Goodbye is a difficult word to say.
Associates, patients, families and Daughters of Charity at six of the Health Ministries of Ascension are learning just how difficult.
Following discernment by the Daughters of Charity, Province of St. Louise, based on a study of its mission and ministries, the Daughters made a decision to relocate from nine communities. Daughters of the Province will continue to serve in 18 US states, the District of Columbia, Montreal, Quebec, Canada and in foreign missions on every continent except Antarctica.
Six ministries of Ascension will be affected:
- St. Vincent’s Health System, Birmingham, Ala.
- St. Vincent’s Health Services, Bridgeport, Conn.
- St. Vincent’s HealthCare, Jacksonville, Fla.
- St.Vincent Health, Indianapolis, Ind.
- Saint Thomas Health, Nashville, Tenn.
- Seton Healthcare Family, Austin, Texas
The Daughters have absolute confidence that the works of the Church, some of which the Daughters began in these areas more than 100 years ago, will continue. “Entrusting these ministries to others give us the opportunity to place our Sisters where there is great need, as well as provide sufficient numbers for our life together in each local community,” explained Sister Louise Gallahue, DC, Provincial of the Province of St. Louise. The withdrawals and partial withdrawals will, in the next year, “free up” nearly 60 Daughters of the Province who will be missioned to these areas.
“From the beginning of Ascension, the powerful and far-reaching Vision statement of the founding Sponsors named the importance of lay leaders for the continued vitality of Ascension as a ministry of the Church. They clearly called us to expand the roles of laity in both leadership and sponsorship,” said Sr. Maureen McGuire, DC, Ascension’s Executive Vice President, Mission Integration. “ That vision is evident in many ways, for example as there are lay members of our Ascension Sponsor, and also in the continued expansion of unified formation and development initiatives supporting our lay leaders in their competencies and their commitment to Ascension as the continuation of God's healing ministry with special focus on persons in poverty."
The Health Ministries saying goodbye to the Daughters have recognized and celebrated the guidance and support these women have provided. Special events and celebrations already have been held at many of the Health Ministries.
Saint Thomas Health in Nashville held a special Mass for the Daughters. “It is hard to think about them not physically being present with us,” said Greg Pope, Chief Mission Officer for Saint Thomas Health. But, he added, “the Mission here will continue to thrive, and flourish and be part of who they are: their charism and their care for the poor.”
When the Daughters of Charity depart St. Vincent’s Health Services in Bridgeport, Conn., in June, it will be the end of 110 years of service there. In recognition, the system held a two-day celebration on May 18 and 19 for the staff and community, called “Passing the Flame: A Homecoming and Leavetaking.” Earlier this year the Daughters were nominated by St. Vincent’s for a Red Cross Heroes Award, which they received.
“For more than one hundred years, the Daughters of Charity have cared for generations through their leadership and dedicated work at St. Vincent’s Medical Center,” said Stuart Marcus, MD, President and CEO of the system. “Despite the fact that they will no longer be here in physical presence as they are yet again heeding the call to a new, more urgent mission, their mission and legacy still inspire us every day to offer safe and compassionate care for all with special concern for the most poor and vulnerable.”
At Seton Healthcare Family, 94-year old Sr. Gertrude Levy, a Daughter of Charity since 1936, has served in Austin for the last 40 years. She, along with the other Daughters who are moving to new locations, recently was featured in an article by the Diocese of Austin.
“I watched my grandfather visit patients in the hospital. He loved the poor,” she recalled. In her new assignment, she carries on this family tradition, volunteering at St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville, Ind.
In Jacksonville, Fla., the five Daughters of Charity who currently serve at St. Vincent’s are leaving a 98-year legacy in the community. Moody Chisholm, St. Vincent’s CEO, noted in a recent article in the Florida Times-Union that the Sisters will be missed. “When the sisters come into the room, people recognize them. It creates a level of comfort, not just spiritual comfort but real physical and mental comfort,” he said.
The Daughters of Charity, Province of St. Louise – one of Ascension’s founding sponsors – will continue to serve in some other Ascension healthcare ministries, as will members of Ascension’s other historical sponsors: the Congregation of St. Joseph, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the Congregation of the Alexian Brothers, and the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.
