| Sister Denise Wilkinson, S.P. | |
| General Superior of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods | |
| Predecessor: | Sister Ann Margaret O'Hara, S.P. |
| Successor: | Sister Dawn Tomaszewski, S.P. |
Sister Denise Wilkinson, S.P. is a Catholic leader, writer and educator. She was the Superior General of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, from 2006 to 2016. During her term, the congregation's foundress Saint Mother Theodore Guerin was canonized a saint. Wilkinson also oversaw the founding of the Providence Associates program, the renovation of several properties at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, and long-range planning for the Sisters of Providence.[1]
Wilkinson attended Marywood High School in Evanston, Illinois, where she was first introduced to the Sisters of Providence congregation. Wilkinson entered the congregation on September 12, 1963 and became a fully professed Sister of Providence on August 25, 1973.[2]
Wilkinson earned a bachelor's degree in English from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. She also attended Saint Louis University and received her master's in counseling.
She spent some time as Vice President of Student Affairs at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, promoting the college as "a spot to demonstrate works of love, mercy and justice."[3]
In 2006, Wilkinson was elected superior general of the Sisters of Providence when Sister Ann Margaret O'Hara decided not to seek a second term. Wilkinson was re-elected in 2011. Her administration focused on long-range congregation planning and moving the Sisters of Providence toward self-sufficiency.[4] Wilkinson and her administration opened Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis as a sponsored ministry of the Congregation in 2007.
A significant part of Wilkinson's terms involved the canonization of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin in October 2006.[5] Over the course of her administration, Wilkinson led the establishment of the permanent shrine of Saint Mother Theodore, which opened in 2014.[6] She also led efforts to streamline the Sisters' finances and maximize use of buildings owned by the congregation.[7]
After two terms as general superior, she was succeeded by Sister Dawn Tomaszewski in the role on September 10, 2016.[8]