Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Sisters of Charity celebrate 150 years

By Keith Miles

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Sisters of Charity celebrate 150 years

To celebrate, St. Francis held a Mass and a luncheon this afternoon.

St. Francis Health Center celebrated a milestone today.

The Sisters of Charity, who founded St. Francis, have been around for 150 years.

To celebrate, St. Francis held a Mass and a luncheon this afternoon.

St. Francis began after a band of sisters came to Leavenworth to help those in need in 1858.

In 1908, the sisters were given a donation to build a 40 bed hospital. Today the hospital has expanded to 378 beds.

They say one of the biggest challenges is the high cost of health care

"I think if the spirit is there and the need is there and it's obvious, and one of the characteristics of our community has been a response to need, that's how we got into not only health care, but education and the other services, the clinics like Marion Clinic here in Topeka. So we find a way to try and reach everybody, not just those who can afford," chairman Sister Sue Miller.

Members of St. Francis also worked together to make a quilt

Each department worked on one square of the quilt.

The quilt will be on display at the hospital and be taken around to special events in the city.

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