About nine years ago, Sister Carol Meyers, SP, invited me to become a Providence Associate. I responded, “Oh no, not me. I’m a man, older and gay.”

A few days later, director Debbie Dillow called me saying, “We have other people like you who are associates.”

Being close to some Sisters of Providence for several years, I had been hearing about the growing Providence Associate relationship. After some thought, I chose to become a candidate and made my commitment as a Providence Associate one year later.

Naturally, there are more women than men among the associates. After all, the Sisters of Providence are a women’s religious order. Although I, being a man, sometimes question why I remain an associate, I always conclude that I am glad to be one.

I am accepted and encouraged for who I am. Where else could I find a group of people who offer such spiritual enrichment to one another? Such acceptance and encouragement of one another for who we are?

Belonging to the Providence community and its varied spiritual activities has certainly brought me a greater awareness of God’s presence transforming my life-journey and greater trust in Divine Providence.

It’s not promotion of a static, outdated spirituality, but rather one that listens and promotes the Spirit of God active among us today. We find God’s grace to be alive Christians, following Jesus and active in the world today.

I certainly encourage anyone to become more fully alive by joining the Providence Community by becoming a Providence Associate. Men also! I invite you to join us.

In the waking world, we often interpret this as a sign of feeling unheard, or struggling to make our deepest thoughts known – a frustrating, isolating sensation.

Perhaps this silence is an invitation instead, to listen to a different kind of movement – the rhythm of God working within us.

Consider the mechanics of a pendulum. In our spiritual lives, we constantly strive for the center. We seek to “center ourselves” before prayer and throughout our busy days to maintain balance and peace.

We treat the middle as the ultimate destination or state of being, but a pendulum at a dead stop in the middle is motionless; it represents lifelessness, no progress and no joy.

Nothing works correctly if the pendulum does not move. The pendulum must swing through the middle, toward one side and then the other, in a constant, dynamic turn.

Without the swing to the left and the right, we can never truly find or appreciate the center.

This beautiful, necessary tension is mirrored in the Holy Trinity. God provides us with the ultimate examples of left, right and center.

Divinity – The transcendent, infinite source.

Humanity – Christ’s lived, embodied experience on earth.

The Living Spirit – The active, breathing presence within us that blends the two.

When we feel silenced or stuck, let us remember that spiritual life is not about static perfection.

It is about the sacred swing between our human struggles and divine grace.

May we embrace the motion, trust the Spirit that binds them and find life in the holy balance.

Sister Mary Ann Stewart, SP, was awarded an honorary diploma from the school for her ministry of 46 years at Cathedral as a history teacher.

Sister Mary Ann started teaching U.S. and World History at the school in 1980. She has also ministered as the department chairperson of the school’s history department for four years.

But many of the students she has crossed paths with since 1980 will always remember her for history class.

“She is so beloved in our community,” Cathedral Director of Marketing Grace Trahan-Rodecap said. “She is affectionately known as ‘Sister History.’”

Trahan-Rodecap said Cathedral is celebrating 50 years of females attending the school this year. In 1976, Cathedral, originally an all-boys school, purchased Ladywood-St. Agnes School, then a Sisters of Providence school.

“This is a year-long celebration as we recognize young ladies who have been a part of our graduating classes for 50 years,” Trahan-Rodecap said.

Sister Mary Ann said the merger of the two schools was passed by the Cathedral Board of Trustees.

“They combined the schools, which enabled both schools to survive,” Sister Mary Ann said. “Two years after that sale, I took final vows (1978) and completed a master’s degree in social science education at Indiana State University (ISU).

“(The late) Sister Jane Bodine, SP, one of our provincial councilors in Indiana, let Mike McGinley, the president of Cathedral, know that I was available to teach there.”

Prior to teaching at Cathedral, Sister Mary, a native of Terre Haute, taught seventh and eighth grade social studies and religion at Middle Central Catholic School in Indianapolis.

Sister Mary Ann came to the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, from Sacred Heart Parish in Terre Haute. She professed first vows on September 12, 1965.

In addition to her master’s degree, she also has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC).

Sister Mary Ann said her fascination with history began when she was in formation with the Sisters of Providence while studying at SMWC.

“Those were the tumultuous years of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War protests,” Sister Mary Ann recalled. “I remember seeing a presentation about Saint Mary-of-the-Woods students taking part in the Voting Rights Summer when we were just postulants.

“At ISU, I studied a lot of minority and immigration history and for the first time, discovered that my family were early settlers in Terre Haute. We believe that my great-great-grandfather received land in Vigo County in payment for his service in the Ohio Militia during the War of 1812.”

During her time at Cathedral, Sister Mary Ann has also been active in some of the afterschool clubs the school offers to students.

“She’s so lovely,” Trahan-Rodecap said. “She’s so kind. She cares so much about our Holy Cross core values. She’s very approachable. When you see her, you can’t help but smile.

“She has such a wealth of knowledge and she’s a real champion of social justice. She’s loved by everyone. (The students) just adore her.”

“For many years, I was the advisor for Cathedral’s Model UN Team,” Sister Mary Ann said. “We participated in the program at Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis until COVID shut it down. Marian University now has a Model UN Program and I once again have a Model UN Team – five freshmen and a sophomore last fall and one of those freshmen won three awards!”

Sister Mary Ann said staying at Cathedral for almost a half-century has been a natural fit for her.

“I have stayed at Cathedral because the school has provided me many opportunities,” she said. “I have been a department chair. I have taught AP U.S. History, IB History of the Americas, and dual credit U.S. History with Indiana University. The school values having religious on the faculty so they have enabled me to stay on with a lighter teaching load. We presently have two Holy Cross priests, a Holy Cross brother and me.”

“Every Friday after she says our prayer on the PA, Sister Mary Ann extends an Irish blessing,” Trahan-Rodecap added. “Everybody just loves her!”

“This has always been part and parcel of who we have been,” Vicar/General Treasurer Sister Jeanne Hagelskamp, SP, recently said. “It’s our responsibility to steward this well.”

From taking care of the land at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods since 1840 to the creation of White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. From penning the Land Ethic to establishing the new Laudato Si’ Awards, recognizing care for creation is in the heart of all within the Providence Community.

And during this 2026 Laudato Si’ Week, the Congregation is still moving forward.

Following the writing of the encyclical letter, Laudato Si’, in 2015 by the late Pope Francis, the Sisters of Providence established the Climate Change Task Force.

Through this task force, the Congregation reached out to everyone within the Providence Community and committed to a “seven-year journey toward sustainability and integral ecology by developing a Laudato Si’ Action Platform Plan.”

The platform names seven goals, including:

• Response to the cry of the Earth,
• Response to the cry of the Poor,
• Ecological Economics,
• Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles,
• Ecological Education,
• Ecological Spirituality, and
• Community Resilience and Empowerment.

As it turns out, seven years was too short of a timeframe. After all, the Sisters of Providence have been at the forefront of care of creation for nearly 200 years. They have opted to continue moving forward.

Sister Marilyn Kofler, SP, chairperson of the newly-named Climate Crisis Task Force, said moving forward with care of creation is essential to not only the Providence Community, but the world.

“We want to continue to honor what we began in 2017,” Sister Marilyn said. “And it has to be a practical reaction, a renewed commitment to creation of care. We have to build awareness through advocacy and paths of action.

“We’re building on this legacy. The continuation for caring for creation will happen. That will not change. The work will continue, but the shape of the structure may change.”

One of the ways the Sisters of Providence intend to continue displaying care for creation is the new Laudato Si’ Awards, which will be handed out every year moving forward during the annual Earth Day Festival.

In April 2026, the Congregation honored the four directors of White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, including foundress Sister Ann Sullivan, SP, Sister Maureen Freeman, CSJ, Lorrie Heber, and current director Mary Riley.

Each received a certificate of appreciation from the Sisters of Providence and the Congregation had four trees planted in what is called the “Green Space” but will be renamed “Laudato Si’ Grove” in the near future.

Sister Marilyn places an emphasis on how continuing this momentum will take the entire Providence Community.

“It’s happening. It is growing,” Sister Marilyn said. “I see hope in the fact that there is a future. The future is in the hands of the Providence Associates and sisters who are called to care for creation.”

The Holy Father reminds us that the suffering of our earth and the suffering of the poor are deeply connected.

Pollution, climate change and environmental destruction are not separate from human hardship.

Instead, they reveal the need for what he called an “integral ecology,” a way of living that honors both creation and human dignity.

A Time of Prayer, Reflection, Action

Each May, Catholics around the world celebrate Laudato Si’ Week, an eight-day observance commemorating the anniversary of the encyclical. It is a time of prayer, reflection and action – a global call for people of faith to care for creation in tangible ways.

The week serves as a reminder that protecting the environment is not merely a political issue or passing trend, but a spiritual responsibility rooted in love for God and neighbor.

Here at the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, the mission of Laudato Si’ is alive and growing. The White Violet Center for Eco-Justice beautifully embodies this call to stewardship.

Love Letter to Creation

This ministry of the Sisters of Providence is truly a love letter to creation. Visitors will discover a herd of alpacas, laying hens, orchards, a five-acre USDA certified organic garden, a Farm Store and peaceful nature trails winding through the grounds.

Beyond the farm itself, White Violet Center offers workshops, cooking classes, internships and volunteer opportunities that encourage sustainable living and ecological awareness.

During this Laudato Si’ Week, you are invited to become part of that mission by volunteering at the White Violet Center this spring and summer. The farm is bustling with activity and many hands are needed to help care for the land and animals.

Volunteers may assist in the gardens with tasks such as bed preparation, transplanting in the high tunnel, weeding, harvesting produce, washing and packing vegetables or seeding crops for future harvests.

Morning volunteer opportunities are also available for animal care. These chores include mucking barns, filling hay, cleaning and refilling water buckets, caring for the chickens and collecting eggs. In pleasant days, volunteers may also help maintain and clean the pastures.

Garden and animal care tasks involve heavy lifting and physical labor, but they are also deeply rewarding. There is something sacred about working with your hands in the soil, tending living things and participating in the healing of creation.

If you love the outdoors, want to serve the community and hope to further the mission of Laudato Si’, we would love to welcome you. This Laudato Si’ Week, may we move beyond awareness into action – caring for our common home one seed, one chore and one act of service at a time.

Creation Liturgy

The Season of Creation honoring Earth Day generated a lot of excitement at St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy, St. Giles parish in Oak Park, Illinois.

Students decorated St. Giles church and student Lectors lead us in prayer. Our Creation Liturgy shared the special Mass with our 22 First Communicants. What a wonderful way to celebrate Creation with many happy children and families who came to the Eucharistic table to share in our heritage as followers of Jesus.

Our Creation Care Covenant, part of the Laudato Si’ platform initiative, was introduced at the Mass. The assembly was encouraged to sign the document committing to Prayer, Reducing Plastic Use, Serving at least one Meatless Meal a week and Buying Locally.

Happily, the Covenant was well received. It will be available for signatures throughout the summer months. The Creation Care Liturgy will be celebrated annually.

First Annual Sustainability Fair

Our first annual Sustainability Fair welcomed 20 vendors who shared information that ranged from solar panels for the home; gardening tips from the gardeners of the three parish gardens; Citizens United Bureau with strategies to conserve energy; and our own Sister Mary Tomlinson, SP, with information about the CAN (Climate Action Now) app and many options to reduce plastic use.

Several civil organizations shared conservation initiatives and hiking programs. Homemade balms and fragrances, items for the home including placemats, banners, clothing and tote bags were available for purchase. Activities were also available for children.

The Fair was open Sunday morning to allow parishioners to stop by after the three Masses including the Family Mass Community. We had a good number of people attend. It is a good start. Next year, we hope to expand the variety of vendors and add other attractions.

The collaboration between our parish and Ascension-St. Edmund parish has been rewarding. We meet together quarterly. The other facilitator and I attend both parish committee meetings. The exchange of ideas and support makes the initiative and projects possible.

Next on the docket is offering a film series about Earth centered concerns and actions. Laudato Si’ is alive and well in the Oak Park parishes!

What does one wear to a convent? I’m standing in front of my closet, at a bit of a loss. The idea of spending the weekend with nuns conjures up images of long black skirts and plain, unpatterned tops, which I’m realizing is not super in line with my current wardrobe.

I am also unsure what the general consensus will be on my tattoos. A slightly self-conscious feeling begins to settle on me and I eventually end up borrowing some outfits from my mom.

For the past week or so leading up to the trip, I had been mostly excited. After attending one of the monthly prayer groups and speaking with sisters and other discerners, I had felt a sense of hopeful curiosity growing in my heart, a gentle push toward learning more.

Following the Feeling

It was similar to a calming breeze, lightly brushing past me, beckoning me to follow it.

Now, though, on the day of my departure, I am feeling something more akin to a tempest. Waves of complicated emotion flood my mind, and I am finding it difficult to remain anchored to those soft, spiritual invitations.

On the drive down, the storm grows more intense as my self-doubt amplifies. Unworthiness, anxiety and fear all gather like dark clouds, overshadowing my previous hope.

By the time I reach the front gate, I am almost wishing I stayed home. But then, something changes. It’s subtle at first, like that first blush of light in the morning. As I meet these women in person, the other discerners and the sisters, I notice a tender peace that gradually dispels my unease.

Feeling Welcomed

There’s no pretense here – things are natural and humble. I don’t feel overwhelmed or intimidated, but welcomed. As I kneel in the beautiful Blessed Sacrament Chapel, I sense God’s presence enveloping me, reassuring me that He wants me to be here and inviting me to be fully open to whatever I find.

And what I find is more than I could have imagined. It is knowledge and insight through fruitful, surprising discussions about the vows and what it means to live in religious life.

It is companionship and community through connecting and being vulnerable with the other women, bearing our souls in a space that is loving and understanding and empathetic.

It is healing and grace in humbly listening to the testimonies of the sisters and hearing God’s merciful voice in the quiet moments throughout the weekend.

It is freedom in surrendering to the Father’s will and His all-encompassing love.

I am Loved

On the final day, I find myself relaxed, comfortable, laughing easily and often and quite literally rolling up my sleeves and letting my hair down.

As my companions eagerly ask me about my tattoos, I remember the anxiety I experienced just days before regarding my appearance and if I would fit in and be accepted. Now, I know that I am more than accepted here – I am wanted and I am loved.

Weeks after my return home, I am still reflecting on the Come and See and the blossoming effects I have witnessed in my life. I was able to encounter God in an intimate and moving way alongside other women on similar paths, and my relationship with Him has been strengthened and transformed, like how the world turns on a more vibrant shade of green after a heavy storm.

And while I am not sure exactly where Our Lord will guide me, I am so thankful for his opportunity to have said “yes” to Him.

I cannot wait to take His hand and continue saying “yes” whatever may come my way.

I adore the name “Mama.” It is so tender, so special, so infantile and yet, loving.

A baby’s first word is often “Mama.” Probably because they hold us close to their bodies from our first breath.

Mamas nourish from their very selves. They comfort and give us devotion, even when we do nothing to warrant it.

And so, we reach and grasp for our moms, longing for attachment. An intimacy that reflects our Creator’s deep longing for us.

We cannot rest until we rest in God.

We cannot understand love until we know how God loves us.

Isaiah 66:33 says, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.”

As little ones, Jesus calls us to Himself, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4).

How humble is a newborn, expecting food, a dry diaper, endearment.

The cry indicates an unmet need, and the mother rushes to soothe and give care.

May we be like kids, expecting our needs to always be met.

Having faith even when the world mocks or ridicules.

Saint Teresa of Avila blessed us with the thought, “No soul on this road is such a giant that it does not often need to become a child at the breast again … (This must never be forgotten: I may repeat it again and again, for it is of great importance).”

How beautiful to be, again, a baby close to our mama; or, better yet, a little one close to our Heavenly Father’s heart. To experience assurance and total peace, despite any battle or war waged against us.

“My father often took me outside with him to bed down the animals, maybe because I was an ‘asker.’  I’m sure my mother probably wanted him to take me outside due to her own frustration with my questions. She was pregnant and had other younger children to take care of. Dad would point out the stars and their patterns to me when we were outside, and he would say as we raced back to the house, ‘Let’s run past the moon!’”

Sister Teresa Costello, formerly Sister Ellen Maureen, was born in Liscuib, East County Galway, Ireland. “That area of Ireland was very poor. Liscuib, where I lived, was like a third world country in many ways. We had no electricity, no running water, no bathroom, no refrigeration. We got our water from a stream, or we collected rainwater. We washed our clothes in rainwater that we collected in a tank outside our house, and we heated with an open fireplace.”

Teresa Magdalene Costello is the seventh child born to Thomas and Ellen Keane Costello. She is one of five girls in the family, which also has five boys. A midwife assisted Ellen in each of her births in this small village, where Thomas farmed the ground and Ellen kept house and children.

All the children worked on the farm growing up. They could bundle sheaves of oats. The kids planted carrots, sugar and table beets, parsnips and potatoes. They cared for the livestock. Teresa describes a childhood Saint Mother Theodore Guerin would have been very familiar with.

Teresa attended Garafine National School which was ‘about three fields away’. Garafine was a two-room school with a fireplace in each room. A Catholic School, the teacher taught the Bible on handwritten pages because there was no money for books. Education at Garafine ended with eighth grade. There was a Parish church that was only active at Mass on Sundays and for funerals.

U.S. Connection

Teresa’s father, Thomas Costello, left Ireland when he was young, during a time of high unemployment and economic struggle. He went to the United States and found work in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Thomas served with the United States Navy during World War I on the transport ship the U.S.S. Covington.

The Covington carried a total of 21,000 American sailors to France during World War I. When Germans torpedoed the Covington, boats that accompanied the Covington rescued Thomas and 770 other sailors. Six sailors perished.

When Thomas Costello’s military service was over, he returned first to Massachusetts and then went home to Ireland, where he met and married Teresa’s mother Ellen.

Ellen Keane was from Kilconell, in County Galway, and was raised by an aunt and uncle. Ellen’s mother had died young, and her father could not continue to work and care for seven young children.

Independent Parents

Ellen’s family made a match for a husband for her when she was old enough, but she refused to marry. She met Thomas and they courted on their bicycles and arranged their own marriage in the local parish church. There was a great sense of independence in this young couple.

Thomas and Ellen and their 10 children along with Teresa’s paternal grandmother lived together in their small home in the village. Teresa has only fond memories of her childhood.

“My mother and my grandmother were best friends. Winter and summer I remember because we could go outside and could go anyplace we wanted. From the time we could walk we spent most of our time helping on our small family farm. We lived in a poor village, although my family was considered better off than some of the others because my mother was a wonderful manager. Everyone played together, poor and rich.”

Teresa’s father died on her fifth birthday. “He had pneumonia. I snuck in behind my mother that morning and he told me ‘Happy Birthday,’ and I remember that every year on my birthday. I have very fond memories of my father. I remember reaching up to his hand and holding it when I was so young.”

The Plan: Education

When Teresa’s father died, her mother was left to manage the farm and the household. American relatives offered to take the children, but Ellen Costello determined to keep them all together in Ireland.

She had a plan for her children: Education. She wanted the girls to have an education beyond eighth grade, and she wanted the boys to have a trade. One by one they came to the United States.

Teresa has warm and loving connections to her sisters Nancy, Agnes, Margaret, and brother Tom, all still living, and she speaks with them almost daily.

Life in the US

Chris worked in retail and Nancy became a nurse. Mike, the oldest son, managed the farm. Jimmy became a carpenter. Jack was also a farmer, while Eddie became a meat cutter. Margaret was a certified nurse’s aid, Tom worked in the Boston courts, and Teresa and Agnes entered religious communities.

Teresa was sent to the United States unaccompanied when she was 14 years old. Her two older sisters Chris and Nancy were already in Massachusetts. Teresa had never flown and was headed to relatives in Boston. However, her plane landed in New York City, and she had no idea how to get where she needed to go, or how to find a phone to contact her aunt and uncle who were expecting her flight to arrive in Boston. It was the days before modern air terminals or cell phones. “I don’t remember being scared because I was from the village and we were never afraid of anybody. So, I asked people. I met my first Black man there, and I asked him for directions. He was very helpful. He made a phone call for me, and I finally got to Boston.”

Teresa lived with her Uncle Eddie and Aunt Mary, who had a successful liquor business. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas School in Jamaica Plain for the remainder of her eighth-grade year, taught by the Sisters of Saint Joseph, then went on to Cardinal Cushing High School in South Boston and was taught by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

Becoming a Sister of Providence

“I planned when I was a senior in high school to become a religious. I remember thinking when I graduated that a third of my class were engaged to be married.” That was not the path Teresa would journey.

Teresa interviewed with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She liked them but continued to seek. She visited the Poor Clares, the Order of Saint Clare. “They were cloistered and I thought ‘no.’ I thought because I was quiet then maybe it would work, but I decided ‘no.’ I like people. I like to be with people; I still remember visiting the Poor Clares and talking through the screen.”

One of Teresa’s relatives told her that she had a cousin, Maria Garrity (RIP), who was a Sister of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She went to Malden, Massachusetts, and visited with Sister Maria Garrity, a first cousin of her father. “We sat in the yard, and she had a good sense of humor, subtle, and I liked that. I thought, if she can use that then I think I can get along there. When I finished visiting with her, she asked if I would like to be a Sister of Providence. Sister Maria impressed me so much with her quiet manner and her sense of humor. She wrote to Mother Gertrude Clare (RIP), superior general at the time, for me and she got a letter back that said yes, I could come and they would try me as a postulant.”

Teresa came to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on the train with four or five other young women who were entering as postulants. One of them was Carolyn Glynn, Teresa’s best friend for 70 years. Altogether 16 or 17 women entered when Teresa entered.

Learning the ways

The change, the lack of freedom, the schedule was a challenge at first. “I was often late. If you were late the punishment was to kneel up front until prayers were over. And we worked very hard. I never worked in the infirmary, I was probably better at scrubbing floors, although it was very tiring. But the novitiate sisters were extremely kind. Sister Marie Ambrose (RIP) was a gentle lady, and Sister Mary Dominica (RIP) was like a grandmother to us. Because we came from the East Coast the four of us rarely had company. Sister Mary Dominica was wonderful to us; it saved the day for me. I was so happy to come to the Woods.”

Beginning of Ministry

Teresa Magdalene Costello became Sister Ellen Maureen. Although teaching was not her first choice as a profession, she had entered a religious order that taught.

Teresa received her Bachelor of Science degree in education from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and her Master’s in Education from Indiana State University. She would later receive a Master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling from Emmanuel College as well as a Doctor of Divinity degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation, Donaldson, earned when she was 60 years old. Teresa is also a social worker, and earned her LCSW.

Teresa’s teaching career began at Saint Genevieve and then Immaculate Conception schools in Chicago. After six years in Illinois, Teresa moved to Malden, Massachusetts, because her mother had had a severe stroke. At that time a sister could only go home if a parent was very ill or had died. In Massachusetts she taught at Sacred Heart in Malden, St. Rose in Chelsea, and St. Patrick in Stoneham; and in Rochester, New Hampshire, she taught at Rochester Catholic.

She was at Lady Isle in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she taught at Mother of Mankind School. Teresa’s teaching career lasted 21 years. “When I look back, I see those were very insecure years in many ways. A teacher could have their assignment changed on a dime.”

Missioned in Massachusetts, she was able to visit family often. Sister Teresa wore the habit and didn’t drive but was still able to see family and friends often.

A Thirst for Knowledge

The desire to learn has shepherded this Sister of Providence since she was a little girl. Throughout her life that passion to know more has led her journey of faith and service. Each summer of the school year she sought graduate courses to enroll in. To obtain her master’s in education she enrolled in Indiana State University during the summer breaks from school and took the required classes for three summers.

Sister Teresa began studying theology in 1978. She attended Emmanuel College in Boston and received a master’s in pastoral education. Following that, she had a residency at Connecticut Valley Hospital School of Pastoral Care for one year: “I was in a class with ministers from other denominations. I was the only woman. It was a wonderful education. It made a great impression on me, and I came out of it feeling confident.”

Divorce Ministry

Sister Teresa worked for Catholic Family Services in Norwich, Connecticut, for three years, traveling throughout the state to meet with groups of divorced or separated or remarried Catholics. “I learned so much there. I wasn’t prepared for ‘divorce’ ministry, but I was prepared for group work and counseling. I traveled all over Connecticut to meet with divorce groups in individual parishes. Anyone could come; they didn’t have to be Catholic. At that time priests would have area meetings. I was not welcome in those meetings but I attended because I was doing diocesan work. All the time, when I would read the newspapers, I would ask myself ‘Where are Catholic Sisters needed?’ I was looking for poor people and their needs.” Although she enjoyed the divorce groups, she decided with the Director of Family Services that a divorced woman might be the better candidate to succeed her in that role.

She worked next as a tenant coordinator in Symphony Towers, a high-rise building in the crime area of Boston. Her tenants were predominantly persons who were Black, elderly, poor, and disabled. Always seeking ways to assist those marginalized, Teresa was a member of the AIDS Action Committee in Boston. Some tenants as well as those seeking apartments in the building were HIV positive, people who often had trouble finding a place to live due to discrimination. Sister Teresa was familiar with and assisted them with the paperwork that would help them secure housing. She moved to a similar job in Chinatown where several of her tenants were Chinese and Russian couples, many of them refugees from violence.

Housing

Sister Teresa chose housing as a ministry because she knew of the significant need for affordable housing for the elderly. Always, Sister Teresa was responding to the question she had posed, ‘Where are Catholic sisters needed?’ She read The Boston Globe daily, continually seeking to understand the needs of the poor. A pressing issue then and now: housing for the indigent, the marginalized, the elderly.

“I love to learn. I love to read for information. I came home to the Woods every summer. Out East nothing was happening, but things were happening here at the Woods and I wanted to know what was going on. We did not have the money for me to fly out, but I had the blessing of the Provincial to come home if I could find a way. So, I got a ticket for $18 and took the bus and came home to the Woods to take classes and spend the summer in school.

If I had any difficulty it was when I would return from the Woods and be using different language in theology. That was difficult for some sisters who had not regularly come back home. If I had any hard time it was trying to maneuver the changes that were happening at the Woods while living in the East.”

Encouraging Education

Sister Teresa returned to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 1995 and worked for Providence Self-Sufficiency Ministry. She drove to about an hour to Sullivan, Indiana, weekly to work with groups living in government housing.

Sister Teresa educated them regarding their rights and encouraged people to pursue education, explaining how they could accomplish that. She had been gathering knowledge and was now sharing what she knew with the poor, the elderly, the marginalized.

In Boston and in Indiana she was a fountain of knowledge for people she assisted, reading the paper daily for what was available to them. She encouraged people’s dreams.

A New Ministry

In 1997, Teresa pursued an opportunity to work in Florida with the late Sister Cathy Buster. Sister Cathy was working with families and housing. Teresa worked with Cathy and then received a grant for two years to work with adult English learners there.

From 1997 to 2001 she was the Director of Project Light of Manatee, Inc., in Bradenton, Florida, teaching English to adult learners. She and the late Sister Carolyn Glenn worked together there.

When they moved on from that job, they obtained a grant which allowed them to create a 501c3, and with the assistance of Catholic Charities, they could teach immigrants English, help them get their green cards and achieve citizenship. “I went to the Naturalization Ceremony once. It was magnificent to see people from all over the world gaining their citizenship status. We helped them learn so they could pass the test.”

Hurdles

When Sister Teresa left Florida she returned to Massachusetts. There she taught English to Haitian immigrants at the center for the elderly in Malden. When Sister Teresa was 78 years old a serious automobile accident in Boston hospitalized her for six months.

She had a stroke and retired back to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods at age 80. Teresa has continued to experience the aftereffects of that injury, but she has not stopped and has been a volunteer in many areas since her return home, including in healthcare, the mailroom, the White Violet Center and wherever else ‘a Catholic Sister was needed.’

She walks almost daily, and she and the late Sister Theresa Clare Carr walked everywhere on the grounds of the Motherhouse and college day after day.

Sister Teresa Costello was present in Rome for the canonization of Sisters of Providence foundress Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. She has been to France and has returned to Ireland three times.

Her early years in Ireland are reminiscent of the late 1800’s in the states, and it gave her a heart for the poor and a drive to find them, to discern with them and to help them to fill the needs they have. The daily newspaper has been a powerful tool in this sister’s hands, answering “Where is a Catholic Sister needed?” Multitudes of people who are elderly,  immigrants, HIV positive or poor have been blessed by the gift Sister Teresa Costello carries with her, the gift of actively seeking them because that is where she found a Catholic sister was needed. This sister’s spiritual life exemplifies her strong faith and her desire to fulfill the mission of love, mercy and justice all of her life.  

Where are We Needed?

When Sister Teresa entered the novitiate she was fulfilling the wish she had had since high school to become a member of a religious order. The daughter of loving parents who worked hard and a mother who was determined to see her children get an education and succeed, she has used those skills developed at home to honor God and to make life better for others.

She is gifted with the spirit of pursuing knowledge for the betterment of those Jesus has commanded us to care for. Teresa knew what she wanted, and her advice to anyone considering entering the religious life is to know themselves, and to know their God, regardless of their faith denomination.

Caring for Those in Need

When Teresa was asking herself ‘Where is a Catholic Sister needed?’ she was following the mandate to care for those who are the marginalized.

Sister Teresa’s intelligence and her practice to learn something new every day has guided her. She has never questioned her commitment to her religious vocation. Quiet and reserved, she has sought to make and keep good connections within her community and has a deep love for its members. She still walks every day.

This Sister of Providence has carried the charism of love, mercy and justice throughout her life. Her spiritual commitment and love of being in service has led her to accomplish much. She has wonderful stories. Ask her about her mother and the tinkers, or her father laying under the stars with her describing the constellations.

Ask her about the man she had never seen before who came to visit his sister at the convent when she was at St. Genevieve, a man who immediately recognized that she must be the daughter of Thomas Costello. You might find her in the sunroom reading the newspapers as she continues to do daily.

This Sister of Providence, who was not interested in teaching, has been an ardent lifelong learner herself. “I was an asker.” And hundreds and hundreds of people have been blessed by her asking, “Where are Catholic Sisters needed.”

White Violet Center was established in 1996. The honored directors included Sister Ann Sullivan, SP, founder of White Violet Center; Sister Maureen Freeman, CSJ; Lorrie Heber; and Mary Riley.

Prior to this year’s festival, at the suggestion of the Climate Crisis Task Force, the Congregation elected to begin honoring a person or persons annually with the Laudato Si’ award. The award recognizes an individual or group whose work embodies the spiritual, ecological and justice-centered vision of Laudato Si’. It also affirms the honorees’ ongoing commitment to ecological conversion and environmental justice rooted in Providence Spirituality.

General Superior Sister Dawn Tomaszewski, SP, said the award was created to “acknowledge and honor those who live this calling of care for creation with extraordinary faithfulness, who embody this vision through action, leadership and hope.

“It is not just an award we will give today. It is a recognition of a lived commitment to ecological stewardship, solidarity and integral human development,” Sister Dawn continued.

Moving forward, the award will be given annually during the Earth Day Festival at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

“Since 1998, White Violet Center has been gathering folks on our beautiful campus to celebrate Earth – our common home – and to remind us that we need to take better care of that home,” Sister Dawn said. “The Laudato Si’ award is named for the encyclical or solemn letter promulgated by (the late) Pope Francis in 2015 entitled Laudato Si’, a phrase that means, ‘Praise be to you.’ That phrase actually comes from the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi, entitled Canticle of the Creatures, in which he praises all of creation, Brother Sun and Sister Moon, and who, in truth devoted his life to a spirituality of caring for all of creation.

“Pope Francis certainly followed in this saint’s footsteps with the encyclical, which he subtitled ‘On Care for Our Common Home.’”

Each recipient received a certificate of appreciation during the ceremony. In addition, the Sisters of Providence had four trees planted on the grounds of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to honor each awardee.

Sister Dawn then offered a history of accolades and accomplishments for each WVC director.

Sister Ann Sullivan

“Sister Ann Sullivan is the founding director of the White Violet Center,” Sister Dawn began. “Like most Sisters of Providence, Sister Ann participated in the General Chapter in 1991, during which we, as a community, committed to deepening our understanding of the principles of eco-justice and environmental responsibility.

“But it was Ann who had the vision and the genes for how that could happen. She comes from a family of farmers.”

Notable accomplishments of Sister Ann included the dedication and opening of WVC in 1996; establishing a plan developed by a task force; and implementing eight areas of focus for the center, including beautification, land use, recycling, spirituality, social action, education, energy use and administration.

“Perhaps what was most challenging for Sister Ann and her team was changing the way things were done – like moving from conventional farming to organic farming and maintaining our wetlands and caring for our forests in a planned way.

“Probably one of her finest moments was finding just the right livestock to complement the farm’s work – who knew those alpacas would become campus celebrities and a wonderful model for community living?”

Sister Maureen Freeman

Sister Maureen, a Sister of St. Joseph, was the second director for WVC. Sister Dawn said during her tenure, the fiber industry continued to expand while Sister Maureen also introduced chickens to the center as well as establishing a business plan to help develop the center’s sustainability.

“One of the great gifts of that plan was the introduction of the chickens,” Sister Dawn said. “Finally, the alpacas had some fine feathered friends.

“Maureen certainly built on the work of Sister Ann. Both Ann and Maureen served on the committee that wrote a Land Ethic to guide decision-making regarding land care, product use and recycling on this campus.”

Lorrie Heber

Lorrie, the third director of the center, established the words on White Violet Center T-shirts, “Teaching, caring, inspiring for all creation.” In addition, during her tenure, baking workshops grew and flower growing, arranging and selling began.

The commercial kitchen was also established during Lorrie’s time and the White Violet Farm Store opened.

“I might best describe Lorrie’s time at White Violet by using her words, still found on a video that is posted on the White Violet page of our website: ‘Caring for creation is the coolest job on this planet. We really love what we do,’” Sister Dawn said.

“During Lorrie’s time, White Violet Center earned the Green Light Award to celebrate Hoosier solutions to our climate crisis,” Sister Dawn added.

Mary Riley

The director since 2022, Mary had served as the marketer of the ministry before moving over. Under her direction, White Violet has expanded its community outreach, received a USDA grant enabling it to provide food equivalent to more than 9,600 meals for the food-insecure of the Wabash Valley. Tours on campus have also increased.

“Mary stepped into the role beautifully,” Sister Dawn said. “And a year and a half ago, she was asked to take on the role of Executive Director of the Ministry of the Woods, which includes overseeing the direction of White Violet Center.”

“For 30 years, our community has been stronger and better because these four women have led the charge in collaborating, engaging and educating as directors of White Violet Center for Eco-Justice,” Sister Dawn said.

“Let me invite each of us to pause, while you are here enjoying Earth Day, to offer a prayer of gratitude for the beauty of creation, the resilience of the human spirit, and leaders like these women we honored today, who guide us toward hope. May each of us renew our own commitment to protect the world God has entrusted us.”

This year the White Violet Center team attended three different Earth Day celebrations and two of the three had perfect weather with lots of sun, nice temperatures, and minimal wind. We were at Indiana State University on actual Earth Day for their amazing event and the weather couldn’t have been better. We also participated in the inaugural 12 points Goes Green event on April 25th and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

If you’re doing the math, you know that means that, unfortunately, the White Violet Center Earth Day Festival, held April 18th, was not met with ideal weather. Understandably, that tends to keep some folks at home. However, for those who braved the rain and the colder temperatures, it was a fun-filled day. And for those who attended, a very special thank you!

It is always so incredible to see something that you have been working on for months finally start taking shape and come to life. The Sisters of Providence and White Violet Center are so fortunate to have a wide network of caring, generous volunteers and community partners that show up and share their talents with the community. Families were able to come and see animals, participate in fun activities, learn eco-friendly ways that can make a difference around their homes and communities, and get free things like trees and seeds to help in that effort!

We had nearly 500 people from the community come to this event and over 100 volunteers and staff help ensure that things went smoothly which was essential, especially when we needed to pivot several vendors indoors due to the rain that persisted a little longer than predicted, followed by some gusty wind.

We wish we could name everyone individually for all the amazing help and contributions to making our Earth Day a success, but we do have to highlight the students from Totino Grace High School, who came all the way from Minnesota to volunteer! They were the busy bees buzzing around behind the scenes, helping set up the event days before and also sticking around to help with the teardown.

We also appreciate Ranger Power for sponsoring the tents that kept folks dry and helped block the chilly wind. And a thank you goes out to EPIC Insurance Midwest for their support as well.

We had nearly 40 educational and merchandise vendors, lots of fun exhibits and we introduced our new Laudato Si award program that will be given out each Earth Day. Thanks to the generosity of our community partners at TREES, Inc., we were able to award the past four directors of White Violet Center, including our founder, Sister Ann Sullivan, with trees provided by this wonderful organization which also included a tree planting demonstration. It was incredible to honor Sister Ann along with, Sister Maureen Freeman, Lorrie Heber, and Mary Riley for their contributions to White Violet for the past 30 years!

From vendors like Hallie Hound Barkery and Earth Drops that have been with us for so many years to our strong community partners such as ISU’s Office of Sustainability and Vigo County Invasives Management, we are grateful for all of the folks in our community that show up each year to help us with this event and make it truly special!

Enjoy the photos below from the event!

Actually, I didn’t know it was a love affair until I found myself checking daily on every Amaryllis growing in the “plant room” in our Sisters of Providence General Administration Building.

To put this in context, each member of our Leadership Team received an Amaryllis as a gift in Christmas 2024. And then gifts of two new Amaryllis showed up this past Christmas.

When the Amaryllis arrives, it is pretty much a plain, papery brown bulb sitting in a pot of dirt. It even looks a little dead. In fact, the secret to the Amaryllis is that it needs a dormant period, a rest time during which it stores energy and builds strength for the next season.

For the new bulbs, as well as the 2024 bulbs, all they need is a little light and water to “wake up.” Once they “rise,” the speed at which they grow is amazing – sometimes an inch a day.

Even more surprising is that this lifeless, dormant bulb produces vibrant, towering blooms. Unlike many flowers that blossom on delicate stems, the Amaryllis sends up a thick, hollow, almost architectural stalk.

Of course, it has to. It has to push through the tough outer skin of the bulb to reach the light. The flower it generates is huge and heavy, yet the stalk holds firm.

If treated properly, the bulb can be resurrected, surviving and thriving sometimes for decades! Talk about the ultimate metaphor for Easter. It is as if they are blossoming hope.

We need more than a little dose of hope right now. We cannot seem to agree on the kind of people we want to be and the kind of world we are going to leave behind. We are tired of the violence, of the division; we want to be free of the way things are.

I imagine Jesus felt that way. Did he not pray in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39).

A loving, provident God does will our good. Let us remember that the same power that enabled Jesus to rise from the dead is still at work — in the Amaryllis, in you and in me.

Let’s pray that the persistence and the resilience of the Amaryllis arise in us this Easter. Provident God, when we feel overwhelmed, remind us of the power that turns lifeless bulbs into radiant flowers.

Amen. Alleluia. Happy Easter!