Canadian Peruvian Encounter
Carmen Alomía Guía, Coordinator of Providence Associations in Peru with Canadian Providence Associate Wen Bogues.BY WEN BOGUES, PROVIDENCE ASSOCIATE What a privilege it was to be the Associate who would accompany Sister Gayle Desarmia to Peru. I came to believe it was my most spiritually satisfying journey to date. When I arrived in the wee hours of the morning, the taxi ride from the airport to the Sisters’ home in El Progreso went through a...
A Special Anniversary
Sister Rose-Marie BokenfohrBY SISTER GAYLE DESARMIA Friday, November 29, 2019 marked the 50th Anniversary of the Health Centre in El Progreso, Carabayllo. The Director of the Centre, Doctor Valverde, had invited Sisters Rose-Marie Bokenfohr, Sara Jiménez, Gayle Desarmia and Associate Wen Bogues to attend the anniversary celebration. It began at noon with a Mass. Both Sisters Rose-Marie and Sara were invited to sit at the head table for the...
Sowing Hope for the Planet
Pope Francis has called for an ecological conversion, asking us “to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and to discover what each of us can do about it.” Laudato Si #19 The Congregational Liturgy Committee answered this call and supported the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) Sowing Hope for the Planet campaign. The committee organized an event on Climate Change...
Housing and climate change
This is a shortened version of the article published in Horizons, a publication of Queen’s Department of Family Physicians Global Health Program. Tara Kainer is employed in the Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation Office of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul and a member of Kingston’s Task Force on Housing.Tara Kainer during one of the weekly Friday Vigils held by the JPIC ministry of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent...
Printing Room Museum closes
Final open house of the Printing Room Museum on August 22, 2019.BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST The Printing Room Museum at Providence Manor closed this fall. The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul ran a print shop from 1897 until 1989. Over the course of its history, the printing room produced two magazines, congregational material and commercial work such as dental charts, business cards, invitations, etc. When the Printing office...
Providence Archivists get together!
Left to Right: Veronica Stienburg, Archivist of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, Kingston; Phyllis Ladd, Archivist of the Sisters of Providence Holyoke; Marie-Claude Béland, Sisters of Providence, Montreal. Photo: Nadia Bertoluci.BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST The Sisters of Providence in Montreal were founded by Emilie Gamelin in 1843. In 1861 four Sisters of Providence began a new congregation in Kingston, now known as the...
Coming home by leaving home
Sister Jeannette Filthaut returned to Providence Motherhouse this Fall after many years of ministry in Western Canada. She wrote about her experiences in a poetic style.BY SISTER JEANNETTE FILTHAUT Sixteen years at home in the west (2003-2019) These days were some of the challenging best! Nine years after leadership – a creative sabbatical on Salt Spring Island With hiking, basketry, painting, Tai Chi – Island Rain forest was truly...
ALG Conference in Kentucky
Participants in the 2019 ALG conference. Photo courtesy of WPC.BY VALERIE KELLY, PROVIDENCE ASSOCIATE The five of us (Ann Boniferro, Regina Lannon, Barbara Baker, Carol Groten & Valerie Kelly) started our drive to Kentucky Monday, Sept. 16 with a prayer for safe travel to our Lady of the Highway. We arrived and settled into St. Anne’s Retreat Centre, once St. Anne’s Convent of the Sisters of Divine Mercy. The convent, retreat center, and...
Christmas in 1909 at St. Vincent de Paul Hospital, Brockville
BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST A description of Christmas activities from the Annals of St. Vincent de Paul Hospital, Brockville:December 24, 1909 - The donations are pouring in since early morning. Our Christmas tree was a great success. Mr. Shea acting Santa Clause. Nearly all the Sisters went to midnight Mass.
Associates refresh manual and logo
BY BARBARA BAKER, ASSOCIATES DIRECTOR When the Providence Associates gathered in October to ratify their new manual they also went through a simple exercise to determine a new cover page and a new logo. A graphic designer was hired to create four different styles of covers for the manual and four ideas for a new logo. The Providence Associates present were each given two small stickers. They were asked to put one sticker on the cover design...
Election Flyers produced at the Printing Room
BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST The Printing Room Museum closed this fall. The Printing Room operated as a functioning print shop from 1898 to 1989. Over the course of its history the printing room produced two magazines, congregational materials, and commercial work, such as municipal election flyers and posters. Here are a few from our collection – including some with the printer’s notations on them.
Providence Motherhouse Has New Owners
From left: Hume Martin (CHSO Board Chair), Sister Sandra Shannon (General Superior of the Sisters of Providence) and John Ruetz (CHSO President and CEO)Sisters of Providence Transfer Their Home and Property to Catholic Health Sponsors of OntarioFor 89 of their 157 years of service, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Vincent de Paul have lived and worked from their Motherhouse and grounds at 1200 Princess Street, Kingston, Ontario. With...
Longest-serving and longest living Sisters
BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST Do you know who the longest living Sister in the history of the congregation is? And did you know that in the history of the congregation thirteen Sisters have lived to the age of 100 years or older? And seven Sisters served in the congregation for 80 years or more?!The three longest-serving Sisters in the congregation pictured above, in order from left to right, are: Sr. Anna Moran (84 years) Sr. Nora...
New Associates and new committee
From left: Debbie Muise, Barbara Baker, Regina Lannon, Debra Wade, Eleanor Casey, Carol Groten, Sister Gayle Desarmia, and Valerie Kelly.BY BARBARA BAKER, ASSOCIATES DIRECTOR The Providence Associates gathered on the weekend of April 26 – 28, 2019 to elect their Director and Providence Associate Committee members for a new term. Alice Gazeley, CND Associate, facilitated the elections. It was the final step in a six months discernment process...
After 20 years of saving seeds, award winning ministry culminates in ceremony
BY MICHAEL HAMMOND, COMMUNICATIONS A rematriation ceremony was the culmination of 20 years of the Sisters’ commitment to saving heirloom seed varieties. This is not the end of the story of the seeds, only a new beginning in new homes as it once had been when the seeds moved in with the Sisters. PLANTING THE FIRST SEEDS The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul saw the needs of the time in the early 1990’s and through discernment during a...
Chapter 2019: Leadership for the future
Every four years the Congregation holds a Chapter. Sisters participate in discussion, discernment and decisions for the future including electing members to serve as the Leadership Team. This process was guided by the facilitator Sister Brenda Peddigrew, RSM. During the opening day, April 23, the outgoing Leadership Team members, Sister Sandra Shannon (General Superior), Sister Frances O’Brien (General Assistant), Sister Gayle Desarmia...
Celebrating over 331 years of religious service!
Jubilees are joyous occasions to acknowledge and celebrate the many years of dedication in answering God’s call to religious life. Celebrating 70 years are Sisters Anna Marie Willer, Rita Hanson, and Charlotte Kramps. Celebrating 61 years is Sister Reinalda Kloosterman, and 60 years is Sister Pauline Lally. Although not all Jubilarians could celebrate their milestone at the same time, they have celebrated together. In the words of Sister...
40th anniversary of the Sisters arrival in San Francisco El Alto, Guatemala
Mass celebrating the Sisters arrival in San Francisco el Alto on July 8th, 1979. Left to Right: Sr. Julia Hamilton, Sr. Connie Kaufmann, Sr. Winnifred Callary, Sr. Shirley Morris, Sr. Stella Szybisty and Sr. Mary Bernadette.BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST July 8th is the 40th anniversary of the Sisters of Providence arrival in San Francisco el Alto, Guatemala. In 1977 some local Guatemalan women expressed interest in religious life...
Providence Associates AGM/AGEM 2019
The April 2019 AGM/AGEM for the Providence Associates was one of transformation. The weekend went amazingly well. Through the prayerful guidance and facilitation of Alice Gazeley CND Associate, we worked very hard and elected a new Providence Associate Committee who will be working with the Director, Barbara Baker and Council Liaison, Sister Gayle Desarmia for the next three years.The members are (from left) Eleanor Casey, Carol Groten, Valerie...
Barbara Fleet, Providence Associate
BY BARBARA BAKER Barbara Fleet passed away at Providence Manor on May 21, 2019 with her family by her side. Barbara was one of the first people to make commitment as a Providence Associate in 1987. She was a woman of deep faith who served her community as a register nurse and her family as a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She attended St. Michael’s Catholic School in Belleville where she began her relationship with the Sisters of...