The Sons of Divine Providence

Molsey Venture
In 2000 the Molesey Venture building was converted into: living accommodation on the first floor and kitchen and recreational facilities for the Horticultural Centre on the ground floor. The chapel was converted into a staff room.

Orione House
In 2001 work was commenced on the ground floor extension to Orione House.

Investors in People
During the years 2000/2003 a commitment was made to provide vocational training for staff engaged in the Care Homes in order to meet the new minimum standards required by the National Care Standards Commission and in pursuit of the quality standard “Investors in People”. As a result, the numbers of staff holding the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) steadily increased. A measure of the success of the training programme was confirmed when the Sons of Divine Providence were awarded the quality standard “Investors in People” in 2005.

New Constitution
When the English Province of the Sons of Divine Providence was set up in 1952, it was set up as an unincorporated Charitable Trust registered with the Charity Commission. On the 1st of April 2002 the organisation became a Limited Company also called the Sons of Divine Providence.

Fatima House II
Fatima House II was closed in December 2002 because it did not meet the new higher standards required in the Care Standards Act of 2000

Southwell House
In September 2002 the care of the residents at Southwell House in Walsingham was handed over to Walsingham Community Homes.

Official approval of miracle attributed to Don Orione
The Decree formally recognizing the miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Luigi Orione was published on 7th July 2003 in Rome in the presence of Pope John Paul II.

Canonisation of Luigi Orione
Luigi Orione was canonised in St Peter's Square by Pope John Paul II on Sunday May 16th 2004 in the presence of thousands of pilgrims including 63 from Britain and Ireland.

Formation of the English Speaking Delegation
In August 2006 the English speaking Regions of the Sons of Divine Providence were reconstituted into a new Delegation called and dedicatied to Mary Mother of the Church. The new Delegation comprises the British, Irish, USA and Philippines together with the overseas missions administerd by the old English Region.

Father Joseph Tirello
On 19th July 2007 Father Joseph Tirello celebrated the 60th anniversary of his ordination. As a young student he met St Luigi Orione. He has spent most of his life as a priest with the English Delegation and assisted Father Paul Bidone in the early days.

Statue of St. Luigi Orione in the Vatican
On 25 June 2008, Pope Benedict XVI unveiled and blessed a statue of St. Luigi Orione, sculptured from white Carrara marble by Alessandro Romano. The statue, standing in one of the Michaelangelo niches of St. Peter’s basilica in the Vatican, portrays Don Orione’s active life. He holds a bible in his right hand with the phrase “ONLY CHARITY WILL SAVE THE WORLD”. With his left hand Don Orione embraces a boy he has rescued from an earthquake. The embrace is paternal, kind and comforting. The boy is promised bread and the Word of God for the future.

Orione Care
Towards the end of 2008 we undertook a re-branding exercise to decide on a new name for the charity. The charity and the religious congregation have shared the name “The Sons of Divine Providence” for over 50 years but having the same name for both entities has sometimes caused confusion, and “The Sons of Divine Providence” does not easily convey to the public the nature of the work carried out by the charity. We therefore took the step of adopting Orione Care as a working name for the charity with effect from the 1st of April 2009. The link with the religious congregation is retained by the use of the Founder’s name and his motto “Do good to all, do good always, harm no one”, which continues to be the guiding principle of the charity.

Colombo House
After standing empty for nine years the refurbished Colombo House was completed on 14th September 2009. We now have six self-contained flats on the two upper floors, and a care home for six people on the ground floor. The care home is called St. John’s because it is the successor to the St. John’s at 7 Ferry Road. We have also enjoyed the benefit of working on the project with other agencies, notably Walsingham and the London Borough of Richmond, and this has helped to raise the profile of Orione Care as a provider of good quality housing and care services for people with learning disabilities.