In celebrating 50 years of religious life as a Sister of Providence, Sr. Patricia Glen revels in the beauty and the joy of her experience.
Born in Tacoma, Sr. Patricia was the 7th of 19 children — including a twin brother, Richard. She first entered the community at the age of 23, already familiar with what it feels like to belong to a loving community.
“They are life-giving. I just can’t tell you how life-giving they are. I’m very grateful.”
The first in a line of prolific ministry experiences for Sr. Patricia came in central supply at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Yakima. After a two-year stint as a student at North Seattle Community College, she entered the world of parish ministry at St. Brendan Parish in Bothell, before transitioning back to student life at Gonzaga University in the early 1980s.
Sr. Patricia then returned to the Puget Sound region and took up youth ministry — first at St. Michael Parish in Olympia and then as the Youth Religious Education Director at St. Luke Parish in Shoreline.
Beginning in 1989, Sr. Patricia pursued service in the Sisters’ health care ministry. She first interned in pastoral care at Providence Portland Medical Center, and then stepped into the challenging, hands-on ministry of chaplaincy across town at St. Vincent Hospital and Medical Center in Portland.
The beckoning of the 90s brought a new ministry opportunity for Sr. Patricia, who returned to Yakima and St. Elizabeth to become the medical center’s Director of Pastoral Care.
In 1990, Sr. Patricia came to Seattle to minister to her community at St. Joseph Residence, as a staff assistant. She also served as Mission Integration Director at Providence Mount. St. Vincent, beginning in 2000.
Sr. Patricia has also held several leadership positions in support of her local communities. She says she’s deeply enjoyed witnessing the community evolve and gain new members from all over the world throughout the past five decades.
“My ministry is really of serving God — and it always has been. It comes very naturally to me.”
