The Sisters' Story, Part Two: Saint Marys Hospital — Mayo Clinic, 1939 to 1980

Friday, September 28, 2007

ROCHESTER, Minn. — More than 100 years ago, the Rochester Franciscan Sisters and W.W. Mayo, M.D., joined hands to create Saint Marys Hospital. The Sisters built the building and the Mayos — father and sons — became the first staff. Since then, the Sisters have had a significant influence on medicine in this small city on the prairie. Part one of the Sisters' Story, which describes the hospital's first 50 years from 1889 to 1939, was written in 2002 by Sister Ellen Whelan, a member of the Rochester Franciscan Community. Sister Ellen has now published The Sisters' Story, Part Two, a sequel covering 1939 to 1980.

"From 1939 and onward, many changes took place that moved the hospital away from the exclusive realm of the Sisters," says Sister Ellen. "We experienced for the first time the presence on staff of laymen and laywomen when Sister Domitilla recognized their much-needed skills to support our expanding institution."

Not all the Sisters were comfortable with this change, but the hospital's administrator Sister Domitilla reminded them that approval for this change had been sought and granted by leaders in the Franciscan community and even the bishop. With her characteristic forthright approach, she told the Sisters, "It makes absolutely no difference to us if these men are Methodists or Jews or Hottentots. They were not secured to teach religion. They are experts in the things we want done and that is all that matters."

Ironically, one of the laymen, an accounting consultant, was the first to insist that the Sisters be paid for their work at the hospital, something never before considered. Their salaries went to the motherhouse to support the extensive work of the congregation, which included Saint Marys Hospital.

The author makes clear from that point on, women and men outside Catholic religious orders were brought in to support the mission of the hospital. This partnership has flourished because the values of the Sisters provided the cultural backbone of the institution, and the laity has embraced and practiced those values as well.

"We have never moved away from the spiritual values that led us to build the hospital in the first place," says Sister Ellen, "and it is a joy today to see how clearly those values infuse everything that everyone does."

The author traces the growth of Saint Marys Hospital and Mayo Clinic in the middle years of the 20th century, a time of significant change in health care. She relays the story of the first delivery of penicillin on April 28, 1944 — an exciting event for those present as Saint Marys was one of the first civilian hospitals to receive the drug as World War II moved toward its conclusion in 1945.

In a readable style, Sister Ellen provides a clear and well-documented history not only of Saint Marys Hospital but also of the many physicians, nurses, administrators and others involved in keeping a large and growing institution focused on the care of patients. Mayo Clinic and Saint Marys Hospital were joined from the beginning by a common set of values, and those values have been the binding agent for the two organizations ever since. A handshake, not a legal document, sealed this partnership. That trust and respect is clearly evident in this history.

During and following the war, there were many building projects, most of them adding wings to the original building. Oftentimes the source of money for those projects was uncertain, but these were women of faith who firmly believed in the admonition of Mother Alfred, the founder of the Rochester Franciscan community, who said, "Obstacles are merely opportunities."

The author brings to life the several Franciscan administrators of the hospital. They led with the skill that comes from knowledge and experience, and they understood servant leadership that means working alongside and respecting the work of everyone joined in the care of patients.

Sister Generose Gervais, featured on the book's cover, was the last Franciscan Sister to serve as chief administrator of the hospital.

"Perhaps the most important thing to know about Sister Generose Gervais is how easy it is to underestimate her. When you first meet her, she is apt to engage you in a lively conversation ... about baking bread or canning pickles or combining soybeans. You'd find her to be warm, down-to-earth and intensely practical. You'd probably walk away thinking you'd had a nice visit with a fairly typical woman from southeastern Minnesota who still had strong rural ties."

Writing in the foreword, Mayo Clinic administrator Craig Smoldt says:

"This story, with its interwoven episodes, leaves one with an appreciation for the resolve and genius that characterized the Sisters of Saint Marys Hospital and the doctors of Mayo Clinic. Told in a narrative style that is easy to understand, Sister Ellen makes us feel as though we had a personal acquaintance with so many of the monumental figures that built the history of these two great organizations. One cannot but be humbled by the perseverance, the dedication to the patient and the adherence to principles that these giants of health care exhibited. The servant leadership exhibited by the leaders of Saint Marys Hospital can be held up as a worthwhile example for the leaders of health care in the 21st century."

The book is available in area bookstores and Mayo Clinic stores and gift shops.

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