The new governance model for the Sisters of Providence formally began on January 1, 2025. In the new configuration, there are three administrative centers – Canada, the United States and Chile. Each area has a Core Group and an Administrative Team.
“The new structure,” explains Sr. Josie Lerios, SP, “will give Sisters at the local level the ability to quickly respond to the needs of those around them and open space for collaboration and partnership with those who share in the mission of the Sisters of Providence.”
The Core Group consists of Sr. Josie, a Councilor from the Congregational Leadership Team in Montreal assigned to the United States Administrative Area, and two local leaders, Srs. Marcia Gatica, SP, and Hong Nga Nguyen, SP. The Core Group promotes the well-being of the Sisters, assists local community leaders and supports Sisters in their ministries.
Sr. Josie has been a Sister of Providence for more than 25 years. She is originally from the Philippines and was first elected to the Congregational Leadership Team in 2012 and re-elected twice since then.
Sr. Marcia is a licensed psychologist who graduated from José Simeón Cañas Jesuit University of Central America. She also earned a Master’s of Territorial Development from the same university. A native Patagonian she now ministers in El Salvador. Sr. Hong Nga is the local leader of the community at St. Joseph Residence where, as a registered nurse, she leads the team that cares for the Sisters who live there.
The Administrative Team provides support for the Sisters in their day-to-day activities.
The director of the Administrative Team is Sr. Margarita Hernandez, SP. She has been a Sister of Providence for twenty years and is a native of El Salvador. She has a bachelor’s in pastoral ministry and has ministered in several parishes. Elinor Alexander, Chief Operating Officer, holds a professional doctorate in leadership development and a master’s in education. David Neisius worked for the Providence health system for 35 years before he briefly retired and returned as the treasurer for the Sisters of Providence. He is the Chief Financial Officer. All three served on the Provincial Leadership Team from 2020 to 2024.
Sr. Josie conveys a sense of unbridled hope and optimism for the service to the poor that is central to the mission:
“We grow through encounters be they international, intercultural, intergenerational or interdependent,” she says.
“Embracing the challenges of welcoming the uniqueness of others and being enriched by them makes us better human beings. The new governance model will allow us to nurture those qualities among ourselves and spread it to the larger society.”