OSP IHM: Nuns Who Rock

I’ve been flying again (hence my blog silence for a few days). This time to Baltimore to visit with the Oblate Sisters of Providence (OSP) and the IHM Sisters of Scanton, Immaculata, and my own Monroe community. Our four congregations have developed separately over the last 160+ years but we are united in that we share a common origin.

In 1829 Mother Mary Lange and Sulpician Father James Hector Joubert, SS, founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first community of women religious of African descent. One of the first members of the community was Theresa Maxis Duchemin. While general superior of the Oblate Sisters, Theresa met Redemptorist Father Louis Florent Gillet, CSsR, who was seeking women religious for schools in the still new State of Michigan. After much discernment, Theresa agreed to help Louis Gillet found a new congregation in Monroe. Theresa’s leaving the Oblate Sisters was a source of much pain and heartbreak. Theresa and Louis founded the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Monroe, Michigan. Later, missions were extended to Pennsylvania. For a number of complex reasons (and more heartbreak) which involved the bishops in the dioceses where the sisters were, the community was divided into two — one group in Michigan and one in Pennsylvania. Eventually when the boundaries of dioceses in Pennsylvania were drawn, the Pennsylvania community was separated into two: Scanton and Immaculata. (Note: This is a very distilled story of our history … please check out any of our Web sites for a more complete history.)

The result of so much separation in the early years was four separate, unique congregations of women religious who for most of their existence did not communicate with one another (and in some cases were forbidden to even mention the existence of the other sisters). In our own ways we took the original charism which we all share and developed it and expressed it in our own ways — dependent on the charism of our founders, the place where we lived, and the needs of the times. Yet at our core, we share a common origin. Over the last 20+ years we have been more intentional about not just talking with one another but exploring our common roots, the pain of separation, and the many (many!) similarities that we share with one another. This has been no easy process. We have had to look at the sin of racism that played a major role in our early history and that is still prevalent in today’s world. We’ve had to open ourselves to sharing our stories with others who have different takes on the same cherished story (takes which may cause discomfort and grief but also joy and celebration). Together, we are learning about one another and also joining with one another to listen to the signs of the times and see how we can address today’s needs together.

And that brings me to the purpose of my trip to Baltimore this weekend: to meet with members of all four congregations, to pray together, to immerse ourselves in our common story, to share what we are each doing, and to envision a shared future together in which we deepen our awareness of and respond to the signs of the times.

Check out our OSP IHM Web site which was started when we held the OSP IHM Summer Gathering 2005. It has a lot of information about our history, our connections with one another, and our dream for the world.