A congregation of Catholic nuns in western Indiana isn't joining the area's mini-oil boom. The Sisters of Providence says seismic testing on the congregation's property near Terre Haute found oil, but not enough to make drilling worthwhile. Congregation leader Sister Denise Wilkinson says many of the nuns were actually relieved by the determination because they place a high value on environmental protection. She says a drilling decision would've been difficult because the congregation founded in 1840 by St. Mother Theodore Guerin needs income to support its more than 320 nuns with a median age of 78. The congregation decided last fall to go ahead with the seismic testing after numerous oil finds in the Terre Haute area over the last few years.
