Nor might she have thought she would be venerated here.”
The interim shrine of St. Theodora Guérin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence, is located next to the sanctuary.
Numerous events are planned for the rest of 2007 and into 2008, including:
- An Advent concert with the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) Chorale and Madrigals and the Terre Haute Children’s Choir on Dec. 8.
- SMWC performance of The Quilters and quilt display on Feb. 22-24.
- SMWC Chorale and Madrigals Spring Concert on April 20.
- An art exhibit at the Providence Center and SMWC LeFer Art Gallery and SMWC Rooney Library from April 20 to May 18.
- Family Day and choral performances by area choirs, and a closing eucharistic liturgy on Oct. 19, 2008.
The cornerstone for the Church of the Immaculate Conception was laid in 1886, and the rest of the church was completed as funds became available to the congregation.
A weekend of celebrations continued on Oct. 22 with the commemoration of the congregation’s Foundation Day. The Sisters of Providence were founded by Mother Theodore on Oct. 22, 1840.
“What a joy and privilege to be together here, the site of her arrival, her home, the center of her ministerial outreach and her final resting place,” said Sister Denise Wilkinson, the congregation’s general superior.
She reflected on her meetings with former Terre Haute attorney Larry Fleschner, who died only days before the foundation feast. He had paid to have a bronze statue of St. Theodora placed near the church. Fleschner, who joined the Catholic Church in 2006, had come to depend on St. Theodora to ease the burden of his illness.
“I don’t believe Larry found strength and comfort in our collective memory of Mother Theodore. … I believe he found her in the here and now. I believe he felt her love for him,” Sister Denise said. “I think Larry got it. He got the deep why of her life. He got that Mother Theodore is not first and foremost a memory to revere, but a living presence urging us to dream big dreams and do loving deeds.
“We will become holy people by opening ourselves to her presence and her dreams and so finding ourselves inspired to live more and more as she lived—happy, generous and prayerful in the face of the sufferings and trials sure to come.” †
