I didn’t see anything like that on the news when over 1,100 people died in Bangladesh in a garment factory. I’m assuming they were all or mostly women. I can’t imagine the depth of grief in that country. Our local Pax Christi group lit candles in solidarity at our recent meeting.

In our last Chapter meeting, we Sisters of Providence committed “to free ourselves to better respond to urgent global issues, especially those impacting women and Earth.” In our Litany of nonviolence we pray: “Deliver us from the silence that gives consent to abuse, war and evil.”

In our Litany of Non-Violence we pray: “Deliver us from the silence that gives consent to abuse, war and evil.”

In 2012, we addressed the issue of human trafficking in regard to the Super Bowl. In the past we have educated ourselves about sweatshops and the terrible oppression of those who work in such conditions.

Now is an opportune moment to join with thousands of others to make a difference. We can put pressure on corporations to act responsibly by requiring safe and ethical working conditions.

I received a link to an online petition from Green America seeking to secure safe working conditions in the garment industry. To all who are reading this, I urge you not to be silent. Let us clothe ourselves in compassion and justice.

On April 29, a dozen peace activists representing the Anti-War Committee of Chicago protested at Boeing’s annual meeting held at the Field Museum. Sister Kathleen Desautels is on the left. Last year military aircraft orders made up 20 percent of Boeing’s revenue. The use of Boeing-made drones is increasing and with it the number of civilian deaths in drone strikes. (Photo and caption from 8th Day Center for Justice.)

Recently I wrote a letter to President Obama expressing my deep concerns about the tragic impact of our government’s use of drones. What follows is the major part of my letter.

Your response to the families of those who lost children in the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown was from the heart. You expressed so well not only your heartbreak, but the support and love of the people of this nation for these grieving families.

In addition, you traveled to Boston to speak to those who grieved from the tragedy of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. As a citizen I was deeply grateful for your words, as well as for your visit to the hospital.

But, Mr. President, I am deeply troubled. Yes, I grieve with you and with the people of this nation, over the senseless loss of life and the maiming of so many in these tragedies. And I continue to pray for all those whose lives have been forever affected by these events. But I also grieve for the children in Pakistan – 178 children – who have died by our drone attacks. (Attached to the letter was a list of the children from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.)

And, Mr. President, with all due respect, violence begets violence. We are not making friends of those whose children, family or village members have died as the result of these attacks.

My last concern is that I believe that the U. S. drone attacks upon a nation with whom we are not at war is a violation of international law. What right do we have to do this? In conscience I have to speak up against these attacks. Mr. President, I urge you to stop these attacks by drone missiles. As the President of these United States, I urge you to build bridges of peace and accord with Pakistan rather than to rain down missiles upon them. Leave a legacy of peace building in these last years of your presidency.

I concluded the letter with this quote from UNICEF:

“Even one child death from drone missiles or suicide bombings is one child death too many. Children have no place in war and all parties should do their utmost to protect children from violent attacks at all times.” -Sarah Crowe, UNICEF

I beg you to take action on this issue. Learn more at www.amnestyusa.org.

If you live in the Terre Haute area, and if you are a Providence Associate, you might have missed a presentation by Sisters Martha Joseph Wessel and Nancy Reynolds about life after the Second Vatican Council. Eleven associates and guests and the two sisters (let’s call them conversation starters) engaged in a lengthy dialogue that ended only in time to go to the Taize gathering.

This was the second of two such opportunities for Terre Haute area associates.

Sister Martha Joseph talked about the everyday-living adjustments, such as phasing out the traditional habits in favor of contemporary attire of the day. “I was probably one of the last to change, but I did it my way at my own pace,” she said.

Sister Nancy also talked about being a late-changer.

“The habit was perfect for me to hide behind. I did not have to have my own identity. When you were seen in public, people knew who you were. But, when I took it off, I felt free.”

Other topics such as not being able to visit with family or eat with family, lay people having short-term overnight stays in a Congregation residential building, letters to and from family and strict prayer times were mentioned, along with the post-Vatican II practices of welcoming people of all faiths, collaboration on issues, opportunity to share ideas and opinions and shared governance.

Dialogue continued for a lengthy period after the conversation starters shared their insight.
How can you prevent missing an opportunity like this?

First, keep watching for the next Taize prayer gathering. It’s the second Tuesday of each month for the rest of the year. It will always focus on a water-related issue this year in relationship to Terre Haute Year of the River celebration. Next, if you’re an associate, keep watching for upcoming Providence Associate opportunities. If you are not an associate, you can fill out an application to become one. You have until June 30 this year to do so. For more information about the associate relationship with the Sisters of Providence, contact Debbie Dillow, assistant director of Providence Associates, at either 317-994-6821 or ddillow@spsmw.org or visit www.ProvidenceAssociates.org. An application also can be obtained from Vicki Layton, administrative assistant, at vlayton@spsmw.org or 812-535-2862.

Don’t miss this opportunity, or the next Taize prayer gathering on June 11.

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are partnering with the Indiana Abolition Coalition to have the death penalty abolished.

Are you in favor of the death penalty? This is a question I posed to ISU students on Human Rights Day some years ago. If someone had asked me this question in the 90’s, I probably would have responded, “I’ve never given it much thought; I don’t know.” I was ambivalent.

In 2000, when I was asked to consider visiting David Hammer on Death Row at the Federal Penitentiary in Terre Haute, I did not only think about it but I prayed.

My “yes” to the invitation to begin visiting regularly began in February of that year. This long relationship has changed both our lives for the better.

At an assembly of the Sisters of Providence in 2001, we passed this resolution:“We the delegates of the General Chapter of 2001 declare our opposition to the death penalty.”

Since then, many efforts have been made by the Sisters of Providence, Providence Associates, the SP Peace with Justice Committee and many others to abolish the death penalty, to visit with prisoners, to teach in prisons, to offer hospitality to family and friends visiting at Indiana prisons, and to contact our legislators. Our Poverty and Justice Fund has supported both national and international groups that advocate ending the death penalty.

Currently, the Sisters of Providence are partnering with the Indiana Abolition Coalition to have Indiana’s death penalty abolished. Two meetings have been held in Terre Haute recently with a third scheduled for Saturday, July 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Vigo County Public Library at 7th and Poplar.

The IAC board has been in all regions of the state with their first presentation featuring the myths connected with the death penalty. The last of this first series will be in Evansville on Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to noon with Sister Mary Mundy as the host at Holy Rosary Parish.

These area meetings are open to all. Come join us and perhaps your ambivalence toward the death penalty will change your thinking and your heart!

For additional information, consult these websites: www.indianaaboliton.org and www.ncadp.org.

In the new issue of HOPE, the Sisters of Providence magazine, you’ll find a variety of stories and prayers about home. From Sister Susanne Gallagher and her ministry creating a church home in Chicago and beyond for people with disabilities, to Sister Su-Hsin Huang’s journey from Taiwan to the Woods of Indiana motivated by a love for God, to one staff member’s story of grappling with feeling at home as a woman in the Catholic Church, we invite you to spend some time reading about home from a Sisters of Providence perspective. We HOPE you find something that speaks to you!

A Blessing on our Homes

O Provident God,
we ask that you bless and protect our homes
and all who come and go from them.

May our homes be filled with welcome
for family and stranger alike.

May our homes know joy, laughter, support
and acceptance within their walls.

May all homes filled with illness or grief
feel the warmth of your compassion and care.

May all homes filled with anger and abuse know
your healing and return to right relationships.

May all homes filled with financial stress know
relief from such burdens and worries.

Increase in us a desire to be one
with You, with one another and with all creation.

Amen.

— by Sister Ann Casper,
as seen in HOPE

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College students created this work of art from trash along the Wabash River.

For several weeks recently in front of Rooney Library at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, founded by the Sisters of Providence, stood a unique art piece. SMWC Art and Design majors, Sustainability Club students and a journalism and media student collaborated with each other to create a large three-dimensional fish for The Year of the River.

An outline structure filled in with trash students gathered from the Wabash River formed the body of the fish. Tires, appliances, pipes, plastic bottles, a cushion, paper cups, plastic bags, a venetian blind and many more items had been carelessly dumped in the river.

As I looked at the sculpture, a wave of immense sadness came over me. I wanted to sit in silence, grieving how we have treated the river. I had read early Indiana historian, Sandford Cox’s words in Old Settlers about the Wabash River in the mid 1800’s. He described the beauty of the scenery, the plants, the trees and the abundant wild life. I wanted to apologize to the river for all the contamination and pollution, for all that had been lost. I knew the fish were no longer safe to eat. I wanted to pray a litany of lament, of sorrow.

On the hopeful side are the local organizational efforts to raise our awareness and to promote environmentally sustainable practices through The Year of the River, Riverscape, and Our Green Valley Alliance for Sustainability. Learn how you can support these local efforts. If you live in another area, you might learn from these examples or share with us new ideas.

Miracle Place, in Indianapolis, is a ministry of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

Driving down 10th Street in Indianapolis towards Temple, one sees the challenges of life that residents in this urban neighborhood face daily. A few houses and buildings seem deserted; others need repairs. At 940 North Temple, however, stands a bright blue house that is a beacon of Providence and hope, a place of welcome where small miracles happen every day.

Ten year old Jamille made me a believer recently when he came bounding into Miracle Place proudly displaying his report card for the third quarter. He had a right to be happy. He had A’s in Spanish, music and art. The real miracle he told me, however, was that he had improved several grades in math and is now well on his way to doing even better. In August, he was failing when his teacher recommended that he go to Miracle Place.

When I asked what made the difference, he answered quickly. “Sister Rita Ann [Wade]. She went over and over my multiplication tables with me until I really knew them. She explained fractions to me so that I could understand them.”

Jamille added that no one in his school or at his home had had time to explain things as carefully to him as Sister Rita did. No one had encouraged him the way that she did. That’s why he wanted to show her his report card.

“If Miracle Place was not here, I would still be flunking math,” Jamille said. However, with ever improving grades in hand, he is now thinking about high school and imagining himself at Indiana University.

Jamille, 10, is a “Miracle Place kid.”

Opened in August 2000, Miracle Place is a ministry of the Sisters of Providence that radiates simplicity and aims to create an environment where neighbors can meet and create “a strong sense of community and place.”

Enter Miracle Place and you are in a comfortable living room that leads you to a dining room table where co-directors, Sister Barbara McClelland and Sister Rita Ann, are ready to have you sit down and share with them your story at that moment.

The mission of Miracle Place, they state, is “to offer hospitality, care and concern, to be a place of spiritual refreshment where all who come may find refuge, where all who are severely tried may be comforted, where all who are lonely may find companionship and where those without hope may find a renewed spirit.”

To fulfill this mission, the Sisters along with volunteers and a couple staff members welcome those who drop in throughout the day. They listen to their concerns about their daily lives, about repairs needed in their homes, about difficulties with paying bills and about happenings in their neighborhoods. Everyone leaves with hope and some practical way of addressing the concern they brought.

Staff and volunteers provide a rich menu of activities, as well. For the children, there are afterschool activities like homework help, arts and craft projects, music, and vigorous workouts. Those gathering after school always begin their time together with prayer and end with a healthy snack. Children who come to Miracle Place identify themselves as “Miracle Place kids” and regularly report their progress in school and life to the Sisters and other staff. Adults and senior citizens can participate in cultural and educational opportunities. Persons of all ages enjoy field trips.

Miracle Place thrives on relationships. Just visit AMiraclePlace.org and you will discover the network of supporters and volunteers that sustain the mission and ministry of Miracle Place.

Thanks to the support they receive from donors and others and in response to growing needs and demand for services, Sisters Rita Ann and Barbara recently acquired an adjoining parcel of land and will expand Miracle Place in the next few months.

More space, more miracles. Lots more possibilities for youth like Jamille and his friends.

May 2 is National Day of Prayer. Sister Janice Smith participates in a past prayer vigil.

Today, the nation observes the National Day of Prayer, as it has for some 60 years. I like the idea of such a day and this year’s theme is “Hope.” What could be better?

Well, you and I know there are tons of things that could be better — we could rid the country of gun violence, of poverty, of homelessness, of hatred and racism, of inequality, of hunger.

But, just for today, let’s look at hope. “To expect with confidence” is one definition of hope.

As Sisters of Providence we often quote our foundress, Saint Mother Theodore, who said, “Let us have confidence in that Providence which thus far has never failed us.”

Despite our problems we have confidence, we have hope, that through prayer and acts of love, mercy, and justice we CAN change things.

So, let us pray for hope today and then follow that prayer with action — with some gesture of love, with an act of mercy and compassion toward another and with a plea for justice for all people.

“A Heart’s History,” by Mina J. Cook is my favorite poem in Civil War: Book of Poetry. It can be found online in the Wabash Valley Visions and Voices Digital Project, Sisters of Providence Collection.

Poetry is in my genes. In my family is a book of original poetry written during the civil war. The book, signed Mina J. Cook, was discovered after my paternal grandmother died. It took me 10 years to figure out its author even though I had a great deal of genealogical data on that side of the family. The aha moment came when I discovered Mina was sometimes a nickname for Matilda.

With great excitement, I searched through my genealogical data and came across a page on which I had placed a star. From the many clues in the book, I had picked this name as the likely author, but hadn’t been able to figure out how Mina and Matilda would go together. Everything I had discovered about this person, a husband who died early in an accident, two sons who served in the war and much more all fell into place. It was ten o’clock at night and I couldn’t tell anybody even though my heart was dancing with exhilaration.

It was written by my great, great grandmother’s sister. I love this book because I perceive it as Mina’s spiritual journal of the events in her life. My favorite poem in the book is “A Heart’s History.”

My grandmother, my father and I have all followed in her footsteps, writing poetry. Some of my favorite poets are Mary Oliver, Maya Angelou, Jessica Powers, Jan Richardson, Rainer Maria Rilke, David Whyte and Robert Frost.

Do you write poetry? Do you have a favorite poet or have a poem you have memorized or read many times?