People caring fort people

09 December 2017

 

For the Sisters ans personnel of Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, the 26th of May, 1991, marked the celebration of two significant milestones – the 70th anniversary of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception and the 45th anniversary of Mount Saint Joseph Hospital.

It was a special day to celebrate and to thank all who collaborated with the Sisters in their mission and allowed Mount Saint Joseph Hospital to be a community of service, healing and caring. The Executive Director, Sr. Louise Denis, m.i.c., sums up the reasons for this double event: Mount Saint Joseph Hospital has a history, a tradition, a mission to celebrate!
 

By Louise Denis, m.i.c.

 

A humble beginning

 

In May 1921, four MIC Sisters, responding to an urgent request from Archbishop Timothy Casey, arrived in Vancouver with the mandate of establishing a mission and ministering to the neeeds of the oriental population, especially the city’s Chinese immigrants.

The Sisters opened the doors of their modest Keefer Street home to provide health and education services. Home visits soon convinced them that a shelter for these people was badly needed. A 4-bed infirmary was set up in their residence. The house of Keefer Street became a refuge for the sick and poor immigrants. With language and cultural barriers to overcome, and limited financial resources, it was a difficult beginning […]

(MIC Mission News, Volume XVIII, November-December 1991, p. 06)