Providence Villa Mission Statement Providence Villa is a retreat center that reflects God's Providence through a ministry of compassionate hospitality. The Center welcomes individuals and small groups of all faiths focusing on spiritual growth and human development. Providence Villa, a Catholic retreat center, founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence, provides a reflective environment conducive to spiritual pursuits.
Our HistoryBuilt in 1924 by Bell Telephone Company, the 28-room building and caretaker’s cottage, known as Fern Hill, was a place of respite and recuperation for female employees of the company. In 1944, Bell sold the property to Cyrilla J. Mansmann and M. Jean Seibert who relocated their Maxada School, a private boarding school for boys and girls age 4 to 14, to the stately building. The Diocese of Pittsburgh purchased the property in 1964. For the next 15 years, the Ladies of Bethany operated it as The Ark and The Dove, a center for renewal and ecumenism. People came for retreats, discussion groups, ministerial meetings, and inter-church gatherings.
The Diocese took over operation in 1979 and renamed it the Cardinal Wright Center. It was a place of spiritual renewal for clergy and religious in the diocese and a meeting place for vocation groups and other small groups. |
event information...
