Providence Flashbacks

BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST The Barn on Providence Motherhouse property has more of a history than you might think. We aren’t sure how old it is, but it was on the property when the Sisters purchased Heathfield in 1930; although, it was in a slightly different...

BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST The Labyrinth in the back field of Providence Motherhouse has returned to nature, but for a time it was an important prayer space used by sisters and retreatants at Providence Spirituality Centre. It was planned by a committee of...

BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST The original wing of the building, known as the 1932 wing, was designed by Architect Colin Drever and the contractor was Angus Robertson of Montreal. This is a photograph of the workmen, hired by Angus Robertson, who actually built the...

BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST In June 1930 the Sisters of Providence purchased Heathfield, an approximately 30 acre property just outside the western limits of the city of Kingston, from Mr. H. Jennings. The property was surveyed on September 25th, 1930 and the...

Trees and barn covered in ice on the Motherhouse property, Kingston Ontario, January 1998.An office is converted into an emergency bedroom at Providence Motherhouse, Kingston, Ontario, in January 1998.BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST This January is the 25th...

The original Holy Family Hospital, later known as Marian Villa. This house served as the hospital from 1947 to 1954.BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST The Sisters of Providence opened Holy Family Hospital for the chronically ill in 1947 in an old house in the Fraserview...

Coal truck delivering coal to Providence Motherhouse in ca.1943. (If you don’t recognize this view of the front door, it’s because we are used to seeing the Administration wing to the east of the main entrance, but it wasn’t built until 1964.)BY VERONICA STIENBURG,...

Queen Elizabeth II receives flowers from seven-year-olds Debbie of Sunnyside Children’s Centre and Neil of Heathfield Orphanage (operated by the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul) on June 28, 1959 at Richardson Stadium, Kingston ON. Prince Philip Duke of...

When Sister Mary Francis of Assisi retired after 49 years of teaching, William Davis, then Minister of Education, wrote to her.

In the late 1840s the property we know as Heathfield was compiled when three smaller parcels of land, were purchased by Alex Forbes to create a 30 acre lot.