In recognition of National Volunteer Month, Holy Cross Health in Fort Lauderdale celebrated 97-year-old Carmel Provencal, who has been volunteering for the hospital since 1959, when the Sisters of Mercy first arrived from Pittsburgh.
The sisters arrived in the summer wearing black wool habits. Provencal immediately told them that she was a seamstress and would make them habits suitable for Florida, so she made them white cotton habits. In her 65 years of service at Holy Cross, the former home economics teacher has logged 45,360 volunteer hours. Provencal also fashioned quilts for palliative care patients, knit caps and blankets for babies and crafted bags that attached to walkers. Even today, she still sews.
“Carmel embodies the core values of Holy Cross,” said Mark Doyle, President and CEO of Holy Cross Health, who presented Provencal with a plaque, flowers and a superheroes t-shirt inscribed with the words ‘The Remarkables.’ “She is an integral part of Holy Cross and a true treasure to us. Over the years, she has touched the lives of so many here at Holy Cross and in our community.”
(L to R) Mission Leader at Holy Cross Health Mary Carter Waren, D.Min.; Holy Cross Health 65-year volunteer Carmel Provencal; President and CEO of Holy Cross Health Mark Doyle; Volunteer Services Manager Chrissy Turner
Sisters of Mercy who arrived in 1959 in black wool habits
Sisters in the new white cotton habits sewn by volunteer Carmel Provencal
Members of the Holy Cross Health leadership team celebrated Provencal for her dedication to the hospital’s mission. Provencal also supports the hospital as a member of Holy Cross Health’s Philanthropy Circle.
“Everybody at Holy Cross was always so good to me,” Provencal said. “If they want me to come back as a volunteer, I’d gladly say yes.”
ABOUT HOLY CROSS HEALTH
A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, non-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross has been recognized for six Types of Care in U.S. News and World Report’s 2023-24 Best Hospital rankings and was named among the 2024 America’s Best-In-State Hospitals by Newsweek. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transforming, healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as our community’s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also encompasses Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility, urgent care centers and more than 40 Holy Cross Medical Group physician practices. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit holy-cross.com. Connect @holycrossfl.
