Our Story, Our History
We trace our roots from Montréal, Quebec in 1843 in the person of Blessed Émilie Tavernier-Gamelin who devoted her life to serving the most vulnerable in the society during her time. Mother Émilie was married and had three young sons. As a child, Émilie manifested deep trust in Providence and love for the poor. After illness claimed all her sons and her husband, Jean Baptiste Gamelin, Mother Émilie founded the Sisters of Providence under the guidance of Bishop Ignace Bourget.
Bishop Bourget invited the French Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul to help establish a new congregation in Montréal with Mother Émilie. However, when it was made clear that it was not possible for them to come to Canada, Mother Émilie was sent to the United States to obtain a copy of the Rules of St. Vincent de Paul. In March 1843, there were seven novices who took on the Holy Habit of the Filles de la Charité, Servantes des Pauvres (Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Poor). Because of the works of our Sisters among those who were suffering in Montréal, the people themselves began calling us "providence". Not long after, the newly founded congregation became known instead as
the Sisters of Providence.
Soon after the founding of the community, many missions were established across Quebec and even to different parts of the world including Western Canada, Chile, United States, the Philippines, El Salvador, Egypt, Cameroon, Haiti, Argentina, Syria, Algeria, Tunisia, and Nigeria. Some of these missions are closed now while some remain in place. Currently, we are present across Canada, Chile, United States, the Philippines, El Salvador, Egypt, and Haiti.
This is the little white cottage where the first 4 Sisters of Providence in Holy Angels Province lived in 1909, together with a blind man and an orphan. It is located at the back of Providence Residence in Calgary.
Our Beginnings in
Western Canada
In June 23, 1909, four Sisters of Providence from Montréal, Kenora, and New Westminster came to Western Canada and settled in an area called Midnapore, which is now part of the city of Calgary. Sister Georgie (from Montréal), Sister Louis de Gonzague (from Montréal), Sister Maxima (from Kenora), and Sister Marie-Clarisse (from New Westminster) were accompanied by Mother Anaclet, then Superior General of the Sisters of Providence, and Father Albert Lacombe, OMI on their way to Midnapore.
They were invited by Father Albert Lacombe, OMI to operate what will be the Lacombe Home, a shelter for the elderly and abandoned children. Upon the Sisters’ arrival, they lived in a tiny white cottage with 3 beds and an attic. They lived there with a destitute blind man and an orphan — all six of them. It was believed that because of the shortage of beds, three of the four Sisters of Providence stayed in the confined space of the attic. After almost a year and a half of waiting, the Sisters and their companions moved to the newly built Lacombe Home in October 3, 1910. The Lacombe Home and the little white cottage sat on a land donated by Senator Patrick Burns along an area that is now called Fish Creek Park.
Many other missions followed in Western Canada and those missions were sustained by donations and funds from “begging trips” made by the Sisters. In those days, begging trips were on horseback. It was only in 1961 that the Sisters received public funds from the government for the operation of our missions.
Sister Marie-Clarisse (Superior)
Sister Georgie
Sister Maxima
Sister Louis de Gonzague
The First Four Sisters of Providence in Holy Angels Province
In 1920s, the needs of the community in Midnapore grew so that by 1956 the work of education was moved from Lacombe Home to Providence School, a building that was built on the same property. By 1960s, a change in the government policy reduced the number of children living at Lacombe Home. At the same time, the Lacombe Home was no longer up to standards for nursing care for the elderly. Hence, the operation of Lacombe Home was moved to another building in the same compound and changed its name to Father Lacombe Care Centre. This care centre opened its doors in March 1966 and is still in operation to this day.
The old Lacombe Home was sold in 1966 and in 1979 it was designated as an historical site. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire in 1999.
The Congregation of The Sisters of Providence was not divided into provinces in the beginning but because of the political and social changes in the world, along with the expanding scope of the missions, provincial jurisdictions were born in 1891. The Sisters in Western Canada grew in number so that by 1912, the Province of Holy Angels was founded, encompassing the geographical area of Western Canada.
Prior to the establishment of Holy Angels Province in 1912, Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart and her companions arrived in Fort Vancouver, Washington, USA from Montréal in December 8, 1856. Her arrival in Western USA was the impetous for the many missions established from North to the South of the Pacific Coast and into the interiors of Western USA and Western Canada. When the border between Western Canada and Western USA was drawn and our Sisters in Western USA formed their own provinces, some of the missions that were already in place in Western Canada that were under different provinces were transferred to the jurisdiction of Holy Angels Province. Those missions were mostly in British Columbia such as St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver (1894), St. Mary’s Hospital in New Westminster (1886), St. Eugene Mission in Kootenay (1890), and Providence St. Genevieve in New Westminster (1900). In fact, St. Mary's Hospital in New Westminster, BC was the very first house of the Sisters of Providence in Western Canada.
Many more missions in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Yukon Territory followed after the founding of Holy Angels Province. These missions were mostly service to the elderly, children, parish, and hospitals. To name a few of these missions, there were St. Bruno Mission in Joussard (1913, boarding school for children), Providence Crèche in Calgary (1943, care for single mothers and their children), WINGS of Providence in Edmonton (1985, 2nd stage housing for abused women and children), St. Joseph General Hospital in Dawson Creek (1932), and St. John’s Hospital in Vanderhoof (1940). Many of these missions were handed over to the government or other non-profit organizations.
In the midst of these works and changing needs, the one thing that kept the Sisters of Providence intact and thriving was (and is) its local communities – the beating heart of the Congregation. Local communities are where we experience the love of one another and of Christ. Though community life is the most difficult aspect of Religious Life, it is at the same time the most rewarding experience of belonging to a Religious community.
Today, our presence remains in Edmonton and Calgary where we have Father Lacombe Care Centre and Providence Care Centre in Calgary (nursing homes for the elderly), Providence Centre in Edmonton (convent), Providence Renewal Centre in Edmonton (retreat centre), Novitiate House in Edmonton, Come-and-See House in Edmonton, and Providence Residence in Calgary (convent) where we continue to live in community and manifest our charism of Providence and our compassionate service to people, after the heart of Mary, our Mother of Sorrows.
As we transition out of provincial jurisdictions and into being one canonical congregation with our Sisters from Montréal, USA, El Salvador, Egypt, Haiti, the Philippines, and Chilé we look forward to continuing our mission of supporting the most vulnerable in our society and proclaiming Providence as the unending love of God for all of Creation.
Who we are today
The province of Holy Angels in Western Canada has evolved into being one with the three other provinces of the Congregation: Bernarda Morin Province (Chilé), Emilie Gamelin Province (Eastern Canada, Haiti, and Egypt), and Mother Joseph Province (USA, El Salvador, and the Philippines). As the separation of provinces no longer exist, what remains is one canonical entity as Sisters of Providence. Together, we embrace our being intercultural, international, intergenerational, and interdependent community of women Religious.
No matter the change in our organizational structure, the SP identity, spirituality, and charism is unchanged. Our commitment to those most vulnerable in the society that earned us the name "Providence" remains the cornerstone of our community.
