The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul are an apostolic congregation of vowed women religious, who rely on and proclaim the

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

of God. They are the only religious congregation founded in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

History

In 1843 congregation of the "Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Poor" was founded in Montreal by Bishop Ignace Bourget and Émilie Gamelin. Its object is to provide for the poor and sick spiritual and temporal relief, to shelter children and the aged, to visit the homes of the poor and the ill, to shelter the infirm and the homeless, to maintain dispensaries for the needy, and to instruct the young. On December 13, 1861, four Sisters from Montreal arrived in Kingston to found what is now known as the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul.

Spirituality

In accordance with their mission statement, the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul seek to empower others, especially the poor and oppressed, to achieve a quality of life in keeping with their human dignity. They also strive to be prophetic leaders in their Church and in society. The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul follow their

charism A spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα ''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A Dictionary of the ...

of compassionate caring for God's people, especially the most destitute, manifested by service given in a spirit of humility, simplicity and charity. As they serve with compassion and walk in hope, they trust in the power, the movement and the mystery of Providence in all things.

General Superiors

The first

general superior A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of a religious institute in the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations. The superior general usually holds supreme executive authority in the religious community, while th ...

of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul was Mother Mary Edward, born Catherine McKinley. The current general superior is Sister Sandra Shannon.

Current

The congregation is a member of the Women of Providence in Collaboration. The web site was relaunched on December 13, 2011, marking the end of the 150th Anniversary celebrations. It is accessible at http://www.providence.ca.

References

{{reflist
Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul
Catholic female orders and societies Religious organizations established in 1861 Organizations based in Kingston, Ontario 1861 establishments in Canada