The Providence Event, entitled “Providence ~ Where Justice and Radical Hope Meet!” originally planned by the Women of Providence in Collaboration to take place June 12-14, 2020 at the Kearns Spirituality Center in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, has been rescheduled for February of 2021.

The members of the WPC Governing Board also have decided to recreate the event in a new format that will enable greater participation of members across the WPC communities.

“Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated our changing the date of this event,” explained Dawn Tomaszewski, SP, board chairperson. “However, as we struggled to find a new time and a new venue to host an in-person event, it occurred to us that we might use technology to provide the event in a different format.”

“The use of live-stream and other platforms such as Zoom Breakout Rooms or Google Hangouts provide the opportunity for Sisters of Providence across the country to have access and interaction with the same speaker with local discussions to follow,” Dawn explained.

Sister Nancy Sylvester, IHM, slated as the keynote speaker for the original June event, has agreed to work with the planning committee to create a one-day event that can be telecast to various locations.

What will remain the same is the theme of the Event: to look at the justice issues of the day through a Providence Lens.

According to Barbara McMullen, CDP, who serves as the WPC director, “We asked Nancy to help us consider our call to offer meaning in a suffering world. Where are we being invited to network, collaborate and build bridges with others? How can we be a people with a vision that restores creation, human dignity and peace, and engenders hope one little step at a time?”

Though all the details have not yet been worked out, including the exact date, the WPC board has set as high priorities interaction with the speaker as well as conversations between and among Sisters of Providences and Providence Associates of various congregations who participate in the Event. For now please hold either Feb. 20 or Feb. 27, 2021 as the date for this new Event.  Final date will be announced later. 

In the meantime, Sister Barb will return the room, board and transportation fees collected from all sister participants as well as those fees for associate participants that were paid for by their congregations to attend the June event. These will be sent to the leadership team of each congregation to disperse. Individual associates who paid their own fees will receive a full refund.

The WPC board has asked that each community allow the $275 event fee of the sister participants to remain with WPC as seed money to create the new February event. In return, all members of these congregations will be able to attend the new event whether or not they paid for the June Event. Registration for the February Providence Event will begin as soon as the details are settled.

For further information, contact Sister Barbara McMullen, CDP, Executive Director

Women of Providence in Collaboration, bmcmullencdp@gmail.com, 618-550-8884.

Statement by Dawn Tomaszewski, SP–Chair of WPC Board