October 7, 2001 will forever stand out as a day to remember for Sisters of Providence and many who are close to the community. It was on this day that the congregation’s foundress, Mother Émilie Tavernier Gamelin, was Beatified at the Vatican.
Hundreds of Providence pilgrims, including Sisters of Providence, Providence Associates, and family and friends, traveled to Rome for the momentous occasion.
Relive the Beatification, and how it was celebrated at the Vatican and throughout the world, in this slideshow of archived photos courtesy of Providence Archives:
Portraits of those being Beatified, including Blessed Émilie Gamelin, second from right, at the Beatification Mass at the Vatican (October 7, 2001). Sr. Felma Cerezo, SP, (left) at the Vatican. Sisters Josie Ramac, SP (left), and Marie-Claire Soucy (who passed in 2022) at the Vatican. Sr. Carolyn Koreski, SP, is received by Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square at the Beatification of Blessed Émilie Gamelin. Assisting Sr. Carolyn (who passed in 2010) with her wheelchair is Hank Walker, former president/CEO of Providence Health System. Sisters of Providence attend a Mass in honor of the Beatification of Emilie Gamelin at Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy (October 10, 2001). A Beatification Mass for Mother Émilie Gamelin in Montreal, Quebec. Portrait of Blessed Émilie Gamelin at the Beatification Mass (October 7, 2001).
The Winter 2001 Caritas is also a rich resource detailing the journey of the Providence pilgrims to the Vatican. The magazine covered the Beatification through the words of the late Sr. Barbara Schamber, SP, through her daily e-mailed missives she sent back to Sisters who were unable to make the trip to Europe.
View the magazine below: