Sister Stories

Sister Stephanie Turck, CDP
Meeting the Needs of the Day

Sister Stephanie Turck, CDP embodies the goal of Sisters of Divine Providence founder Bishop Emmanuel von Ketteler to “meet the needs of the day.” Depending on the needs of the Congregation, Sister Stephanie has been a teacher, a speech therapist and hospital ethicist. Today, she is the volunteer coordinator for Room at the Inn, a shelter for homeless women and families in St. Louis County, where she guides members of nearly 60 partner congregations in their ministries to the homeless.

Sister Stephanie works closely with the shelter’s volunteer support staff, especially the people at the nearly 60 congregations that house and feed the clients each night. The volunteers inspire Sister Stephanie. “They share so much of themselves,” she notes. “The fact that they enjoy giving so much is Grace for me.”

Prior to her ministry at Room at the Inn, Sr. Stephanie worked for social justice at the United Congregations of Metro East, a coalition of churches that works for systemic change to end poverty and homelessness. “I really enjoy what I’m doing,” she says. “It’s one of those rare situations where I can come away at the end of the day feeling richer than I was when I started, and it’s because of my association with the people here.”