About Us

Shared History

Founders

The congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence was founded in 1851 in Germany by Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler, Bishop of Mainz, and Stephanie Amelia Starkenfels de la Roche. We belong to the Marie de la Roche Province, one of three provinces 
(Germany, American-Caribbean, Korea) and one region (Peru) of an international community of 700 vowed members and 300 Associates.

Bishop Ketteler was known as the "social justice bishop" because of his tireless work in helping oppressed, unskilled German laborers in their effort to unionize for just wages and decent working conditions. Today, Workers Day is celebrated in his honor in Mainz

Stephanie Amelia Starkenfels de la Roche, a French noblewoman, was given the title Mother Marie as the first leader of our Community.

To meet the needs of the time, six Sisters from Germany set out for the United States in 1876 to teach the German immigrants who had settled in the Pittsburgh area. Our Sisters traditionally ministered as nurses, elementary and high school teachers. We administered three hospitals and numerous schools in Pittsburgh and surrounding localities.

Our first Provincial House was located on Larimer Avenue in the East Liberty. In 1905, we moved a few blocks away to the Mount Immaculate Motherhouse on Lincoln Avenue. In 1927, we relocated to the current Provincial House in a North Hills suburb of Pittsburgh. From Pittsburgh, the Sisters went forth to St. Louis, Puerto Rico and Kingston, Massachusetts to carry out the mission of Providence.

History by Location:

Kingston, MA St. Louis, MO Pittsburgh, PA Puerto RicoSanto Domingo

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