Associate directors gather at the Woods

Sister Barbara McMullen, CDP, shares an overview of the day.

Thursday’s meeting of Women of Providence in Collaboration (WPC) associate directors and liaisons in the conference room of Providence Center kicks off a busy weekend for sisters and associates who bear the name and charism of Providence. This meeting represented the following congregations: Congregation of Divine Providence, San Antonio; Sisters of Providence, Holyoke, Mass.; Congregation of Divine Providence, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Sisters of Providence, Mother Joseph Province, Renton, Wash.; Congregation of Divine Providence of Kentucky, Melbourne, Ky.; Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, Kingston, Ontario, Canada; and the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

After a welcome by Sister Ann Margaret O’Hara, executive director of WPC, Sister JoAnn Showalter, SP (Sisters of Providence, Mother Joseph Province) led the group in prayer. The meeting was facilitated by Sister Barbara McMullen, CDP, who has held leadership positions in the North American Conference of Associates and Religious (NACAR) for several years.

In addition to providing an opportunity for WPC associate directors to network with one another, there were three topics for the meeting. These topics concerned connecting with associates who reside in geographic areas where there are few or no sisters; becoming a 501(c)(3) non-profit; and inviting potential associates from the local parishes. The meeting wrapped up mid-afternoon.

On Friday, more than 300 WPC sisters and associates will be gathering in O’Shaughnessy Dining Room in Providence Center for the Providence Event 2012, “Providence: Mystical Window on the World,” featuring guest speaker Ron Rolheiser, OMI.