Mary Pius Regnier
| Mother Mary Pius Regnier, S.P. | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Helen Marie Regnier April 28, 1914 Aurora, Illinois |
| Died | November 27, 2005 (aged 91) Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana |
| Alma mater | Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, St. Louis University |
| Title | General Superior of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods |
| Predecessor | Mother Rose Angela Horan, S.P. |
| Successor | Sister Loretta Schafer, S.P. |
| Parent(s) | Fred A. Regnier and Anna McDonnell Regnier |
Mother Mary Pius Regnier, S.P. (April 28, 1914 – November 27, 2005) was the Superior General of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, from 1966 to 1976. She held office immediately following the Second Vatican Council, a time when Roman Catholic congregations underwent drastic changes. Regnier began the process for revising the Congregation's Constitutions to bring it into accordance with the Church's recommendations for the renewal of religious life.
Born Helen Marie Regnier in 1914, she was the oldest daughter of Fred A. and Anna McDonnell Regnier in Aurora, Illinois. A brother, William, later became a Roman Catholic priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford, Illinois.
Regnier entered the Sisters of Providence on January 23, 1932. Taking the religious name of Sister Mary Pius, she professed first vows on August 15, 1934, and final vows on January 23, 1940. Her early area of ministry was education, where she showed a love of sports and a particular skill at teaching young boys. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and a Masters in Education from Saint Louis University.
In 1960, Regnier was elected to the Sisters of Providence general council, a position which she held into 1966.
Regnier was elected Superior General of the Congregation in 1966, earning her the name of Mother Mary Pius. In this role, she oversaw the sale of numerous Congregation-owned schools and the order's buy-in to Social Security, which became available in 1972.
Facing declining vocations, Regnier led the Congregation through its first-ever study by a secular company. Following the Second Vatican Council (ending in 1965), the Sisters of Providence along with many other congregations saw numerous departures from community. However, Regnier held the congregation together despite unrest. Under her leadership, wearing the traditional habit became optional, and the Sisters received permission to drive cars, to handle their own correspondence, and to use electric clocks. Regnier also saw the Sisters through the moratorium on new members that was mandated by the Vatican from 1972-1974 for all religious orders.
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