O'FALLON, Ill. — Almost exactly 150 years after the first Hospital Sisters of St. Francis arrived in Illinois from Germany to start what became Hospital Sisters Health System, a group of more than 30 members of the congregation gathered here from nearby and around the world to celebrate — and cheerlead.
"Thank you for all you do," said Sr. Ann Pitsenberger as she toured the women and infants center at HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital on Nov. 7 with two sisters from Japan and a fourth from Germany. "We appreciate all of you carrying on what we began."
The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis' visit culminated a year of celebrations for Hospital Sisters Health System, which has 13 hospitals and more than 130 health centers and clinics throughout Illinois and Wisconsin.
In early November, 16 sisters arrived in Springfield, Illinois, the congregation's base in the United States, from Germany, Japan, Poland and India — the other nations where the congregation has provinces — to celebrate with their counterparts in America.
The visit marked the 150th anniversary of the congregation in America and of the original four hospitals, all in Illinois, in the health system: HSHS St. Elizabeth's, HSHS St. John's Hospital in Springfield, HSHS St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield, and HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham. HSHS St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is celebrating its 125th anniversary.
In an interview prior to the sisters' visit, HSHS President and CEO Damond Boatwright said the year has been one of celebration and reflection. "I've been able to see the best of our ministry as a result of this," he said. "With the celebration, I've also seen an outpouring of gratitude to the sisters for the legacy that they are now leaving us."
A journey of faith
The sisters' story is one Boatwright gets to tell repeatedly as he and others at HSHS strive to carry on their legacy of healing.
In 1844, the congregation of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis was founded in Telgte, Germany, to care for the sick. Over time, the sisters wanted to expand their ministry. In 1875, Bishop Peter Baltes of Alton, Illinois, invited them to his diocese. That Oct. 16, 20 sisters set sail from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. During the voyage, they endured seasickness, storms and even a hurricane before arriving in New York harbor on Nov. 4. From there, they traveled two days by train to Alton and then by wagon to the cathedral, where Bishop Baltes welcomed them to America and his diocese.
The bishop told the sisters they would need to learn English. "He said we should often use the word 'alright' in all situations of life," the diary of one of the sisters says. "We should say, 'alright, alright.' Then we would accept crosses, sufferings and everything else as coming from the hand of God."
Within days, the sisters fanned out into Illinois and established hospitals, most of them in small homes. Over the ensuing years their ministries spread throughout the state and into Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, the Southwest and across the globe.
The story amazes Boatwright. He points out that the women, some in their teens, left their families to travel to a foreign land and serve others who did not speak their language. Though they were welcomed by many, others didn't embrace Catholics, he said.
"I think they made believers out of even the skeptical people at the time because of their unwavering purpose, which is to serve those who had never even heard their names.
"I think they opened up hands and opened hearts as a result," he continued. "And the community responded in kind by valuing their presence."
Community celebrations
Each HSHS hospital has marked its anniversary with a Mass celebrated by a bishop and by hosting events, such as picnics and special meals for colleagues. Other events have been unique, such as:
- In Effingham, the final in a series of mosaic panels created by Dr. Ruben Boyajian, a general surgeon, was unveiled at HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital. The final panel commemorates a fire at the hospital in 1949 that resulted in 77 deaths, including 11 infants. The sisters turned their convent into an emergency hospital until a new hospital was built. The "memorial" in the new hospital's name is in memory of the fire victims.
- In Litchfield, the Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center put up a display to feature a history of HSHS St. Francis Hospital. The hospital auxiliary also published a special edition cookbook in honor of the anniversary with more than 300 recipes from people affiliated with the hospital and system.
- In Springfield, a virtual version of a Heritage Museum at the St. Francis Convent opened in March. Visitors to the website can "tour" the rooms and displays to learn about the sisters and their ministries. One exhibit features a bronze sculpture depicting the sisters caring for Mary Todd Lincoln, the widow of President Abraham Lincoln, during the last years of her life.
- In Green Bay, colleagues at HSHS St. Mary's and St. Vincent Hospitals collected food and clothing for local organizations that help families in need, organized a community coloring contest and crafted a historical timeline of the hospital. St. Mary's was founded by the Sisters of Misericorde. The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis assumed sponsorship in 1974.
In 1886, the sisters opened the St. John's College of Nursing in Springfield, and it remains the oldest Catholic hospital-affiliated nursing program in the United States. Boatwright pointed out that the school of nursing is a solid example of continuing the legacy of the sisters, who worked as nurses. He also pointed out that Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, the global aid ministry of the sisters, makes dozens of shipments of medical supplies around the world each year.
"How do we recognize what the sisters did 150 years ago, when they came over on the boat to help us?" he said. "We're going across the ocean to help others in very similar ways."
An international celebration
The sisters' recent visit to O'Fallon was to the system's newest hospital. It opened in 2017 after moving from nearby Belleville, where it was originally in a two-room house. The visit included small group tours of the hospital, an unveiling of a statue of St. Elizabeth in the lobby, a look at renderings of a planned $116 million campus expansion, and a Mass celebrated at nearby St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church. Plans for the week included a tour of the Heritage Museum in Springfield and even a drone show at the motherhouse.
The sisters had traveled by plane and by coach — undoubtedly an easier journey than their predecessors, they said.
Sr. Maureen O'Connor, superior of the order in America, said that this year on the 6th of each month — the day of the month the 20 founding sisters arrived in Alton — the sisters are gathering to read from the founding sisters' diaries and letters.
"I think all of the sisters in America have felt a real deep connection with these women," she said.
Sr. M. Margarete Ulager, general superior of the order, said that in October, she and other sisters from Germany traveled to Rotterdam to stand at the seashore and say the founding sisters' names out loud.
She recalled the bishop's advice to them, to use the words "alright, alright," as they accepted God's challenges. She asked those in today's ministry to do the same.
"We came to honor our sisters here present, those who are now in the mystery of eternity, but also to honor all those workers, employers and those who are taking up the responsibility and carrying our legacy and heritage into the future," Sr. Ulager said. "We can't express enough how grateful we are."