60th Entrance
Sister Maria Patterson
Birthplace: St. Louis
Entrance: 1966
First profession: 1969
Final profession: 1974
Education: Bachelor’s in education, Marillac College, St. Louis
Master’s in religious education, University of St. Thomas, Houston
Service in the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Teacher, Ascension School, Normandy, 1975-81
Service outside the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Teacher, St. Mary’s School, Brussels, Illinois, 1971-75
Liturgical coordinator, St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Community, Antioch, Tennessee, 1981-2016
Director of adult faith formation, St. Stephen Catholic Community, Old Hickory, Tennessee, 2017-present
About Sister Maria Patterson: Sister Maria Patterson always seems to have a song in her heart; or at least on her guitar strings. An accomplished songwriter/musician, she graces congregational events or various groups with original music or worship music. She released her first CD, “I Wait,” in 2012, her second, “Breathe Your Soul,” in 2016 and is currently working on a third. She entered the Sisters of Divine Providence in September 1966 from St. Mary’s Parish in Madison, Illinois. She credits the Sisters of Divine Providence who taught her as influencing her decision to enter religious life. She also leads evenings of worship and praise with various groups of people. Self-described as creative, intuitive and inquisitive, Sister Maria believes her Providence spirituality has always been in her bones. “Composing music that reflects Providence spirituality, in some sense, just happens. It’s who I grew up to be, it’s how I pray, how I breathe.”
65th Entrance
Sister Ann Pairn
Birthplace: St. Louis
Entrance: 1961
Service in the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Staff nurse in area hospitals
Chaplaincy and student supervisor, Saint Louis University Hospital, 2001-03
Home caregiver for the elderly, CSJ Care, St. Louis
Service outside the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Sisters of Divine Providence, Provincial Council, both in St. Louis and Pittsburgh, 1996-2001 and 2007-11
Missioner for 5 years in the northern Andes Mountains of Peru
English teacher for 2 years in the Sisters of Divine Providence, St. Joseph Province in South Korea
Midwest area liaison for the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence, Marie de la Roche Province
About Sister Ann Pairn: Sister Ann Pairn entered religious life from her home parish in St. Louis. She said, “Since childhood I was drawn to the women religious I met, nurses and teachers who generously chose to help others. That was also what I was learning that Jesus did in the Gospel stories. By eighth grade, I met several Sisters of Divine Providence and it was Sister Mary John Papava who affirmed the goodness and freedom in me to choose my vocation and explore the call to religious life.” Self-described as curious, creative and adventurous, Sister Ann helped coordinated moves of the provincial offices, the move of the sisters’ sponsored ministry, Room at the Inn, and the renovation of Providence Center. She helped restructure the Congregation’s three provinces into the Marie de la Roche Province, and currently serves as the Midwest area liaison for the Congregation.
70th Entrance
Sister Agnes Marie Geringer
Birth name: Estelle
Birthplace: St. Louis
Entrance: 1956
First profession: 1959
Final profession: 1964
Service in the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Mount Providence School, 1959-87
Childcare worker, St. Mary Special School, 1987-95
Local superior, Mount Providence Residence, 1995-2021
About Sister Agnes Marie Geringer: Sister Agnes Marie Geringer entered religious life from Corpus Christi Parish. Her aunt Sister Justina, a Sister of St. Joseph, is who most influenced her decision to enter religious life, as she admired her and wanted to be like her. The better part of Sister Agnes Marie’s ministry was in food service, where she served at the Mt. Providence motherhouse in St. Louis for 30 years. In fact, Sister Agnes Marie used to prepare the 200 loaves of bread needed for St. Elizabeth Medical Center’s Bread Day. The first Bread Day at St. Elizabeth’s was in March 1975. Employees and associates were treated to complimentary bread and tubs of whipped honey butter on Valentine’s Day, Holy Thursday and the feast day of St. Elizabeth. The significance of Bread Day was twofold: it employed the symbolic act of breaking bread with the hospital family and it was done in memory of St. Elizabeth, the patron saint of the medical center who was known for distributing bread to the poor. Self-described as happy, faithful, caring, kind and prayerful, Sister Agnes Marie enjoys rosary making and simply relaxing with her fellow sisters. Holy Mass and Communion are the center point of her life.
Sister Mary Michael McCulla
Birth name: Dolores
Birthplace: Lambert, Pennsylvania
Entrance: 1956
First profession: 1959
Final profession: 1964
Education: Bachelor’s in nursing, Marillac College, St. Louis, 1968
Master’s in nursing, Saint Louis University, 1986
Service in the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Teacher, Ascension School, Normandy, 1964-66
Teacher, Cardinal Ritter Institute, 1986-87
Teacher, Saint Louis University, Department of Geriatric Medicine
Clinical specialist, Washington University Memory and Aging Project, St. Louis
Clinical specialist, Saint Louis University Department of Geriatric Medicine, St. Louis
Parish nurse, ELCA Tri-Parish Nursing, St. Louis
Service outside the Archdiocese of St. Louis: ESL teacher, St. Joseph Province, Sisters of Divine Providence, South Korea, and served as Provincial Liaison in Kingston, Massachusetts, before moving to the community residence in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, in 2026
About Sister Mary Michael McCulla: Sister Mary Michael joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence in St. Louis from St. Patrick Parish in Fallon, Nevada, in 1956. After teaching elementary school for seven years, she completed her nursing degree and served at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Granite City, Illinois. She studied geriatric nursing at Saint Louis University for her master’s. She was a family caregiver for each of her parents in the early 2000s. She has served in internal community ministry since 2019 as the community’s area administrator in Kingston, Massachusetts, and now in Allison Park, Pennsylvania. Self-described as grateful for the plentitude of God’s gifts to her throughout her life, Sister Mary Michael believes she lives the mission of the community by making Providence more visible in our world through healing ministries, in imitation of Jesus the Healer.
Sister Emily Meehan
Birthplace: Venice, Illinois
Entrance: 1956
Service in the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Teacher, Mt. Providence Boarding School for Boys, Normandy, 1971-74, 1979-84
Teacher, St. John Lateran School, Imperial
Pastoral ministry with the elderly and homebound in Florissant at St. Christopher Parish, 2004-05, and St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Parish, 2006-21
Service outside the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Elementary teacher, Divine Providence School, Westchester, Illinois, 1962-67, 1971-72, 1989-2000
Teacher, St. Mary’s School, Madison, Illinois
Teacher, St. Elizabeth School, Granite City, Illinois
Teacher, St. Mary’s School, Brussels, Illinois
Teacher, Sts. Peter and Paul School, Collinsville, Illinois
About Sister Emily Meehan: Sister Emily Meehan, formerly Sister Mary Timothy, entered religious life in 1956 from St. Mark’s Parish in Venice, Illinois. She always loved God and wanted to work as a religious. She recalls, “My parents were devout Catholics who had a deep respect for the Sisters. I was taught by the Sisters of Divine Providence, and also had an older sister who had already entered the community. All these reasons influenced my decision to enter religious life. Providence for me is a deep trust in a loving God who cares for us and all creation. I see myself making God’s Providence more visible in my daily life through my loving care for others, my welcoming smile and my ready spirit to serve all God’s people.” Self-described as thoughtful, friendly and approachable, Sister Emily enjoys watching television with community, cheering on her hometown teams, spending time with her sister, Mary, and her Meehan family.
