History of the Providence Associates
The late 1970’s and early 1980’s were special moments in the Church. Although many young women were drawn to vocation retreats offered by the Congregation, few were entering religious life. Under the guidance of Sister Muriel Gallagher, General Superior at the time, both Sister Pauline Lally in Brantford and Sister Mary Hagan in Kingston expressed great interest in the possibility of inviting members of the laity into association and shared mission.
The dream of forming a Providence Associate Process was brought to the Chapter of 1981 for initial discernment by the Congregation. The Chapter gave approval, and a Committee was formed to research possibilities.
That the dream was of God became evident. As Sister Pauline began visiting other congregations, she found that similar discussions were taking place. Sister Pauline called this the synchronicity of the phenomena … or Providence.
By the Spring of 1985, it was decided to broaden the discernment to involve members of the laity. Sisters invited individuals whom they thought might be interested in becoming Providence Associates. There was an immediate response. Fourteen women came to the first meeting in April 1985, out of which a joint committee was formed of Sisters and laity to discuss a Providence Associate process.
At the Chapter of 1985, the committee reported on its work. The Chapter approved the establishment of a Providence Associate process that was to evolve beyond Kingston into other missions of the Sisters.
The Kingston group began defining the Providence Associates relationship and writing a manual to express that understanding. From the beginning, the Providence Associates were ecumenical, with members of various Christian denominations. However, the originating group thought that perhaps members of other faith traditions might also be called into this Association.
The relationship was not defined by activities. Asking what Providence Associates would do, Archbishop Francis Spence was told by Sister Pauline that they were already active in various ministries and would be supported by this association and sharing in the Sisters’ charism.
In Kingston, by the end of 1986, the committee had written a manual, prayer card and brochure. By that time, there were eight candidates in phase I and sixteen in phase II of the formation process. After a two-year preparation, on September 26, 1987, fourteen individuals made their commitment as Providence Associates in a ceremony at the Motherhouse. Regarding that first Commitment Ceremony, Sister Muriel Gallagher, former General Superior, wrote:
“Heartfelt congratulations on this momentous occasion of breaking into full flower out of a budding dream. Dear Providence Associates, you are so welcomed to the family of Providence. We are so much stronger and exciting because of you. You have been nurtured in the Providence garden…now your various colours and characters harmonize with the plants that have been in that garden for years. So Providence has ordained. Alleluia.”
And more kept coming! Each year, more women and men entered the process and eventually made commitment. In 1989 the first two male candidates became Associates.
Providence Associate groups developed concurrently in other Canadian cities. At present, there are groups in Kingston, Quinte/Belleville, Brockville, Perth, Toronto, and Camrose, Alberta, as well as in El Progresso, near Lima, Peru.
Evolving Times
The relationship between Sisters and Providence Associates continued to grow and develop. The first Congregational Chapter to which Providence Associates were invited was 1999. Although they were not involved in the election of leadership or discussions about the Congregation’s internal affairs, they participated in the portion of the Chapter devoted to the Mission of the Congregation.
Following the Chapter of 2015, as the Sisters began planning for their completion, changing times demanded ongoing discernment from Providence Associates, who were challenged to envision an autonomous future. While the Sisters met, Providence Associates also gathered to develop their own directional statement. For the first time, some joint sessions of Sisters and Associates were held.
In 2024, the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul provided an endowment to the Providence Associates for the future. The Associates are now sponsored by the Catholic Health Sponsors of Ontario, while continuing to have strong relationships with the Sisters.