On a hot, sunny afternoon, colleagues from Mercy Medical Center and Brightside for Families and Children gathered near Mercy’s Peace Pole for a special blessing ceremony. The event was a highlight of Heritage Week, an annual celebration that honors the Sisters of Providence congregation for establishing the health ministry.
Michael Rogers, Mission Integration Consultant, blesses the Brightside Bell.
In 1873, four Sisters of Providence left Ontario, Canada and came to western Massachusetts, where they established the House of Providence in Holyoke to care for orphans, the needy, and the infirm. As the need for their services continued to grow, they established Brightside for Families and Children as an orphanage in 1881. However, as the needs of the local community have changed over the years, Brightside has successfully adapted by restructuring its programs and services to meet those changing needs.
Records indicate that the bell was donated in memory of a longtime benefactor and supporter of Brightside who passed away in 2004. At the time of the donation, Brightside had a school for children in its residential program. When Brightside moved to the campus of the former Providence Hospital, the bell came along and was installed outside the building. Now that Brightside is on the Mercy campus, the Brightside Bell is a tangible reminder of the legacy of the Sisters of Providence and the continuation of their first ministry – Brightside for Families and Children.