Kathe Boucha, PA, president and executive director of the Providence Associates of Mother Joseph, provided the Sisters at the provincial chapter with an overview of the group’s status and recent activities.
She told the gathering that six Associates joined in 2022 with 10 more discerning a possible commitment. Providentially, one from Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, in Africa found the movement online and, despite living in an area where no Sisters of Providence minister, has become an Associate.
In the Mother Joseph Province, there are now nearly 250 Associates in eight regions: Washington, Montana, Georgia, Oregon, California, Alaska, Philippines and online. The regions were streamlined through an ad hoc committee study. There are now approximately 1,000 Associates around the world.
The Providence Associate movement is rooted in the charism and spirituality of the Sisters of Providence, and Associates make a formal commitment after a period of study and discernment. Many Associates take part in various forms of lay ministry, congregationally or parish sponsored, or independent of a group.
The Associates of Mother Joseph are following in the footsteps of Mother Bernarda and Mother Joseph through serving in foreign countries, developing nations and the Providence missions. Associates also serve through their employment responsibilities and their own personal missions and charisms.
At their international gathering last year, Associates from around the world examined their assumptions and vowed to continue their commitment in light of the principles emphasized by the Sisters: intergenerational, intercultural, international and interdependent.