Shared History

The Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence was founded in Germany in 1851 to serve God and meet the needs of the times. In the effort to carry out this mission, change has been inevitable. In 1876, six Sisters traveled to America to spread the mission of Providence to a new land. By the early 1900s, the Congregation here had grown to more than 300 women.

The needs of the times are very different from those experienced by the early members of the Congregation. Through more than 150 years of change, the spirituality and dedication of the Sisters remain strong as they minister today to a very different world.

In keeping with the Community’s mission to make God’s Providence visible in our world – a changing world – the Sisters minister in both traditional and nontraditional fields. In addition to education and healthcare, they work as counselors and foster parents, in campus ministry, social work, and pastoral care. The Community is strongly committed to working with those who are poor, in particular, single women with children.