COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WAY
ORDINANCE
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
SECTION 1. Pursuant to an ordinance heretofore passed by the City Council, which allows the erection of honorary street name signs, the Commissioner of Transportation shall take the necessary action to designate the 1400 and 1500 blocks of North Monticello Avenue as "Sister Patty Fillenwarth Way."
Roberto Maldonado Alderman, 26th Ward
SEVTION 2. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect upon passage and publication.
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Sister Patty Fillenwarth Bio
Sister Patricia Fillenwarth had been a fixture in the Humboldt Park community for 37 years. Everyone in the community knew her as Sister Patty. For 24 years, she had been the Director of Providence Family Services at 1540 N. Monticello Avenue in Chicago. Before that, she spent 15 years as a teacher and then principal of Maternity Blessed Virgin Mary elementary school. She also taught in schools in Indiana and Washington DC. In 1971, Sister Patty went to Peru, South America and ministered there for six years. That's were she learned to speak Spanish.
Sister Patty loved teaching. She enjoyed challenging her students in math and geography. She believed that teaching children the correct ways of speaking and writing were essential skills the children would need in high school and later in life. At times, when the nation celebrated important events in American history, Sister Patty would make certain the children knew the significance of those days.
As principal, she talked with many parents of children in the school. Many of them had concerns about their children and wondered how they could have a more positive influence for their child's experience of learning. Sister Patty came to believe that a family counseling center in the neighborhood could provide the parents with the help they were seeking. At the time, there were few bilingual social service agencies in the area and all were unaffordable.
This reality sparked an idea—a dream, really. Sisters of Providence believe when a need arises, we should do what we can to fill that need. Sister Patty believed she could open a family-counseling center that could provide services at low cost to families in the community. She took her dream to the Sisters of Providence during a summer meeting in 1991 and received overwhelming endorsement from the Sisters. She resigned her position as principal and went back to school and obtained a degree in counseling at Northeastern Illinois University. She opened Providence Family Services in 1994 as a family-counseling center.
Through the years, people came to her requesting services in addition to counseling. The "After-School Homework Club," a children's tutoring program was added in 1996. English-as-a-Second-Language classes started in 1998. In 2000, the computer classes were made available and in 2014, Sister Patty began teaching citizenship preparation classes.
Sister Patty was a Sister for 59 years. She was a much-loved member of the Sisters of Providence. She had shown her strong abilities for guiding families and individuals through the tough issues they faced. She is still a teacher at heart but extending herself beyond the traditional classroom has been a blessing. Sister Patty had proven she was a capable businesswoman as she had led a wide-ranging social service agency. In the years that Providence Family Services was open, over 15,000 clients and students have been helped to find wholeness and their unique giftedness within.
Sister Patty was highly invested in the community. She was a member of the Federation Block Club and attended local CAPS meeting. She attended Maternity BVM church and often was called upon to give the reflections for the day. Each year in October, S. Patty sponsored a rummage sale. Donations poured in every year; hundreds of people in the community came to the sale and picked up clothing, appliances, dishes, bedding, children's toys and games and more for low cost. The sale becomes more successful each year.
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S. Patty brought much heart and passion to whatever she did. She was dedicated to her clients and students providing them quality services. There are many success stories among the many thousands of people she helped. Providence Family Services did no advertising. All who came have been recommended by current or former clients or students. She was a much beloved member of the community and lent her support to any need that arose. She has been a blessing in so many ways.
On January 7th, 2020, S. Patty passed away. She was 80. The Sisters of Providence lost one of its giants. Humboldt Park lost one of its most beloved servants to the people of the community.
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