Barbara (Alexis)
Melancon, SP
(Barbara Jeanne Melancon)
Sister Alexis Melancon was born in the
old St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, Ore., on
1RYHPEHUDQGJUHZXSLQ:DOOD
Walla, Wash. She graduated from St. Vincent
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of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn., and
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a major in sociology
and psychology. She
entered the Sisters of
Providence that year
and made profession
in 1951. Named to
teach the third grade
at Sacred Heart School
in Tacoma, Wash., she
realized God had given
her the gift of teaching.
Her 35-year teaching career
included Providence Academy in Vancouver,
Wash., and 19 years at Providence High
School in Burbank, Calif. After a 1986
sabbatical to the Holy Land, she became
manager of Emilie House, Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) lowincome housing for the elderly in Portland,
Ore., where she remained for 16 years.
She retired in 2001, moved to Seattle and
became treasurer of St. Joseph Residence. O
50 years
Chauncey Ann Boyle, SP
Sister Brenda
S
ister Chauncey Boyle was born in
3RUWODQG2UHRQ$XJXVW6KH
attended grade and high school at Providence Academy in Vancouver, Wash., and
was moved to consider religious life at a
spring retreat at Mount St. Vincent, Seattle.
She entered the Sisters of Providence
novitiate there shortly before Vatican II,
joining her sibling
Sue, who had entered
a year earlier. Sister
Chauncey made
ӾUVWSURIHVVLRQLQ
1962, graduated
from the College of
Sister Formation in
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ӾUVWPLQLVWU\DVDQ
educator. She taught
DW6W&DWKHULQH·V
in Seattle, Immaculate Conception in
Fairbanks, Alaska, and Our Lady of Lourdes
in Vancouver, Wash., for a total of three
years, and then began a 23-year nursing
career that took her to Providence-Oakland
and Providence-Everett.
Sister Chauncey worked for the
Archdiocese of Seattle as nursing superviVRUIRUӾYH&DWKROLF<RXWK2UJDQL]DWLRQ
camps, and then was director of nursing
services at Providence Mount St. Vincent.
She branched into a housing ministry,
spending nine years providing services
for families in Everett, Wash., and then
moved into management at Providence
Peter Claver House, Seattle, for six years.
6LQFHVKHKDVEHHQDVVLVWDQW
director at Vincent House, where her
primary responsibility is the health of the
residents.
She is on the boards of Providence
Regional Medical Center, Everett, and
the Everett Foundation. She is a commissioner for the Snohomish County
Housing Authority and is also a member
of the ministry board for the Providence
Little Company of Mary hospitals in
Torrance and San Pedro, Calif. O
Karin Dufault, SP
Sister Carlen Marie
B
orn in Yakima, Wash., to a
French-Canadian Catholic family, Sister
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her large extended family who were
Sisters of Providence. She entered the
religious community in 1959 after a
senior year retreat at Mount St.
Vincent, Seattle. Her
early ministry was
built on a foundation
of an excellent sister
formation education
and nursing studies
at Seattle University.
After a one-year
internship at St.
Vincent Hospital in
Portland, Ore., she
became an assistant
head nurse and then a head nurse of a
busy medical unit. Nursing and administration assignments continued at
Providence Portland Medical Center and
at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Yakima.
From 1991 to 2002 she was
full-time chair of the Providence Health
System restructured board of directors,
followed by a position as vice president
for mission leadership. In mid 2005 she
became executive director of Supportive
Care Coalition: Pursuing Excellence in
Palliative Care. The organization based
in Portland brings together 20 Catholic
health systems to assure that people
VXӽHULQJZLWKOLIHWKUHDWHQLQJDQGSURgressive illnesses and their families are
cared for in body, mind, and spirit with
compassion and clinical expertise by
dedicated, multidisciplinary teams.
A frequent speaker and lecturer nationally, she networks with colleagues
and friends throughout the United States
and participates in national organizations and conferences. Since January
6LVWHU.DULQKDVEHHQVHUYLQJDV
provincial superior of Mother Joseph
Province. O
Mary Frances Hawkins, SP
Sister Francine Marie
S
ister Mary Hawkins was born a twin
with her brother Larry (Lawrence) on March
LQ7DFRPD:DVK6KHDWWHQGHG
Sacred Heart School in Tacoma, where she
met the Sisters of Providence, and then St.
/HR·VIRUJLUOV$IWHUKLJKVFKRROJUDGXDtion in 1958, Mary worked at Boeing for a
year. She entered the Sisters of Providence
on August 28, 1959, at Mount St. Vincent,
6HDWWOH6KHPDGHӾUVWYRZVLQDQG
SHUSHWXDOYRZVLQ6KHZDVLQWKH
6LVWHU)RUPDWLRQSURJUDPӾQLVKLQJKHU
junior year of university
studies, and then
was assigned to
teach at Our Lady of
Lourdes School in
Vancouver, Wash.,
while living at
Providence Academy.
She taught religion,
mathematics and
the social sciences at
Holy Family School in
White Center, at St.
Catherine School, Seattle, and at St. Finbar
School in Burbank, Calif. She was department chair of social studies and part of
the administrative team at Providence High
School in Burbank.
6LVWHU0DU\·VRWKHUPLQLVWULHVLQFOXGH
as vocation director for the Tri Province
Formation Team, serving on the National
Sisters Vocation Conference; serving on
the Provincial Council from 1983 to 1989;
and returning to Providence High School
as academic vice principal in 1990 and as
principal for the planning and supervision
of the summer school programs. She
retired in 2008 and moved to West Seattle.
She continues to serve on the Board of
Regents for Providence High School and
on the Community Ministry Board (CMB) in
6RXWKHUQ&DOLIRUQLD·V6DQ)HUQDQGR9DOOH\
Service Area. O
Jean Schultz, SP
S
ister Jean Schultz grew up
outside Minneapolis, Minn., played the
accordion and dreamed of becoming a
professional musician. At age 16 she
joined the Musicians Union and began
entertaining professionally, traveling
WKURXJKRXW0LQQHVRWD,RZD.DQVDV
and Oklahoma. She enrolled in business
school, launching a successful banking
career. However,
volunteer work at the
Good Shepherd home
in St. Paul, Minn., led
her to enter the Good
Shepherd sisters at
WKHDJHRI6KH
was accepted into
the novitiate in 1960,
given the name of
¸¸
5
2010
6LVWHU0DU\'RORURVDDQGPDGHӾUVW
vows in 1962. She served as a group
mother and business manager of
the institution, working in St. Paul
and in Helena, Mont., Denver, Colo.,
and Portland, Ore.
Sister Jean began the discernment
process that eventually led her to transfer
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continuing parish ministry work. After
teaching at Providence High School in
Burbank, Calif., she returned to parish
ministry and then became a consultant
for the San Gabriel Region of the Los
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Education. She was associate director for
WKHSHUPDQHQWGLDFRQDWHIRUӾYH\HDUV
took a sabbatical in north Wales, and then
began a ministry in spiritual direction
and retreat work. She also taught for
the Diocese of Orange. In October 2009
she moved to West Seattle, where she
continues doing spiritual direction. O
Jubilee
Celebration
Katherine Smith, SP
Sister Katherine Marie
B
6
orn in Portland, Ore., at St. Vincent
+RVSLWDOLQ6LVWHU.DWKHULQH6PLWK
spent 12 years in Catholic schools and,
as a high school senior, volunteered at
Our Lady of Providence Nursery (now
Providence Child Center). She entered
WKHUHOLJLRXVFRPPXQLW\LQDFODVVRI
and began the Sister Formation Program.
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WKH&KLOGUHQ·V1XUVLQJ&HQWHUDVKHU
ministry. Five years later she became the
licensed nursing home administrator and
in 1983 was asked to also serve as
RYHUDOODGPLQLVWUDWRUIRUWKHFHQWHU·V
four programs.
As a graduate
student, Sister
.DWKHULQHUHVHDUFKHG
pediatric nursing
facilities throughout
the United States
and knit together
a network of these
facilities that cared
for medically
fragile children.
She continued her education,
earning a doctoral degree. Currently,
6LVWHU.DWKHULQHLVH[HFXWLYHGLUHFWRU
of Building Bridges, a network of
approximately 125 pediatric nursing
facilities in the United States and Canada.
She is involved in advocacy, network
promotion, professional development,
research, information and referral, and
technical assistance for the organization,
which has developed model practices for
pediatric nursing facilities and organizes
national educational conferences
promoting quality care for medically
fragile children.
,QDGGLWLRQ6LVWHU.DWKHULQHKDV
been involved in organization, development and support of the religious
FRPPXQLW\·V3URYLGHQFH$VVRFLDWH
PRYHPHQWIRU\HDUVO
Pamela White, SP
Sister Andrew
S
ister Pam White was born May
10, 1931, in London, England. During
the war, she traveled to safety in
4XHEHF&DQDGDLQDERDUGVKLS
with her mother and sister. Through
the Sisters of Loretto in Toronto and
Hamilton, Ontario, she was
introduced to
Catholicism and
educated. She
met the Sisters
of Providence in
1952, when she
HQWHUHG6W3DXO·V
Hospital School
of Nursing. After
graduation in
1955, she nursed
in three smaller
Providence hospitals in
northern Alberta and Manitoba and felt
the call to enter the religious community.
Sister Pam entered the Western Canadian
novitiate in Midnapore, Alberta, in 1959
DQGPDGHӾUVWSURIHVVLRQLQ
She served at hospitals in British
Columbia before visiting Sacred Heart
Hospital, Spokane, Wash., and requesting a transfer from Holy Angels Province
to St. Ignatius Province. She lived in
community at Providence Convent on the
Sacred Heart Medical Center campus for
twenty years.
Sister Pam also has a longtime
ministry with Providence Associates. In
September 2000 Sister Pam retired from
Sacred Heart Medical Center after 28
years as media services coordinator in
the Department of Educational Services.
In that role, she was involved in creation
RIWKH.63679SURGXFWLRQRI´3URYLGHQFH
:RPHQRQWKH)URQWLHUµ6KHFXUUHQWO\
is an archive volunteer in the Public
Relations Department at Sacred Heart,
initiating a database of historical photos
and print materials. O
Mary Berenice Wilson, SP
Sister Petronilla
B
RUQLQLQ%DVVDQR
Alberta, Canada, Sister Mary Wilson
grew up in Calgary and met the Sisters
RI3URYLGHQFHZKRVWD\HGLQKHUSDUHQWV·
home while on begging tours to support
their works. As a toddler, her family moved
to Seattle. She was
hired as a diet aide at
Providence Hospital
at the age of 16,
and continued to
work there until
she entered the
community in 1955.
When her mother
became ill two
months before profession, Sister Mary
returned home to care for her while also
working at Boeing as a secretary. After her
PRWKHU·VGHDWKLQVKHUHHQWHUHGWKH
UHOLJLRXVFRPPXQLW\6LVWHU0DU\WRRNӾUVW
vows in 1962.
After a short stay in the College
of Sister Formation, Sister Mary began
ministry at Saint Peter Claver Center,
visiting people in their homes and in
nursing homes. Directed to the classroom
to teach, she spent 25 years in education,
at St. Finbar in California, Holy Family in
Seattle, Holy Rosary in Moxee City, Wash.,
-RKQ).HQQHG\+LJK6FKRRO6HDWWOH6W
/RXLVHLQ%HOOHYXH:DVKDQG6W-RVHSK·V
School and Parish in Yakima, Wash. Part
of her ministry focused on the direction
of the religious education program in two
parishes, including youth retreats.
She became activity director at the
Adult Day Health Center at Mount St.
Vincent, Seattle, and later became secretary
DQGWKHQYLFHSULQFLSDODW6W0DU\·V6FKRRO
LQ6HDWWOH·VFHQWUDODUHD2WKHUPLQLVWULHV
included principal of Assumption School,
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and personal secretary to Bishop Nicholas
Walsh. She was director of Sojourner Place,
a Seattle shelter for women in transition,
for eleven years. She also ministered to
elderly sisters at St. Joseph Residence until
her retirement. O
25 years
Sharon Anne Fitzpatrick, SP
B
orn at Sacred Heart Hospital
in Spokane, Sister Sharon Fitzpatrick
DWWHQGHG6W3DWULFN·VJUDGHVFKRRO6W
Aloysius and Holy Names Academy. She
did not think about religious life until
she was in her mid 20s, and was a precandidate for the Spokane Dominicans
for six months. A singer trained as a
mezzo soprano, she joined the Catholic
Life Singers at the age of 30. She met the
Sisters of Providence as a member of
a group for single Catholic adults, and
HQWHUHGWKHUHOLJLRXVFRPPXQLW\LQ
DWWKHDJHRI6KHPDGHӾUVWSURIHVVLRQLQ6SRNDQHLQ
Her ministries have focused
on serving the elderly,
included working for
the Area Agency on
Aging in Great Falls,
Mont., in the foster
grandparent program
and Meals on Wheels,
and for six years in
Spokane at St. Joseph
Care Center. She spent
ӾYH\HDUVDVDJHULDWULF
social worker at Providence
(OGHU3ODFHLQ3RUWODQG2UHZKLFKRӽHUV
all-inclusive care to the elderly. She also
YROXQWHHUHGDW6W$QWKRQ\·VDVVLVWHG
living and was a community life team
member at Mount St. Joseph, Spokane.
While in Great Falls, she had volunWHHUHGZLWKDGXOWVZLWK$O]KHLPHU·VDQG
dementia, work she continued with the
$O]KHLPHU·V$VVRFLDWLRQLQ6SRNDQHXQWLO
her move to Seattle earlier this year. O
ait
h
p
m
o
a
C
ssi
on F
Incoming candidate Teresa Huong Thi Nguyen (second from
left) is welcomed by (from left) Sister Josie Ramac, Provincial
Superior Karin Dufault, and Sister Joan Gallagher.
Province accepts new candidate
Teresa Huong Thi Nguyen was accepted as a candidate in the
Sisters of Providence on April 5 at St. Joseph Residence, Seattle, followed
by a reception. At her prayer service and acceptance ceremony, Huong
beamed as she received her St. Vincent de Paul medal and breviary. She
also sang a song in Vietnamese, “Khong Phai Con (It Is Not By Myself.)”
The following week she attended the formation gathering of
new members at North Lake House and then traveled to Spokane
for a simple welcoming event at Mount St. Joseph.
Huong, born in 1975, is from Thanh Hoa
province, North Vietnam, and is the fifth of
7
nine children. After high school she joined the
Congregation of the Lovers of the Holy Cross of
Thanh Hoa, then left to help her family through
difficult times. She worked as a seamstress and
florist to help put her sisters through school.
She initially met the Sisters of Providence
through talking with Sister Lang Tran, who gave
her the email address of Sister Clare Lentz and the
Sisters of Providence website address. In March
2008, Sister Clare and Sister Beverly Dunn met with
Huong and her parents when the sisters visited
Hanoi, Vietnam. After spending time studying
English, Huong was invited to the United States
for a “Come and See” experience with the Sisters of
Providence in West Seattle. She lived with Sisters
Beverly and Karen Hawkins and another precandidate, Marie-Thèrèse Gnamazo, of Cameroon.
Huong continued to study English while volunteering at Vincent
House, Elizabeth
House and
Providence Mount
St. Vincent, and
she also worked in
the food service at
Providence Mount
St. Vincent
and St. Joseph
Residence. O
Standing behind an image from
her native Vietnam, Huong
shares her thoughts with friends
gathered as Sister Joan listens.
30th anniversary
Sisters join in
El Salvador
commemoration
This banner shows Archbishop
Oscar Romero and Blessed
Emilie Gamelin, foundress of
the Sisters of Providence.
of the death of Archbishop Romero
M
other Joseph Province was well represented at events marking
the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero as he celebrated Mass in
1980. Sisters Clare Lentz, Gabrielle Nguyen, Frances Stacey and Pauline
Lemaire attended a week of theological presentations at the UniverVLW\RI&HQWUDO$PHULFD8&$3URYLQFLDO6XSHULRU.DULQ'XIDXOW3URYLQcial Councilor Maureen Newman and Providence Associate Colleen Seed
arrived in time to participate in the installation of a new pastor in a
beautiful liturgy where the bishop presided. A group also drove to Victoria,
Cabana, to join Salvadoran Christian Based Communities as they honored
5RPHURDQGKLVVSLULWE\SURWHVWLQJDWWKH3DFLӾF5LP0LQLQJ&RPSDQ\
The visitors from Mother Joseph Province also saw all of the holy sites
related to Archbishop Romero and other martyrs, including Jesuits,
FDWHFKLVWVDQG1RUWK$PHULFDQZRPHQ´,WZDVYHU\LQVSLULQJµWKH\ZURWH
8
Women from Mother
Joseph Province who
participated in the 30th
anniversary of the death of
Archbishop Oscar Romero
included (from left) Sister
Pauline Lemaire, Provincial
Superior Karin Dufault,
Providence Associate
Colleen Seed, Provincial
Councilor Maureen
Newman, Sister Gabrielle
Nguyen and Sister Fran
Stacey. Seated in front of
them is Monsignor Bishop
Cabera, who welcomed the
Sisters of Providence to El
Salvador 15 years ago.