Celebrating 125 Years of Service in 2025
February 26, 2025
The new year brings a significant milestone for one of Northeast Wisconsin’s longest serving hospitals: HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center is honored to mark 125 years of service in 2025.
"For 125 years, our hospital has been more than a place of healing – it has been a cornerstone of this community,” said Robert Erickson, HSHS Wisconsin Market President and CEO. “We are proud of our impact and deeply grateful for the trust so many have placed in us over the years for their health and wellbeing. Generations of families have found comfort in our care, and dedicated their careers to providing high-quality, compassionate care at St. Mary’s.”
The history of HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center begins in 1900, when Green Bay Bishop Sebastian Messmer identified a need for the care of unwed mothers and their babies in the community. On Oct. 10, 1900, five members of the Sisters of Misericorde arrived to Green Bay upon the invitation of the Bishop and established a home for that very purpose. As care needs for the community evolved, the Sisters partnered with medical, community and religious leaders to establish a general hospital. The first St. Mary’s Hospital opened on the city’s east side in 1903.
“The service provided by St. Mary’s was in response to the needs of the community from the very beginning, and we are honored to continue that legacy today of growing and evolving,” said Erickson.
The Sisters of Misericorde transferred sponsorship of St. Mary’s Hospital to the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in 1974, making it today a part of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) based in Springfield, Illinois. It is affiliated with nine HSHS hospitals in Illinois and four HSHS hospitals in Wisconsin including HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay (founded by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis as Green Bay’s first hospital in 1888); HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan (founded by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in 1890); and HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls (a part of HSHS since 2014).
“We stand proudly on the shoulders of the incredible women who paved the way for St. Mary’s – the Sisters of Misericorde and the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis,” said Erickson. “Their mission to provide compassionate care to all – body, mind and spirit – now rests in our hands.”
Today, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center is a nationally accredited hospital recognized for its comprehensive health care offerings, accessibility, compassionate and mission-based approach to care, and commitment to community. It is a trusted source for emergency, surgical, critical, heart and vascular, and advanced orthopedic care, therapy, rehabilitation and more. A comprehensive cancer center on the hospital campus offers screening, testing, diagnosis, and treatment in partnership with HSHS St. Vincent Hospital Cancer Centers and Green Bay Oncology; provides patients access to leading-edge cancer clinical trials; and has helped to shape the future of cancer care with its participation in National Cancer Institute clinical trials.
The location of the hospital at 1726 Shawano Avenue is as vital as the health care services it provides. Its transition from the east side of Green Bay to the west side in 1960 was a pivotal moment in the hospital’s history, ensuring greater community access to care.
“HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center remains the only hospital available on the Green Bay’s west side, ensuring emergency care is readily available when time is of the essence,” said Leah Bergstrom, Chief Administrative Officer at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center. “Its proximity to Interstate 41, which connects communities across Northeast Wisconsin, also provides patients greater access to care.”
All HSHS hospitals in Wisconsin, including St. Mary’s, are partnered with Prevea Health to provide a system of coordinated care across Northeast Wisconsin. In recent years, the Prevea St. Mary’s Health Center and Prevea Surgery Center were added near the campus of HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center along Shawano Avenue, creating a robust medical corridor just off Interstate 41 and enhancing access to primary, specialty, ambulatory surgical, and hospital care on Green Bay’s west side.
Throughout this milestone year, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center invites community members, as well as patients, colleagues, and medical staff – past and present – to share their stories and memories of the hospital throughout the years. A site has been established for story submissions at: https://stmarysgb.org/anniversary
Photos, stories and an historical timeline of the hospital will also be added to the site throughout the milestone year.
“We embark on this anniversary year with a sense of deep gratitude for the trust and support we receive each day from our patients and community, and for the Sisters, colleagues, medical staff, volunteers, board members, donors and partners – past, present and future – who make our service to this community possible,” said Erickson. “The future for HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center is bright as we look for ways to continue meeting the needs of our patients and community in today’s modern health care landscape while also honoring the mission and legacy of our cherished founding Sisters.”
The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis also mark a significant milestone this year: the 150th anniversary of their arrival to the United States from Germany to establish their first hospitals, which today are a part of HSHS serving communities in Southern and Central Illinois and Eastern Wisconsin.
"For 125 years, our hospital has been more than a place of healing – it has been a cornerstone of this community,” said Robert Erickson, HSHS Wisconsin Market President and CEO. “We are proud of our impact and deeply grateful for the trust so many have placed in us over the years for their health and wellbeing. Generations of families have found comfort in our care, and dedicated their careers to providing high-quality, compassionate care at St. Mary’s.”
The history of HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center begins in 1900, when Green Bay Bishop Sebastian Messmer identified a need for the care of unwed mothers and their babies in the community. On Oct. 10, 1900, five members of the Sisters of Misericorde arrived to Green Bay upon the invitation of the Bishop and established a home for that very purpose. As care needs for the community evolved, the Sisters partnered with medical, community and religious leaders to establish a general hospital. The first St. Mary’s Hospital opened on the city’s east side in 1903.
“The service provided by St. Mary’s was in response to the needs of the community from the very beginning, and we are honored to continue that legacy today of growing and evolving,” said Erickson.
The Sisters of Misericorde transferred sponsorship of St. Mary’s Hospital to the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in 1974, making it today a part of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) based in Springfield, Illinois. It is affiliated with nine HSHS hospitals in Illinois and four HSHS hospitals in Wisconsin including HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay (founded by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis as Green Bay’s first hospital in 1888); HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan (founded by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in 1890); and HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls (a part of HSHS since 2014).
“We stand proudly on the shoulders of the incredible women who paved the way for St. Mary’s – the Sisters of Misericorde and the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis,” said Erickson. “Their mission to provide compassionate care to all – body, mind and spirit – now rests in our hands.”
Today, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center is a nationally accredited hospital recognized for its comprehensive health care offerings, accessibility, compassionate and mission-based approach to care, and commitment to community. It is a trusted source for emergency, surgical, critical, heart and vascular, and advanced orthopedic care, therapy, rehabilitation and more. A comprehensive cancer center on the hospital campus offers screening, testing, diagnosis, and treatment in partnership with HSHS St. Vincent Hospital Cancer Centers and Green Bay Oncology; provides patients access to leading-edge cancer clinical trials; and has helped to shape the future of cancer care with its participation in National Cancer Institute clinical trials.
The location of the hospital at 1726 Shawano Avenue is as vital as the health care services it provides. Its transition from the east side of Green Bay to the west side in 1960 was a pivotal moment in the hospital’s history, ensuring greater community access to care.
“HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center remains the only hospital available on the Green Bay’s west side, ensuring emergency care is readily available when time is of the essence,” said Leah Bergstrom, Chief Administrative Officer at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center. “Its proximity to Interstate 41, which connects communities across Northeast Wisconsin, also provides patients greater access to care.”
All HSHS hospitals in Wisconsin, including St. Mary’s, are partnered with Prevea Health to provide a system of coordinated care across Northeast Wisconsin. In recent years, the Prevea St. Mary’s Health Center and Prevea Surgery Center were added near the campus of HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center along Shawano Avenue, creating a robust medical corridor just off Interstate 41 and enhancing access to primary, specialty, ambulatory surgical, and hospital care on Green Bay’s west side.
Throughout this milestone year, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center invites community members, as well as patients, colleagues, and medical staff – past and present – to share their stories and memories of the hospital throughout the years. A site has been established for story submissions at: https://stmarysgb.org/anniversary
Photos, stories and an historical timeline of the hospital will also be added to the site throughout the milestone year.
“We embark on this anniversary year with a sense of deep gratitude for the trust and support we receive each day from our patients and community, and for the Sisters, colleagues, medical staff, volunteers, board members, donors and partners – past, present and future – who make our service to this community possible,” said Erickson. “The future for HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center is bright as we look for ways to continue meeting the needs of our patients and community in today’s modern health care landscape while also honoring the mission and legacy of our cherished founding Sisters.”
The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis also mark a significant milestone this year: the 150th anniversary of their arrival to the United States from Germany to establish their first hospitals, which today are a part of HSHS serving communities in Southern and Central Illinois and Eastern Wisconsin.
Media Contact
Angela Deja
Director, Public Relations and Communications