What's New

Sister Jane Marie Gleitz and Sister Bernadette Bezner enjoyed a day in Natchitoches, LA with Sister Annalee Prather and Sister Dale Van Gossen.

The four sisters presented retreats for the youth of St. Augustine Parish of Isle Brevelle, LA in the morning of January 21, 2012. In the afternoon a large group of Associates and women of the area gathered for an afternoon retreat on "The Beloved of God". All enjoyed the fellowship, prayer and sharing time together.

In a special entrance ceremony Misty knocked on the convent door and asked to enter the Sisters of Divine Providence. Sr. Ann asked Misty what she desired. Misty stated that she wanted to follow Jesus and become a Sister. Sr. Ann asked her if she was willing to learn to live the three vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. When Misty replied that she was willing , Sr Ann welcomed her and opened the door, inviting her into the Pre-Novitiate program.

CDPs and Associates welcomed the new Pre-Novice by singing one of her favorite church hymns and blessing her. Sr. Ann placed a medal of Our Lady of Providence around her neck and blessed her as she crossed the convent door threshold to begin her vocation journey with the Sisters of Divine Providence.

Misty is 33 and has known the Sisters of Divine Providence for over a year when she attended a Vocation Retreat in Austin. It was there that she met Sr. Helen Marie Miksch, CDP and began to explore her call to religious life with the CDPs.

Misty is form Bridge City, Texas. She attended Lamar University and is currently teaching at Providence Catholic School in San Antonio. Misty is a Math teacher and is very active in the A.C.T.S Retreat. Misty lives in community in San Antonio in a CDP formation house. Please join us in welcoming our new Pre-Novice.

Sr. My-Hanh Tran, CDP and her friend Sr. Thuy Huong Nguyen, FMA attended the parish celebrations for the Vietnamese/ Chinese New Year with Fr. Francis Pham, CSsR at Vietnamese Martyrs Church in San Antonio. Parishioners had music, food and fun. Sr. My-Hanh is seen here at the booth with four seminarians from California who came in to help celebrate this event with the local community.

On January 16, four Sisters of Divine Providence joined the estimated 100,000 people in the Martin Luther King (MLK) March in San Antonio, Texas. The march is held annually on the MLK holiday and is known as the largest MLK march in the nation.

Pictured left to right are Sister Theresa Ann Billeaud, Sister Lourdes Leal, Sister Jane Ann Slater, and Sister Anita Brenek. They marched to join others in calling for equality for all people and for non-violent solutions to differences.

Behind the Sisters are OLLU students, faculty, and staff, numbering about 50 marchers. They were organized by the OLLU Worden School of Social Service and the Center for Women in Church and Society.

The Sisters have said in their 2005 Chapter Statement, “…we commit ourselves to work for peace and non-violence in all that we do,” and in their 2011 Statement, “…the power of Providence…impels us… to advocate on behalf of a world wounded by violence.”

The participants were women and men in religious formation programs, perpetually professed Sisters, Brothers, and priests, and our Catholic laity who are active in Church ministries. Sister Elsa Garcia and Sister Gloria Ann Fiedler from the CDP New Membership Team, attended along with the temporary professed Sisters, the pre-novices, the affiliates, and other Sisters of Divine Providence.

After the one-day workshop, the novices and their directors continued at Our Lady of the Lake Convent for another 1 ½ days with Sister Lynn, further exploring healthy relationships and the vow of celibacy.

Late in the spring of the past year, Sister Anita Brenek called to invite me to become a member of the Agatha Lin Community. Although I had given some thought to soon making a move from Club Drive to the Our Lady of the Lake Campus, this call was a complete surprise. Many thoughts flooded my mind: I’d lived at Club Dr. almost 20 years. Was now the time for me to move? And to the Formation House? Although there were no novices living there now, there is the possibility of that soon becoming a reality. However, the more I thought about the move, the more it seemed that this invitation urged me to “move with Providence.” See full story …

The National Religious Vocation Conference, the professional organization for vocation directors in the United States, selected a new leadership team. Through a reflective process of discernment, the board selected: Mrs. Maryellen Glackin (coordinator), vocation director for the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, Philadelphia, PA; Father Anthony Vinson, OSB, Saint Meinrad, Archabbey, St. Meinrad, IN; and Sister Elsa Garcia, CDP, vocation director for the Congregation of Divine Providence, San Antonio, TX. Sr. Elsa has been in vocation work for over 12 years and has served on the NRVC board for one year.

Pictured (l-r): The new NRVC leadership team - Father Anthony Vinson, OSB; Sister Elsa Garcia, CDP; Brother Paul Bednarczyk, CSC; and Mrs. Maryellen Glackin.

On October 22, the CDP Archives sponsored an exhibit at the 8th Annual San Antonio Founders Day on the grounds of the Alamo. This celebration brought together more than 40 historic and cultural groups that helped settle and shape San Antonio. Since 1875, with the opening of St. Joseph Academy, the Sisters of Divine Providence have ministered in more than 20 places in the Alamo City.

Pictured in CDP habits of the 1960s are (l-r) Torri Cotroneo, Sister Joyce Detzel, and Angie Sotelo of OLLU Campus Ministry. Sisters Barbara Fry and Charlotte Kitowski of the Archives set up the display. (Sr. Barbara Fry, photographer)

On October 17, 2011, the Mobile Ministry Team provided an inspirational update on the important role of the ministry of the Lector. The retreat was held at St. Joseph Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas. The attendees were very attentive and participated wholeheartedly. The parish has invited Mobile Ministry to provide a similar retreat for the Eucharistic Ministers on November 21.

Over seventy OLLU students participated in a celebration of the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary on October 7. This event was co-sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence and University Ministry of Our Lady of the Lake University.

The gathering took time to honor Our blessed Mother on this feast day by gathering around the statue of Our Lady in front of Main Building on the OLLU campus. Songs to Mary were sung and a scriptural Rosary was offered for world peace in solidarity with millions all over the world who observed this Catholic feast day. The group added their prayers to the prayers offered in Lourdes, France and Fatima, Portugal.

Sr. Gloria Ann Fiedler of the vocations office of the CDP organized the event along with Sr. Joyce Detzel, Director of University Ministry at OLLU. The CDP Young Adult Associates along with other students helped direct the group gathered in prayer. A candle procession from the statue or Our Lady to Sacred Heart Chapel preceded adoration prayer in the chapel.

Sister Anita Brenek, CDP, is helping host a workshop on November 5, 2011, entitled, “Healthy Relationships in Ministry through Psychosexual Integration.” The presenter will be Sister Lynn Levo, CSJ, PhD, a licensed psychologist, consultant and lecturer. She is the past Director of Education of St. Luke Institute in Silver Spring, MD. She has presented nationally and internationally on issues dealing with transitions, stress, anger, managing conflict and healthy personal, sexual and spiritual development across a life span.

The workshop will be held in the Providence West Social Room (PWSR) of Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) in San Antonio, Texas. The schedule is: 8:30 – Gathering, coffee, registration; 9:00-3:00 – Workshop. Cost for the workshop is $35, including lunch.

The workshop is sponsored by the Inter-Community Novitiate of Texas. Sister Anita and the CDP novices of the past few years – Sister My-Hanh Tran, Sister Joyce Detzel, and Sister Marjie Filler – have participated in an extended form of this workshop presented each year for the Inter-Community Novitiate of Texas. This year, they are opening the first day to others who could benefit from this excellent presentation. They have invited women and men from other religious congregations; Catholic school teachers, catechists, and DREs; and Catholic laity interested in relationships in ministry. If you are interested in attending, please contact Sister Anita at 210 – 434-1866 ext 1135 or for a registration form.

Each year the Freshman class of Providence School, San Antonio, Texas, are provided with a special retreat day at Moye Retreat Center in Castroville.

The retreat gives the girls the opportunity to learn about the sponsoring group: the Congregation of Divine Providence. An activity that enables the girls to learn the history is tours of the campus of Moye Retreat Center. They visit the Outdoor Cross of Fr. Moye, St. Louis Church (the first church), the First School House, the grotto, the chapel and the dorm.

This year Sister Mary Ann Phillipp donned the habit of the early Sisters and portrayed a Sister Teacher in the First School House.

Moye Retreat Center is taking reservations for retreats and conferences for 2012.

Call today so your group can enjoy this sacred space in Castroville, Texas.

Located just 30 minutes from downtown San Antonio, Moye Retreat Center takes you away from the hustle and bustle of the city, as you drive past acres of farm and ranch land to arrive in this quaint town.

The Sisters of Divine Providence hereby launch an online prayer request ministry on the internet through the CDP web site. You and others from all over the United States and the world who have access to the internet will be able to request prayers by coming to our website, clicking on Our Prayer on the main menu and then selecting Prayer Request from the drop down menu. A screen will appear where you and others can state your prayer of need or prayer of thanksgiving, asking the Sisters of Divine Providence and Associates to pray for the same intentions.

The Sisters of Divine Providence look forward to receiving your prayer requests.

In addition to providing a way for you to make your prayer requests, this section of our website will offer you some of our favorite Prayers as well as Reflections on the Readings for each Sunday beginning with the First Sunday in Advent. Eventually, we will add other features to the section that might aid you in your personal prayer life.

Prayer continues to be our ministry of spreading God’s Providential love to all those in need. May all know that our Providential God loves and cares for all creation.

www.cdptexas.org/prayer

Recent News

Rejoice with us! Kay Marie Thierheimer was accepted by our Superior General, Sr. Ann Petrus as a Pre-Novice of the Sisters of Divine Providence on Sunday September 11, 2011. She was accompanied by her mother, Frances Thierheimer, and several friends and family members.

In a special entrance ceremony that took place at the convent front door, Sr. Ann asked Kay what she desired. Kay stated that she wanted to follow Jesus and become a Sister of Divine Providence. Sr. Ann welcomed her and opened the door, inviting her into the Pre-Novitiate program.

CDPs and Associates helped welcome the new Pre-Novice by singing one of her favorite church hymns and blessing her. Sr. Ann placed a medal of Our Lady of Providence around her neck and blessed her as she crossed the convent door threshold to begin her vocation journey with the Sisters of Divine Providence.

Kay is 43 and has known the Sisters of Divine Providence for over a year when she attended the Life Awareness Vocation Retreat in Houston. Kay attended Texas A&M and is currently working with a computer company in Houston. Kay will live in community in Houston with three CDPs. Please join us in welcoming our new Pre-Novice.

Sr. Elsa Garcia, CDP, who sits on the National Board of the National Religious Vocation Conference, attended the 24th annual vocation seminar sponsored by the J.S. Paluch Company in Chicago, Illinois. National leaders in vocation, formation, marriage and family life, ethnic ministry, and youth ministry met in late August at the Embassy Suites Hotel O’Hare-Rosemont in Rosemont, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Most Rev. Ronald P. Herzog, Bishop of Alexandria and member of the USCCB Committee on Communications, delivered the keynote address. Ms. Kim Cavallero, Board Chair of the National Communicators Network for Women Religious (NCNWR) gave the opening presentation entitled Update Your Status & Reach the Masses: You’ll “Like” This.

Seminar participants then experienced breakout sessions featuring hands-on application and demonstrations of teleconferencing, live podcasting, using FaceBook, YouTube, blogs, and Twitter, and prioritizing and selecting social media best suited to various vocation ministries. The J.S. Paluch Company underwrites the seminar and covers all hotel and transportation costs for participants as a service to promote vocations in the Catholic Church.

In the presence of Sister Jane Ann Slater, Superior General of the Congregation of Divine Providence of San Antonio, Sister Mary Christine Morkovsky (center) and, through her, the Congregation receive the Paul J. Foik , CSC, Award from Texas Catholic Historical Society President, Rev. Bob Wright, OMI. In writing the community's latest history, LIVING IN GOD'S PROVIDENCE, Morkovsky draws on 300 oral histories of the Sisters, their co-workers, and associates along with archival materials to create the Congregation's account from 1943-2000. The TCH Society recognized the book as "the most important recent publication relating the Catholic history of the Southwest."
(Photo credit: Sister Barbara Fry)