Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries campus dedicated
Msgr. Joseph Schaedel, pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis, blesses a six-foot bronze statue of St. Theodora Guérin at the conclusion of a Mass on the campus of Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries (PSSM) in Georgetown. The Mass was celebrated as part of the dedication of the campus. Assisting Msgr. Schaedel are, from left, Providence Sisters Maria Smith and Barbara Ann Zeller, president and CEO of PSSM, and Father Juan Valdes, administrator of St. Mary Parish in Lanesville. (Photo by Patricia Cornwell)
By Patricia Cornwell (Special to The Criterion)
GEORGETOWN—Blue skies prevailed as some 300 people gathered on a cool, windy afternoon for the dedication of the Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries (PSSM) campus in Floyd County.
Providence Sister Barbara Ann Zeller, president and CEO of PSSM, greeted the crowd before the Oct. 1 outdoor Mass.
“We celebrate this liturgy and dedicate this campus in memory of the legacy of our founder, St. Mother Theodore Guérin,” Sister Barbara Ann said. “She was a CEO, a caregiver, a nurturer of souls, but mostly a servant of God.”
Msgr. Joseph Schaedel, pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis, was the principal celebrant of the Mass. Retired Father Gerald Burkert, Father Juan Valdes, and Franciscan Fathers John Elmer and Donald Halpin concelebrated the liturgy. Roy McClain, retired pastor of Georgetown Christian Church, was the lector.
In his homily on the Gospel reading of the Sermon on the Mount, Msgr. Schaedel said, “Like Jesus’ original listeners, we have our own list of what would make us happy. ‘… Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ The poor in spirit are those who are not proud, who know they need God. We cannot save ourselves. … A place like this [campus] teaches us that we all need God. Mother Theodore, the saint of Indiana, teaches us that we need God. Blessed are those who know they need [God’s] Providence.”
After Mass, Msgr. Schaedel blessed the newly arrived, six-foot bronze statue of St. Theodora Guérin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Several members of the order lined up afterward to sprinkle the statue with holy water.
Members of the choir from St. Joseph Parish in Corydon provided prelude and liturgical music for the liturgy. Mass was followed by a meal, and music performed by Gina Emerson and the Back Country Rock Band.
St. Theodora was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. She is the eighth U.S. saint and first saint from Indiana.
The French nun came to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 1840 to establish the congregation in order to educate the children of pioneers.
In 1994, the Sisters of Providence established PSSM, and opened a group home for abused and neglected children in the former convent at Holy Family Parish in New Albany.
In 1999, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis gave PSSM 12.5 acres for its original campus. The property on Unruh Drive in Georgetown now extends to 28 acres, and is home to ministries that serve people of all ages.
In 2000, PSSM founded Providence House for Children, providing licensed group homes for abused and neglected children, furnished apartments and case management services for families reuniting with children in foster care, or for families at risk of separation due to homelessness or substandard housing.
In 2005, Guerin Woods, a multifaceted housing development for senior citizens, opened adjacent to Providence House. The complex includes apartments for people age 62 and older on limited incomes, a senior citizens center, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, and a health clinic.
Since 1994, PSSM has served more than 17,000 individuals and families in southeastern Indiana and Terre Haute, and a total of 112,031 people in Indiana and other states.
(For more information about Providence Self Sufficiency Ministries, log on to www.spsmw.org/pssm/home------pssm.aspx.) †
