1911
The health ministry of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady in Louisiana
grew out of the need for adequate health care in the early part of the
20th century. Communities felt the need and were very responsive to
religious orders that could meet this need. The first Franciscan hospital
in Louisiana, St. Francis in Monroe, was the result of such collaboration.
The Franciscan Sisters of Calais, as they were then named, responded
to the need for a hospital in Central Louisiana, sending six Franciscan
Sisters to Pineville in 1911.
When problems arose, Monsignor Ludovic Enaut in Monroe offered the Sisters
an excellent site in downtown Monroe, plus $75,000 with which to start
building. The band of six Sisters, led by Mother Marie de Bethanie Crowley,
an Irish Sister, moved to Monroe, opening St. Francis Sanitarium in
1913. The hospital had 75 beds, and served Northeast Louisiana, a largely
non-Catholic area. However, the people welcomed the Sisters as
their own, working closely with them to make St. Francis the excellent
institution that it is today, serving the health needs of the populace
in Northeast Louisiana.
1913
The original St. Francis Sanitarium opened in 1913 in Monroe, marking
the beginning of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady’s work
in health care in Louisiana. Mother Marie de Bethanie Crowley was the
leader of the Franciscans in Louisiana from 1911-1929.
1923
Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge was the second of the Franciscan
institutions to be formed. It grew out of a strong need for health care,
since the existing institution was not large enough to handle the growing
population. Mother de Bethanie again led the way.
Working with Monsignor Gassler, the Pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic
Church in Baton Rouge, and a group of business and civic leaders, Our
Lady of the Lake Sanitarium, a 100 bed facility, was opened in 1923.
Over half of the residents of Baton Rouge showed up for the dedication,
marking one of the greatest outpourings of community interest and support
in the history of the city.
1949
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Lafayette was the third of the Franciscan
hospitals to be built in Louisiana. It grew out of the need for a Catholic
health facility in this heavily Catholic area of the State. Its development
was spurred on by an automobile accident, involving the Bishop of the
Lafayette Diocese, Jules Jeanmard, and one of his diocesan priests,
Monsignor Isenberg.
They were hospitalized at Our Lady of the Lake and Monsignor Isenberg
remained in the hospital for several months. He and Mother Henrietta
Didesse, the Mother Superior and head of Our Lady of the Lake, at that
time, had discussions that led to the foundation of the third Franciscan
hospital in Louisiana, Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette. It opened in
1949. Even though the times and places were different, the three medical
centers, as they are called today, grew out of circumstances that were
much the same. First, there was a distinct need, a strong desire for
adequate health care among the populace. Second, the religious, civic
and professional leaders in the community were willing to work together
toward a goal of providing adequate health care for the community.
2002
These three medical centers, as they are called today, were organized
and operated over the years by a gallant band of 150 Franciscan Sisters
who chose to devote themselves to God in the service to the sick and
the needy. In the early years, they did it all. They administered the
hospitals and they nursed the sick in partnership with local physicians,
and worked in a joint effort with community leadership to make these
institutions very successful in meeting the health needs of the people
they served.
As time went on, especially since World War II, the needs and institutions
have grown significantly, while the number of Sisters has diminished
markedly, especially when one considers the remarkable growth in size
and diversity of the institutions from sanitariums to hospitals and
then to medical centers. As a consequence, local leaders, working in
concert with the Sisters have assumed greater responsibility in managing
and operating the institutions.
----------------------------
Want more info? Click to download these additional
documents:
- History
of FMOL {File Size = 94k}
- History
of the Sisters {File Size = 190k}
|
