PROVIDENCE, RI - The Elmwood Post Office, located at 820 Elmwood Avenue, will be dedicated to Sister Ann Keefe, S.S.J., on Sunday, July 26th at 3 p.m. at the Post Office.

The event will feature remarks from U.S. Senator Jack Reed, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman James Langevin, Congressman David Cicilline, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and the Keefe family. David Mastroianni, Jr., CT Valley District Manager for the Postal Service's CT Valley District, who oversees postal operations in RI, MA and CT, will offer welcoming remarks and Providence Postmaster Ron Pauline will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

The program will also feature an Honor Guard and Mounted Command from the Providence Police Department, musical selections from St. Michael's Community Choir, a reading of an award winning poem about Sister Ann written by Victoria Matthews which will be read by her mom Pamela and younger brother Elijah and a performance by Providence ¡City Arts! Bucket Drummers accompanied by teaching artist Mike Murdock. Reverend Daniel Sweet and Reverend Jaques Eddy Chavannes will offer the invocation and benediction.

Sister Ann was born and raised in Warren, Massachusetts. One of nine children, Ann graduated from Our Lady of the Elms College in 1976 and completed her education at Fordham University, receiving her MSW in 1982. She was a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, MA and started her ministry as a teacher and school social worker at Bishop McVinney Regional School in Providence. For more than thirty years she served as a parish minister and Team Ministry member at Saint Michael's Parish in Providence. Sister Ann's passion was for the faith community to influence and lead people without institutional church control. She believed that example, engagement, love and courage are the means to a world of justice and peace.

Ann helped found nearly two dozen organizations that continue to serve RI today, including The Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, Providence ¡City Arts! for Youth, The Good Friday Walk for Hunger and Homelessness, AIDS Care Ocean State, and The Community Boating Center. Her commitment to the community is evident through her involvement in many city and statewide committees, including as chair of the Providence Human Relations Commission and her service as a member of the Interfaith Coalition to reduce Poverty in Rhode Island.

"Sister Ann Keefe led an extraordinary life dedicated to helping others and uplifting our community. This post office, located in the heart of the neighborhood Sister Ann loved and served, will be a daily reminder of her lasting legacy as an advocate for peace, opportunity, and social justice for all," said Senator Reed.

"Sister Ann Keefe's passing was a terrible loss for Rhode Island and for all of us whose lives she touched. When Sister Ann saw injustice, she fought it. When she found someone in need, she did not rest until they had help. She was a champion of the overlooked and underappreciated, and a tireless advocate for peace," said Senator Whitehouse. "I'm glad that we can help to honor Sister Ann's memory in the heart of the city she loved and served so well. And thanks to Congressman Cicilline and Senator Reed for their leadership in this effort."

"Sister Ann Keefe had an incredible spirit. She was generous and compassionate to all she met, and fearless in her advocacy for social justice," said Congressman Langevin. "Sister Ann's legacy lives on in the lives of those she worked with and for, and this post office will be a permanent and most deserving memorial in her honor, reminding us all that kindness can and does make a difference."

"Sister Ann was a kind, caring, and generous human being who never stopped fighting for those less fortunate in our community," said Congressman Cicilline, who introduced the bill to honor Sister Ann Keefe. "I am fortunate that I had the opportunity to work with Sister Ann on several initiatives here in Providence. I am pleased that the Sister Ann Keefe Post Office will serve as a permanent reminder of the life she led and the legacy she leaves behind today."

The bill to rename the Elmwood Post Office was signed by the President and became public law 114-15 on May 22, 2015.

"We are honored to dedicate this building to Sister Ann Keefe," said USPS District Manager David Mastroianni, Jr., "she clearly left an indelible mark on this community and on all who met her."

The event is free and open to the public. In the case of rain, the event will be held on the same date and time at the Highlander Charter School, located at 891 Broad Street, Providence, RI.

Public parking is offered at the RI DMV Driving Test Site for Parking at 325 Melrose Street, Providence, RI. Please note that the entrance to the Post Office is on Cadillac Drive, just off of Elmwood Avenue.