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Seeds of Hope: The History of the Sisters of Providence, Holyoke, Massachusetts (review)

Seeds of Hope: The History of the Sisters of Providence, Holyoke, Massachusetts. Edited by Dolores Liptak, R.S.M., and Grace Bennett. (Holyoke, Massachusetts: Sisters of Providence of Holyoke. 1999. Pp. xxii, 245. Appendix 86 pages. Paperback.) This work represents the first comprehensive record of the 125-year history of the Sisters of Providence of Holyoke, Massachusetts. It is a work of love compiled by both members of the congregation and their lay collaborators. The purpose of the study is to provide "specific information concerning a congregation which has made such a significant difference within both the religious and secular societies of Massachusetts and North Carolina." Different authors were responsible for each of its fourteen chapters, which accounts for some overlap in material. Eight sections of the eighty-six-page appendix provide historical data and documents covering the scope of the history. Another section, entitled `Faces of Providence, highlights individual members who have been significant to the community in leadership positions and by offering special gifts in music, art, and poetry. The Sisters of Providence of Holyoke trace their roots to Pellie Gamelin's 1843 foundation of the Sisters of Providence in Montreal. Her community was founded on the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul and followed the Vincentian rule. Within a few years the Sisters of Providence made an independent foundation in Kingston, Ontario, and it was from here, in 1873, that the first sisters were sent to Holyoke. At the insistence of the local bishop Holyoke severed ties with Kingston in 1892. Thirty of the forty-four sisters missioned there made the heart-wrenching decision to remain and thus became pioneer members of the new diocesan congregation. The guiding spirit of the new foundation was Mother Mary of Providence (Catherine Horan), who served as the first mother until 19 10 and continued to make significant contributions to the community until her death in 1943. She was known for her keen mind, her kind, motherly disposition, and her remarkable administrative ability. She continues, even in death, to be an inspiring presence within the Providence community. After tracing these historical beginnings, the following chapters discuss the spirit and spirituality of the community, which might be expressed as a firm belief that the source of God is Providence in each present moment as well as the diversity of ministries in which the community became involved. …