Mercy Hospital

Description

Mission Statement and Core Values
Our Mission
The Sisters of Providence Health System a member of Catholic Health East is a community of persons committed to being a transforming healing presence within the communities that we serve

We believe in the sacredness of human life in the innate dignity of each person and that it is in relationship with one another that all persons realize their fullest potentialIn our service we are sustained by an unwavering trust in Gods Providence

To effect this mission
We treat all persons whom we serve and with whom we work with respect and
compassion calling forth their best human potential

We collaborate with others to provide services that support healthy
communities including quality care and holistic approaches to healing body
mind and spirit

We identify and develop leaders in Catholic health ministry

We continually seek ways to assure access to services to persons most in need

We advocate public policies and initiatives particularly those in the area
of health care that ensure quality of life for all

Core Values
Reverence for each person
We believe that each person is a manifestation of the sacredness of human life

Community
We demonstrate our connectedness to each other through inclusive and compassionate relationships

Justice
We advocate for a society in which all can realize their full potential and achieve the common good

Commitment to those who are poor
We give priority to those whom society ignores

Stewardship
We care for and strengthen the ministry and all resources entrusted to us

Courage
We dare to take the risks our faith demands of us

Integrity
We keep our word and are faithful to whom we say we are

History

Our History
Todays Sisters of Providence originated from another community of religious women the Sisters of Providence of St Vincent de Paul in Kingston Ontario Canada

Two Sisters from the Canadian community approached Reverend Patrick J Harkins pastor of Holyokes St Jeromes Church in September 1873 asking permission to solicit funds from his parishioners Granting their request he in turn asked the Sisters to petition their superiors to send others from their community to establish a Holyoke mission He wanted the new mission to address the needs of the hundreds of poor Irish and Scottish immigrants and mill workers living in Holyoke

On November 7 1873 four Sisters arrived to establish the Holyoke mission Within a week they accepted the first orphan to their House of Providence and it was not long before city officials were sending the needy and infirm to them for care and shelter

Over the next 15 years the Sisters of Providence under the leadership of Mother Mary of Providence established 20 works of charity By her death in 1943 the Sisters had made sharp inroads in meeting the social needs of Western and Central Massachusetts Their ministries included several hospitals and nursing schools an orphanage nursing homes a residence for working girls and a home for unwed mothers Many other Sisters of Providencesponsored social services also aided the poor and needy

In the 1950s the need to rebuild many of the institutions operated by the Sisters was a major concern Some buildings were more than 50 years old while others needed to be expanded or modernized During these same years the community took steps to provide the advanced education the Sisters needed in order to assume significant roles within these modernized sophisticated health and human service agencies

In 1956 the Sisters expanded their mission by responding to a request from Bishop Joseph Waters who invited them to open a small rural hospital in Murphy North Carolina Ten years later they answered a second call to serve in the South this time by assuming management of St Joseph of the Pines Hospital in Southern Pines North Carolina


In the 1960s the Congregation responded to the Second Vatican Councils call for renewal of religious life There was a readiness among the Sisters to let go of the stability of an ordered way of life and to attend to the changing needs of people in contemporary society Gradually they adapted traditional ministries and embraced new works They also modified their lifestyles to meet the demands of the times

Throughout the 1970s the Sisters reflected upon and reevaluated their sense of identity as religious women and as a community They also worked to revitalize and to articulate their new understanding of the founding charism and mission

By 1980 global issues such as hunger poverty discrimination pollution and the potential for nuclear holocaust prompted the Sisters to focus on issues of social justice and to discern how their charism and call to reveal the mystery of Providence could affect the modern world Over a period of three years they drafted their present Constitution which articulates the communitys renewed sense of charism and mission to communicate hope to those in need through ministries of healing

In 1981 the Sisters decided on a corporate restructuring of their sponsored institutions through full collaboration with the laity At the same time their lay Associate Program began to grow

In 1992 the Sisters celebrated their 100th anniversary as an independent diocesan community

Today they sponsor the Sisters of Providence Health System with health care facilities in Western Massachusetts Providence Ministries for the Needy in Holyoke and Genesis Spiritual Life Center in Westfield Drawing on their rich heritage of compassionate concern for the poor and an undaunted trust in Providence they stand at the dawn of the new millennium rooted in the past and open to the future