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,...
After 20 years, the vigil will end on September 17
Vigil from around 2001 with the since-deceased Sr. Mary Hamilton sitting down on the job.BY JAMIE SWIFT And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 “We’ve stood in all kinds of weather. Rain and snow. Hot sun and extreme cold,” says Sister Shirley Morris SP, explaining the faithful consistency of the people who’ve kept the weekly silent vigil for justice since 1995. “Our common...
#FridayVigil July 3: Talking to police
Today the #FridayVigil vigil keepers arrived to find a long line of police vans in front of Kingston city hall. Turns out they were police from Toronto, OPP, Halton and other places, all acting as an escort for the Pan Am Games flame that is touring the region What does the FridayVigil do best? Not only does it witness, but the long-term vigil keepers know how to engage. So we spoke with several police officers who were curious about what we...
Jubilee celebrations over the years
BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST Jubilee celebrations from the Archives of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul. Examples of Jubilee cards
Enneagram learning day: Camrose (Vincentian) Associates
BY JAN KEHOE, PROVIDENCE ASSOCIATE On May 8, 2015, the Camrose Associates gathered at the home of Pat Niehaus for our annual retreat, facilitated by Sister Jeannette Filthaut. To prepare for the topic of the Enneagram, we had previously chosen our personality types and came to the retreat to learn more about them. The day began with a meditation and song. Reflection questions were based on the Associates’ Directional Statement and asked us to...
Dr. Danielle Martin on basic income
Dr. Danielle Martin in Kingston, May 2015BY JAMIE SWIFT A virus. One of those nasty bugs that’s hard to shake, immune to antibiotics. Sometimes a virus can spread like a forest fire, as often happens during flu season. Not surprisingly, viral infections are of considerable concern to doctors and other health care providers. But the idea of “viral” has taken on new meaning since the turn of the century. People want their on-line videos to “go...
We have turned our attention to sexual violence in the church
The Healing Violence Committee of the Sisters of Providence is offering a one-day conference in September entitled Healing the Church: Addressing the Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis. Our committee was founded in 1998 and we have been working together since that time to address – to heal – the many ways violence is expressed in our society. More information can be found here. After hosting eight conferences and workshops to address various...
Mothers’ Day 1977 at Cristo Luz Del Mundo Parish in Lima, Peru
BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST From the Annals of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul’s mission in El Progreso, Lima, Peru. The celebration of Mothers’ Day provided an opportunity for another and impressive and beautiful liturgy. Before Mass, Padre Juan placed three red roses on a table in front of the altar. One rose was placed in a delicate vase, one in Peruvian pottery, and the third in a tin can. It was interesting to hear...
Call to Religious Life: Sr. Sheila Langton, SP
A favourite question people have for a Sister is, “Why did you become a nun?” For many years I would go blank when anyone asked me that. I didn’t know how to answer. It is a mystery to me. How did such an ordinary and very young person as I was, know that I had a vocation to religious life? I would ask myself, “Why am I so sure this is my way of life?” I should tell you that another favourite question for a Sister is, “How long have you been a...