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Lovingly Active as a Sister of Providence

Sister Danielle Charron, SP

In July, during the 2017 General Chapter, the Congregation will discern our general orientations for the next five years. This is an opportune time to review my commitment of the past five years, assessing it with Article 10 of our Constitutions: “Our apostolic life binds us to each other and to all the people of God, especially the poor. Responsive to the Spirit, we are always in search of better ways to incarnate the Providence of God in our lives.”

In July, during the 2017 General Chapter, the Congregation will discern our general orientations for the next five years. This is an opportune time to review my commitment of the past five years, assessing it with Article 10 of our Constitutions: “Our apostolic life binds us to each other and to all the people of God, especially the poor. Responsive to the Spirit, we are always in search of better ways to incarnate the Providence of God in our lives.”

In July 2012, I had just moved into an apartment at Providence St. Joseph long-term care facility. The facility houses eighty elderly persons and twenty persons living in apartments. In an environment like this, I embody the Providence of God among these elderly people. I work to maintain active pastoral care on a daily basis. For highlights of the year, i.e., Advent, Christmas, Lent and Paschal time, I organize everything that is necessary so residents are able to experience the process proposed by the diocese.

I can’t talk about my ministerial assignment without talking about the Ministry of Communion to the Sick. I train volunteers for this service and make sure that it is offered to residents who wish to receive Communion and who cannot move to come and celebrate at the chapel. Through my commitment, I can say that I live intensely the motto of the Congregation, “The charity of Christ urges us.” The motto draws us toward the poor. We go to them with an open heart that allows us to be evangelized by them while we share the Good News.

In a long-term care facility, there is also room for me to become the loving and compassionate presence of our Provident God, especially when I work with palliative care residents. I listen to relatives and employees. It is important to welcome and accompany them in the suffering of grief that they are going through. If it is the relatives or the resident’s wish, I ask for a priest and I participate with them in the celebration of the Sacrament of the Sick.

Another aspect of my ministry at Providence St. Joseph, which makes me live the charism and mission of the Congregation, is to be present and compassionate with my father who lives there. He will be 99 years old on August 2.  The situation requires that I make myself available to accompany him in the grief of his loss of autonomy and of his cognitive losses he is going through in this stage of life. This requires availability and compassion to accompany him and make him feel secure during medical appointments.  Regarding my own situation, I see this as a fair return of what he has done for me. I would also say that I experience anew the 5th Commandment of God that says: “Honor your father and your mother.” It’s really a blessing for me to have the opportunity to live these moments with my father. I feel privileged to be able to be who and what I am  with him. I have a deep feeling of being the one by whom Christ wants to show him God’s favorite Love.

In addition, the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services requires that a user committee, a risk management committee and an environment committee be established in each long-term care facility. By my presence on these three committees, I can attest that I am spokesperson defending the rights of residents; the role I have intensifies my way of being the voice of the voiceless.

I also have a pastoral ministry at the Sacré-Coeur parish in Montreal. I am a member of the service team of the Saint-André School of Evangelization, a catechist for a group of teenagers from 13 to 16 years old and am responsible for the pastoral care of those preparing for baptism. Thus, I fully live my ministry as a Sister of Providence.