Sr. Teresa was born in Santa Barbara, California, in December 1944. She grew up in Southern California, with four younger brothers and learned about God’s love and care in her family home.
She enjoyed being her mother’s “partner” in caring for the boys, prayer at home and listening to her dad share about his St. Vincent de Paul Society service. Walking to Mass alone on Saturdays taught her to value solitude, prayer and God’s beauty. Her parents were early Providence Associates.
Sr. Teresa joined the congregation in 1962 as Vatican II began changing the Church. Her novice class was the last to make first vows in the old habit.
In 1968, she graduated as a nurse and for 25 years served in hospitals in Seattle, Yakima, San Francisco, Oakland and several times in Burbank (where she was able to care for her father in his dying days.) Highlights of her nursing ministry included working on an AIDS/cancer unit at the height of the HIV epidemic, caring for Sisters in the Seattle infirmary and many other medical units.
After study in Formation Ministry at St. Louis University, Sr. Teresa mentored new members in the Novitiate House in Spokane and on the formation team for six years where she valued collaboration with other congregations. She worked on a team for the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (SEEL) and learned intercultural and international realities through a retreat in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
She was blessed to spend some time in the Philippines getting to know the Sisters’ life and ministry with the poor. She delighted in being able to see and experience where ten of her original novitiate class members were from.
After recovering from renal cancer surgery in summer 2003, Sr. Teresa studied Clinical Pastoral Education and completed graduate requirements for chaplain certification. She treasured working on the Mental Health Unit and Hospice house and then transferred to Burbank to minister at Providence Holy Cross and to care for her mother in her declining and dying days.
She retired in 2015 and focused on becoming more active in her parish, volunteering as a Eucharistic Minister and with senior meals, homeless women and children and other ministries.
She is grateful to live in an active local community of varying ages, cultures and ministries. She currently serves as a local leader and is Sister Liaison for the Providence Associates/Companions. She is on their Advisory Board.
Sr. Teresa continues to enjoy nature, reading, time with family, friends and community, swimming, keeping up with the news, attending webinars and supporting social justice causes. Her joy in God’s invitation to become and live as a Sister of Providence continues. It continues to be as she reflects on these last 60 years. Sr. Teresa is hopeful and grateful for the process to enliven our oneness as a congregation. She trusts that Providence will bring us safely wherever God’s Spirit is leading and will deepen our commitment as Providence women to serve God’s people together, work for peace and justice for others and care for our Earth.