PeaceQuest: Artists remember for peace
RH Thomson's The World Remembers Project has the remarkable ambition of displaying the names of all 26 million people who died during World War I, regardless of country, regardless if they were soldiers or what has come to be called, "collateral damage." The actor and playwright told a large crowd at Kingston's City Hall on November 5 that as we pass through 100th anniversary of World War I, year by year, 2014-2017, it's not enough to simply...
Opening the doors, 50 years ago
BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVISTOpening the doors, 50 years ago The open house at the Motherhouse this October got me wondering about past open houses and I discovered that a series of three was held in November 1964. They were held to show off the newly-completed large addition to the Motherhouse consisting of the administration wing, the extension of the Marian wing, the extension of the novitiate (where the Spirituality Centre is now), the...
Come and See Open House
On Saturday, October 17, 2015, an open house was held at Providence Motherhouse in Kingston in honour of the Church's Year of Consecrated Life. Approximately 400 people attended and it was a wonderful afternoon. To mark the year, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious has suggested that religious congregations hold an open house and invite in their neighbours and communities. Providence Motherhouse is home to three congregations at...
Apple Hill
Staff of St. Anthony’s Convent, Apple Hill on October 24, 1936. Left to Right:Sr. Mary Wilhelmina O’Hearn, music teacher, Sr. Mary Zita Welsh, teacher andsuperior, Sr. Mary Francesca Kelly, teacher, and Sr. Mary Thomassina Whalen, domestic duties.BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST In July 1929, Rev. Foley, parish priest of Apple Hill, visited Providence Motherhouse in Kingston and requested that the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul...
Faith Development Day
On September 25, the entire staff community of Holy Cross Catholic Separate School spent a day together at Camden Braes Golf & Country Club reflecting on Pope Francis’ recent encyclical ‘Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home. Our guest presenters came from the Office of Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation at Heathfield here in Kingston: Sr. Shirley Morris, SP, Sr. Pauline Lally, SP, and Bridget Doherty. Each of the presenters...
Proclamation of Social Justice Vigil Recognition Day
September 17, 2015 will be Social Justice Vigil Recognition Day in Kingston. Here's the proclamation which was passed unanimously by Kingston City Council in mid-July. WHEREAS The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul have been ministering to Kingston’s poorest, most vulnerable people for 154 years And WHEREAS The Sisters of Providence have been holding a weekly silent vigil for social justice in front of City Hall since 1995, urging...
Reflecting on Chapter and its graces
In preparation for Chapter, we Sisters and Associates, prayed the Chapter Prayer 2015 and invitations for prayer were sent to all parishes. I believe this enabled us to enter into Chapter with hearts free and fresh with enthusiasm, hearts that carry hope and peace. We entered into Chapter with a beautiful ritual and listened to Sr. Sandra’s inspiring address. Responding to this, we were invited to write a word or thought that spoke to us and...
View from the sidelines
Doreen Hoekstra is the executive assistant to the Sisters of Providence Leadership Team. Here she is (right) with Chapter facilitator Sister Yvette Bellerose, SSAChapter 2015 was the second Chapter I attended as secretary and a part of me sat through the process with a keen interest to see who I would be working for over the next four years! Being the secretary to the Chapter’s planning committee for the last year was an effective segue into...
Toasting the team
Sister Sheila Langton lauds outgoing leadership team members (seated, from left) Sisters Frances O’Brien, Gayle Desarmia, Sandra Shannon and Una Bryne. Below, Sister Sara Jimenez.There are two distinct parts to every Chapter: after the Chapter of Affairs and before proceeding to the Chapter of Elections, we have a time of celebration and appreciation for the outgoing leadership. Allow me to describe how the evening unfolded for Chapter 2015....
“Wow” is a willingness to hear each other
Our congregational Chapter, a blessed time to once again meet and greet Sisters I see often as well as those from far away. Catching up on the news, “how have you been?” A time to pray and a time to dream. Was there a highlight for me? A wow moment? That would be the afternoon we spent with our Providence Associates. All of us together, Sisters and Associates, in a special time of open and honest sharing. Initially I sensed some fear and doubt...
New direction for Providence Associates
BY BARBARA BAKER, PROVIDENCE ASSOCIATES CO-DIRECTOR The Providence Associates met on their own during the time the Sisters were at Chapter, to create a directional statement that will guide us for the next four years. It was a time of intense work that resulted in a deepening awareness that the time is coming when we will have to take responsibility for carrying the charism of Trusting in Providence, Serving with Compassion and Walking in Hope....
Carmen and Fernanda reflect on their week of reunions, deep prayer … and snow (in April!)
Interpreter Susana Beitman helps Fernanda Ruiz (left) and Carmen Guía (right) participate in the opening ritual of Chapter 2015Two Providence Associates from Peru journeyed to Kingston in April for the Associates meetings connected to the Sisters’ Chapter meetings. Carmen Alomía Guía (CG) has been to Canada before; Fernanda Marleny Ramirez Ruiz (FR) was here for the first time. FenandaCarmenFR: I wake up, it is real! We are arriving in Canada....
In April, with joy, the Sisters renewed their mission and decided to create a village
Everybody wants to see the plans! We have a long way to go first. This is a mockup only.Every four years, the Sisters of Providence hold decision-making meetings the Church calls “Chapter.” In April of this year, big decisions were made that direct the future of the Congregation and the use of their land. These decisions were made public in May to great interest and applause. The Sisters endorsed three statements that seem quite simple but hold...
Growing sweetie tomatoes with growing minds
BY CATE HENDERSON Train up a child in the way s/he should go: and when s/he is old, s/he will not depart from it.Proverbs 22:6 The Heirloom Seed Sanctuary gets a Queen’s student for community practicum most years and it’s such a pleasure to work with educators who see the value of seeds and passing on this wisdom to the children they teach. This spring, we had the great pleasure of hosting Darrell Maw, Queen’s University Outdoor Experiential...
Becoming wise elders: this years’s Jubilarians / Consecrated lives: a gift for church and society
For the day of the congregational celebration, the Jubilarians choose a Sister to speak for them. This year, Sister Dianne McNamara, who marks 50 years as a Sister of Providence, gave a speech about change. Here is an excerpt: It is because God first called us that we are here to celebrate the milestones of 50, 60 and 70 years as Sisters of Providence. This call invited us to dedicate our lives to the service of others whether it be as music...
The beginnings: Sister Shirley Morris looks back
1995: Two Sisters hold up a sign they had just made at the planning meeting for the first vigilBY SISTER SHIRLEY MORRIS, SP As a Sister of Providence, I would like to express my gratitude to the many vigil keepers ("vigilantes!") who participated and supported the Silent Vigil over the past 20 years. In reflecting about the beginnings of the vigil, a major impetus for our social justice stance was the election in 1995 of a conservative...
Stop Hydro privatization: A poverty perspective
Photo courtesy of CUPEThe headline of a recent web post from northern Ontario by Mike Balkwill, provincial organizer for Put Food in the Budget, reads: Privatizing Hydro is a big mistake – it’s a step backwards. Put Food in the Budget is a grassroots group that seeks social and economic justice for Ontario’s burgeoning poor. I’ve been a member since it started in January 2009, but long before that I worked with other groups and coalitions...
Changing Workplaces Review submission
Presentation to Ontario Ministry of Labour Public Consultations on the Changing Nature of the Modern Workplace Kingston, July 28, 2015 Tara Kainer, Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation Office Download the submission About the review Response from the Ontario Ministry of Labour Thank you to the Ministry of Labour for scheduling these consultations and providing citizens with the opportunity to comment on the Employment Standards and...
Agrovelocity visits the Community Harvest Gardens and the Heirloom Seed Sanctuary
July 10, 2015: Great visit today from Clément Gremillet and Maximilien Koegler who are from France, learning about and filming urban gardens across North America. They asked to learn about the Community Harvest Garden that operates in a food desert in Kingston’s north end, and about our Heirloom Seed Sanctuary. The sanctuary gardens are on the site of the Motherhouse and preserve a diversity of organic, open-pollinated seeds. Report on...
Jobs, Justice, Climate March
Tara Kainer of our Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation office joined more than 10,000 social justice advocates, students, workers, faith communities, Aboriginal peoples and more on a march for Jobs, Justice and Climate in Toronto on July 5. The diverse crowd included high-profile public figures David Suzuki, Naomi Klein, Stephen Lewis, Maude Barlow, Bill McKibben, and Hollywood actor Jane Fonda. Lubicon Cree Melina Laboucan-Messimo,...