Pioneer Connections Fall 2012.pdf - Providence High School

PHS Faculty Member Puts Her
“Faith in Practice” During Mission Trip
PHS faculty member and alumna, Ms. Michelle
Boucher ‘95 traveled to Reu, Guatemala with
members of the Providence Health Ministries,
including surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists,
to document a week-long medical mission from
September 28-October 6, 2012. The purpose of the
mission was to perform general surgeries for people in
the surrounding area who likely wouldn’t be able to
afford these procedures.
“I was fortunate enough to serve as the team’s
photojournalist as part of a group of very talented
individuals from the Providence community,” remarked
Ms. Boucher.
Established in 1994 as a non-profit organization, the
mission of Faith In Practice is to improve the physical,
spiritual, and economic conditions of the poor in
Guatemala through short-term surgical, medical and
dental mission trips and health-related educational
programs.
“I was actually called into surgery to take pictures
of a patient’s liver in order to show the family why
the doctors were not able to perform a gallbladder
surgery,” recalled Boucher. “That was unique because
the machinery they had at the hospital was not able to
capture images for the patient’s records. Seeing how
resourceful the medical staff had to be in working with
such different conditions than we see in the States was
an eye-opening experience.”
PHS Alumnae Celebrate Jubilee
On September 15, 2012, PHS alumnae from the
class of 1961, Sr. Barbara Schamber, SP, and Sr.
Mary Alice Miller, SP were among the women being
honored as they celebrated 50 years of service as Sisters
of Providence.
Family and friends came from across the globe including
Southern California to witness the festivities. Mr.
Joe Sciuto, Mrs. Judy Egan Umeck ’75, and Ms. Linda
Wyatt, members of the high school community, were
honored to attend.
Mr. Sciuto commented on the richness of diversity
in the Mass celebration: “It magnifies the global
presence the Sisters of Providence have spanning four
continents.”
We are honored to be a part of their minstry!
Sisters of Providence and PHS alumnae: Sr.
Mary Alice Miller ‘61, Sr. Patricia Vartanian
‘60, and Sr. Barbara Schamber ‘61
Ms. Boucher did a wonderful job documenting the trip
with photographs and daily blog entries. For more
information about Faith in Practice, and to read Ms.
Boucher’s blog and view all the photos, please visit
www.faithinpractice.org/blogs-and-media/340.
Michelle Boucher, front and center wearing a
green PHS t-shirt, and the rest of the
Faith in Practice team.
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Sr. Mary Hawkins, SP, former PHS Vice Principal;
Sr. Kathryn Kurtz, former PHS Principal; Mrs.
Judy Egan Umeck ‘75, and Sr. Lucille Dean, SP,
former PHS Principal were among the attendees.
Fall 2012