Sisters of Providence of the West: The legacy

On Dec. 8, 1856, five sisters arrived in the Washington Territory at what is now Vancouver, Wash. The group was led by Mother Joseph, born Esther Pariseau in 1823 in Quebec, Canada.

Followers described Mother Joseph as a woman of talents ranging from needlework to architecture, with a keen mind, a broad vision, deep compassion and unwavering faith, noted Sister Margaret Botch, provincial director.

At the request of her bishop, Mother Joseph and her band traveled from Quebec to the West with the aim of filling unmet needs on America’s frontier.

Under her leadership, more than 30 schools, homes and hospitals were opened for orphans, the elderly and the sick in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and southern British Columbia.

In 1980, she was honored by Washington state officials with a statue placed in the Statuary Hall in the nation’s Capitol. In addition, her birthday, April 16, is a Washington State holiday.

In Spokane, her likeness is included among several busts on the Spokesman-Review Production Building on Monroe Street.

Among other accomplishments, the Sisters of Providence founded Spokane’s Sacred Heart Medical Center, which is marking its 120th anniversary this year.

Other local ministries include Providence Services, headquartered in Spokane, and Transitions, a nonprofit agency. It includes the Transitional Living Center, which provides support services for homeless women and their children; Miryam’s House, a residential program for women overcoming domestic violence, abuse and addiction; and Women’s Hearth, a daytime drop-in center offering services and support for women.

They yearlong celebration will conclude Dec. 8. Another celebration is planned in Vancouver in September.