Providence Health System

"A noble work is being done by our little Hospital," wrote Catherine McKinley, the congregation's first general superior, in an 1894 letter describing work at the fledging St. Vincent de Paul Hospital in Brockville. "Good seed is being sown that will in God’s own time bring forth an abundant harvest." She was, as usual, prescient in her vision for the future.

In 1861 the congregation had launched its first institution -- now known as Providence Manor -- at the urging of the Bishop of Kingston, E.J. Horan. It was originally a home for destitute elderly and orphaned. The Sisters also visited prisoners and cared for the sick in their homes.

In 1887 the congregation was invited to begin a hospital in Brockville, a small city on the St. Lawrence River, and thus the congregation undertook the first major expansion of its health-care mission. That mission has spanned three centuries and set standards for dignified, compassionate caring as it evolved in response to the changing needs of the times.

Formed in 1991, the Providence Health System is an association of all health facilities sponsored by the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul and the Leadership Council of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul. The health system's stewardship of these facilities is rooted in the congregation's charism and mission statement.

At one time stretching across Canada, the health system is now based in Ontario with Providence Continuing Care Centre (PCCC). PCCC is committed to the Sisters' mission to serve people with compassion, to trust in Providence, and to live out the Christian principles of love, justice, and reverence for life.