The Feast Day of St. Francis offers another opportunity to deepen our appreciation of the 150th anniversary of our Hospital Sisters.
The service and commitment of the founding Hospital Sisters was the result of their response to the call from God to follow Christ in the footsteps of St. Francis.
These brave women dedicated themselves to care of the sick, trusting that by utilizing their gifts in the service of God and others, they would become more and more the people God created them to be.
We, too, have been called to care for the sick and, through that work, be transformed into the fullest version of ourselves - a version that can carry forth the mission of revealing and embodying Christ’s healing love into the future.
Reflection
"We now come to God’s third way of being close to us: through sharing. Places of suffering are frequently also places of sharing and mutual enrichment. How often, at the bedside of the sick, do we learn to hope! How often, by our closeness to those who suffer, do we learn to have faith! How often, when we care for those in need, do we discover love! We realize that we are “angels” of hope and messengers of God for one another, all of us together: whether patients, physicians, nurses, family members, friends, priests, men and women religious, no matter where we are, whether in the family or in clinics, nursing homes, hospitals or medical centers.”
- Pope Francis, Message on World Day of the Sick 2025
Team Discussion
- Where do you see the Franciscan tradition alive in our ministries today?
- How was being close to those who suffer enriched you?
- Consider your own vocation story. When did you recognize your call to serve in health care?
Dates to Remember
October 1 | St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center (Green Bay) Foundation Day
October 4 | Feast Day of St. Francis & the Foundation Day of St. John's Hospital School of Nursing
October 18 | Feast Day of St. Luke, patron saint of physicians/providers
October 22 | Holy Family Hospital Foundation Day
