WORTH REPEATING:
RECOGNITION ALSO EXTENDS TO THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH…
The naming of the WVU Health System’s northern regional cancer center in honor of St. Joseph – ST. JOSEPH CANCER CENTER – is a profound tribute not only to the Catholic heritage of Wheeling Hospital, which is 175 years strong, but also to the lasting legacy and resolve of the Sisters of St. Joseph Congregation.
Their faithful dedication and compassionate care have been the foundation of the hospital’s strength, without which it would not stand as firmly as it does today.
Bishop Mark Brennan spoke the partnership of the WVU Medicine leadership, the Sisters of St. Joseph, and the diocese that has been and will continue to be a true lifeline in good health care for generations of people who call this Ohio Valley home.
Director of Pastoral Care Sister Mary Ann Rosenbaum, CSJ, preceded the announcement with prayer. Standing before the crowd of hospital, diocesan, and community members, Sister was a proud and humble representative of the first six religious sisters – Sisters Anastasia O’Brien, Alexis Spellicy, Sebastian Reis, Agatha Guthrie, Mary Agnes Spencer, and Ligouri Leigh –
who in 1853 came to Wheeling from the Sisters of St. Joseph Congregation of St. Louis,
to run the hospital, care for the patients, and also provide for and teach orphans.
In 1850, Wheeling Hospital was the only hospital along the Ohio River between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
This latest move forward placed health care in West Virginia under the protection of St. Joseph – there is no better protector than the Terror of Demons, to guide workers, inspire great wisdom, and protect patients and families.
