New Vision for the Future
Members of the Healing Violence Committee, left to right, standing: Catherine Casey sp, Peggy Flanagan sp, Margo Shafer sp, Carol Groten pa, Barbara Baker pa (contact) left to right, seated: Marie Dundon sp, Council Liaison Frances O'Brien sp.BY THE HEALING VIOLENCE COMMITTEE On October 11, 2011 members of the Healing Violence Committee met at Marillac Villa to reflect upon our 1994 mandate, and upon a new direction to which our Provident God...
Spring Equinox
It was unseasonably mild and sunny on March 20, 2012, the first official day of spring. Close to 30 Sisters, Associates, staff and friends gathered in the Heirloom Seed Sanctuary Barn to celebrate the spring equinox, when length of day and night are equal.Seed savers Cate Henderson and Sister of Providence Shirley Morris led the group in song, prayer and reflection. Guests held a small soybean seed in the palm of their hands as a reminder that...
Seedy Saturday 2012
Cate Henderson, Sister Alda Brady and Kate Green from USC CanadaSyrup, seeds and bees, oh my! The theme of this year’s Seedy Saturday, held on March 10, was Promoting Responsible Stewardship of Our Seed Heritage. It included guest speakers, seed savers, seed sellers, farmers looking to sell food and promote themselves, apiculture (beekeeping) and other various information booths. Many ecological and local food diversity enthusiasts attended....
Vocations Fair 2012
Sisters of Providence and Providence Associates participated in a Vocations Fair at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish April 21-22. The weekend event was a huge success with close to 25 exhibits highlighting opportunities in Ministry now and for the future. Representatives from the Kingston, Pembroke and Toronto dioceses demonstrated the many exciting ways that the Baptismal call is lived out in the Church today.
Poverty Challenge 2012
left to right: Judi Wyatt, Alexandra Klepacki, Zaineb Zimmerman and Jamie Swift.Kingston’s Poverty Challenge is an intense one-day summit on poverty for high school students and teachers in the Kingston area. The 4th annual Challenge was held on March 28th at Duncan McArthur Hall on the Queen’s West Campus. Organizers developed scenarios that involved situations specific to Kingston like housing and utility costs. 150 participants took part in...
Food Security & Occupy movement
Craft Ontario organic farmer, seed saver, local musician and personal activistBY LANDON CHATTERTON I took a stroll towards the Kingston Farmer’s Market today and decided I would stop by the “occupy” tent that had been established in Confederation Park as of Oct. 15th. I had been meaning to check it out, but had not found an opportune moment. At first glance this obnoxious green shanty tent, held together by bungee cord and duct tape and flying...
Vocations Formation
Over the centuries people who have truly pursued their dreams have also found that the discovery of that dream is hinged upon hearing the dream that God has for us that is the way we carry out our baptismal call. BY SISTERS BARBARA THIFFAULT AND LUCY KEARNEY Vocation Culture A culture that believes and supports the discovery of these dreams is what we call a vocation culture. Vocation culture highlights all five vocations in an attempt to give...
Heirloom Seed Sanctuary
BY MIKE HAMMOND The Heirloom Seed Sanctuary is participating in a unique Kingston project that encourages farmers and gardeners to grow an extra row of food to donate to emergency meal programs. It’s called Grow a Row, organized by Kingston community food group Loving Spoonful. The extra food will be collected from June to October for delivery to 18 local agencies that feed clients. This is just one of many projects carried out by the...
Tuck Shop news
left to right: Sisters Stella Szybisty, Mary Labouré, Anne Hudec, Mary BenildaBY SISTER ANNE HUDEC It is with great pleasure that we welcome Marie McCartney and Sheila LaRush — our own Providence Associates — who began volunteering in the Tuck Shop on January 24th. We are happy and Marie and Sheila are excited. You will likely see some changes! Please support them as you have supported us and the needy. Changes bring more changes. Sister Mary...
Energy & Poverty
Energy the root cause for inequality and environmental destructionBridget Doherty was invited to speak at the Queen’s Ban Righ Centre.BY MIKE HAMMOND Energy Poverty was the topic of a noon hour talk by Bridget Doherty of the JPIC office of the Sisters of Providence. She was invited to appear as part of the Special Speakers Series at Queen’s Ban Righ Centre February 15. Community groups like LIEN (Low Income Energy Network) and LEAF (Local...
Remember Peace?
left to right: Sister of Providence Una Byrne, Kingston writer and event moderator Steve Heighton, event organizer Jamie Swift of the JPIC office of the Sisters of Providence and Ottawa writer Heather Menzies.BY JAMIE SWIFT This past November the JPIC office initiated a public gathering that we called Remember Peace? Why the question mark? Because the idea of peace has largely disappeared from official Remembrance Day events, replaced by an...
Associate Digest March 12, 2012
There is a new team in the office! Carol Groten, the Associate Administrative Assistant for twelve years, is the anchor.Associate team left to right: Co-director Sr. Irene Wilson, Co-director Barbara Baker and Administrative Assistant Carol Groten.BY BARBARA BAKER She knows what needs to be done and when, and she quietly goes about taking care of business. I don’t know how many others she has trained to coordinate efforts in the office but she...
Project Hospitality
Project Hospitality Transition GroupLeft to right: Sisters Yvette Girard, Nancy Wilson, Anne Coffey, Pat Cuddihy, Judith Ann Murphy, Pat Arsenault, Barbara Thiffault, Margaret Walsh, Evelyn Emery, Una ByrneBY CHRISTINE ROSS The Sisters of Providence have a long history of opening their home to others and this year is no exception. Major renovations are underway at Providence Motherhouse before the congregation welcomes some new Sisters to live...
Anniversary year concludes
photo: David MuiseBack row: Sister Avita, Jan Kehoe, Sister Diane, Connie Prost, Sister Bernadine, Sister Jeannette Front row: Sister Pat, Debbie Muise, Sister RitaBY CHRISTINE ROSS A year of events marking the 150th anniversary of the only congregation founded in Kingston concluded with a meal shared by Sisters of Providence, Associates and staff on December 13th, exactly one year after the anniversary year began with evening prayer in the...
Providence in El Progreso
During a recent trip to Peru, Sisters Gayle Desarmia and Frances O’Brien met with students who are being supported in their education by the Marillac Mission Fund.BY SISTER GAYLE DESARMIA AND SISTER FRANCES O'BRIEN From December 28 until January 12: Sisters Frances O’Brien and Gayle Desarmia had the privilege of visiting our mission in El Progreso, Peru. From the outset we were deeply moved by the warm welcome given us by the Sisters, the...
Change Makers
BY CHRISTINE ROSS The Sisters of Providence are being celebrated as 'Change Makers' - females who have made a difference. 'Change Makers' is a one day photo exhibition that kicks off International Women's Week and will feature Kingstonians making real progress in the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. As part of the one day exposition, the Communciations office of the Sisters of Providence created and...
Vocation Formation News – November 2011
There is surely a future hope for you,and your hope will not be cut off.— Proverbs 23:18 BY SISTERS BARBARA THIFFAULT AND LUCY KEARNEY During the last several months we have been in contact with a mature young woman from Kitchener, Ontario who, after doing a search on the internet, has expressed an interest in our Congregation. At her request, she spent two days, June 11 and 12, at the Motherhouse meeting with Sisters Nancy Wilson, Lucy Kearney...
Say No to Tar Sands
BY BRIDGET DOHERTY A Canadian company plans to build a pipeline from Alberta’s Tar Sands to Texas. If approved by both the Canadian and American governments, the pipeline would transport diluted bitumen, a mixture of oil and sand. Environmentalists, farmers, and affected communities are all concerned that this mixture, which includes cancer causing benzene and toxic heavy metals may end up spilling into ground water thereby polluting precious...
Associate Digest November 2011
BY MARIE MCCARTNEY AND DIANNE DUTCHER Our Providence Associates Annual General Meeting was held at Providence Spirituality Centre on September 30, 2011. Prior to the 6:30 p.m. Call to Order and Welcome, our Associates and Sisters posed for a group photo taken on the PSC staircase.Our evening began with a beautiful prayer, “A Time of Happy Transition” (adapted from a Joyce Rupp poem) and prepared by the Catalpa Group. What a wonderful way to...
Fr. John Hibbard reviews the upcoming revisions to the Roman Missal
BY ALBERT DUNN More than 80 Sisters, Associates, Motherhouse liturgical ministers and staff gathered on Tuesday, October 4 for an information session regarding the coming revision of the Roman Missal (the book of rites used for Mass and other liturgies such as Good Friday) and its accompanying General Instruction, the document explaining the Missal’s practical implementation. The presentation was given by Fr. John Hibbard and sponsored by the...