In solidarity with the statement by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding our current Administration’s immigration policy of intolerance toward asylum seekers, the leadership team of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis join with other people of faith in seeking to end the radically unjust immigration policies. Recently the cruel practices of separation of parents and children have been replaced by detention of whole families. Anti-immigration forces continue to fan fears and blame the victims of horrible violence in their countries of origin.

As women of faith, we challenge our national leaders to assume responsibility for ending our current inhumane immigration policies, and, instead, to focus on ending policies that are the cause of such desperate needs for people to seek safety in a strange and foreign land.

In 1875, 20 of our Sisters emigrated to the United States at the invitation of Bishop Baltes of the Alton, Illinois Diocese to provide health care to the German immigrants of the diocese who had fled Germany because of the cruel practices of the Dictator Bismarck. Our Congregation honors its immigrant beginnings and reaffirms its commitment to comprehensive immigration reform.

The Leadership Team of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis
Springfield, Illinois
July 13, 2018

Our visitors from Japan arrived last night and have begun their week as our guests. This annual event began in 2007 and is organized by the Japan Province of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis to engage their medical professionals in an understanding of the Franciscan spirit, an awareness of American healthcare services, and aspects of American culture. This year, Sisters Vianney and Theodora will lead a team of 15 medical professionals from Nagasaki and Himeji.

History
In 1948, two Hospital Sisters from the American Province who had served at St. Joseph’s Hospital (Jinan, China) arrived in Japan in response to a request for healthcare services. The American Province established a mission in Nagasaki and Himeji and in 1977 the Sisters in Japan established the Japan Province. Presently, the Japan Province sponsors St. Francis Hospital (Nagasaki – 1949), a 208 bed facility with emergency medicine, long term care, hospice, and palliative care; and St. Mary’s Hospital (Himeji – 1950), a 360 bed facility with emergency medicine, acute medicine, perinatal care, and palliative care along with an 80 bed facility for handicapped children. The Province also sponsors Francisco Villa (Tokyo – 1976), a facility for the elderly, and Maria Villa (Himeji – since 1992), a temporary care facility for the elderly. Two Korean Sisters provide pastoral care in community hospitals in Gwandju, South Korea and a Japanese Sister and Korean Sister, who serves in pastoral care in a community hospital, reside in Seoul, South Korea. As of January, there are 54 Sisters, one novice, and two pre-novices in the Japan Province.

Photo: (front row) Sumie Arai, Office Manager (Himeji), Ikuko Kakimoto, Social Worker (Himeji), Yukako Masuda, Palliative Care Nurse (Nagasaki), Akemi Sakuramoto, Head Nurse (Himeji), Sister Vianney, Nurse (Himeji), Sister Theodora, Corporate Office Staff (Himeji), Dr. Yumi Takasaki, Hematology (Nagasaki), Sanae Yasui, Physical Therapist and Manager (Himeji), and Yuko Kamei, physician resident (Himeji); (back row) Kunihiko Nohara, Physical Therapist and Chief Trainer (Himeji), Akifumi Kariya, physician resident (Himeji), Dr. Wataru Murao, Urology (Himeji), Naoko Hirooka, physican resident (Himeji), Ryota Okamoto, physican resident (Himeji), Kazuyo Akeshima, Dementia Nurse Manager (Nagasaki), Kenta Nakai, Care Manager (Himeji), and Nobuaki Fujiwara, Office Assistant Manager (Himeji).

Sister Jonette Devlin, OSF was among 31 Franciscan Sisters and Brothers honored during the 2018 Franciscan Federation Conference in Buffalo, NY. These honorees embody the best of the Franciscan teaching tradition and the values of being incarnational, personal, communal, and transformative while engaging the heart and developing servant-leaders.

In her nomination, we stated that Sister Jonette embodies the Franciscan spirit  by observing an openness to the other in her previous service in nursing and also at the New Community Shelter (Green Bay, WI) along with her current service as a volunteer at HSHS St. John's Hospital and St. John’s Breadline. Founded in 1929 at St. John’s Hospital by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, the Breadline continues its mission through Catholic Charities and serves more than 200,000 meals annually. Sister Jonette’s Franciscan spirit is shared with the guests as she provides them a meal and through her mindfulness of showing respect to all.

Sister Jonette entered the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis on September 8, 1946 and professed First Vows on June 13, 1949. She is a graduate of St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing and earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in nursing from St. Louis University.

From 1954-69, she served at St. John’s Hospital and St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing as a clinical instructor, organized the first Intensive Care Unit that opened on May 3, 1965, and was the supervisor.

From 1971-2013, she served at St. Vincent Hospital (Green Bay, WI) as a Clinical Nurse Specialist of the three Critical Care Units. She was the first clinical nurse specialist at St. Vincent Hospital and was responsible for teaching the registered nurses in the hospital’s adult Critical Care Units and throughout the hospital. She also taught at local nursing programs and was a preceptor for students in master’s programs for colleges in Wisconsin and Michigan. While at St. Vincent in the 1970s, she developed the renal dialysis program and the organ donation program – both of which continue today. Also in the 1970s, she provided outreach in the community by offering pacemaker clinics and blood pressure screenings and working with the National Kidney Foundation of Wisconsin.

Annually, we recognize our Sisters on the anniversary of the First Profession of Vows. This year, we are pleased to celebrate with nine of our Sisters who observe their Golden Jubilee (50 years professed), Grace Jubilee (70 years professed), and Jeweled Crown Jubilee (75 years professed) in June. 

Through the links, we invite you to meet our Jubilarians through their Ministry and feature story. We also invite you to send them an e-greeting.

We congratulate Sister Jocelyn Serwatka, OSF on her Jeweled Crown Jubilee (75 years professed).

Ministry

2013 feature story

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We congratulate Sister Anna Clara Rick, OSF on her Grace Jubilee (70 years professed).

Ministry

2009 feature story

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We congratulate Sister Chaminade Kelley, OSF on her Grace Jubilee (70 years professed).

Ministry

2003 feature story

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We congratulate Sister Joseph Wu, OSF on her Grace Jubilee (70 years professed).

Ministry

2002 feature story

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We congratulate Sister Leonardine Sconzert, OSF on her Grace Jubilee (70 years professed).

Ministry

2007 feature story

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We congraulate Sister Marie Chang, OSF on her Grace Jubilee (70 years professed).

Ministry

2007 feature story

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We congratulate Sister Viola Swoboda, OSF on her Grace Jubilee (70 years professed).

Ministry

2008 feature story

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We congratulate Sister Maureen O'Connor, OSF on her Golden Jubilee (50 years).

Ministry

2012 feature story

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We congratulate Sister Sherrey Murphy, OSF on her Golden Jubilee (50 years). 

Ministry

2004 feature story

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On May 18, St. John’s College of Nursing Alumni Association presented Sister Marybeth Culnan, OSF with the 2018 Distinguished Alumna Award. The award is presented in recognition of exemplary dedication to the profession of nursing and St. John’s College. Selection is based on exceptional professional accomplishments, including but not limited to contributions to nursing, community/public service, academic achievement, and professional publications.

“As I look back on my nursing career that spanned more than 50 years, the nursing education that I received at St. John’s is my foundation,” Sister Marybeth said. “My career that spanned from the bedside, to education, leadership in our health system, and governance at the local board level all stems from the beginning that I received from my nursing instructors at St. John’s. This moment offers me an opportunity to encourage our new St. John’s nurses to remain open to learning and the possibilities that a nursing education can present."

Sister Marybeth entered the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in 1960 - the same year she graduated from St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing (Springfield, IL). She professed First Vows in 1963.

Sister Marybeth received a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Marillac College (St. Louis, MO) and was assigned to St. Vincent Hospital (Green Bay, WI) from 1966-69. She earned a Master’s degree in Nursing with a specialty in Neurological and Neurosurgical Nursing from Case Western University (Cleveland, OH) and returned to St. Vincent Hospital and served from 1971-75 as a clinical nurse specialist – neuroscience. From 1976-79, Sister Marybeth served as one of four Provincial Assistants for the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis and then was assigned to St. John’s Hospital (Springfield, IL) as a clinical nurse specialist - neuroscience from 1979-82.

In 1982, Sister Marybeth assumed the role of First Vice President for the Boards of the 13 hospitals operated by Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) and in 1983 she became the HSHS Regional Vice President - Wisconsin and Board Chair/President of the five Wisconsin hospitals. In 2007, she began serving on the Boards of the eight HSHS hospitals in Illinois while continuing to serve on the Wisconsin Boards. From 2006-17, she served as the HSHS Senior Vice President of Sponsorship and Governance providing direction and guidance to System and hospital leadership and board members. Presently, she is a volunteer at HSHS St. John’s Hospital and serves on its Board of Directors along with the Board of HSHS Holy Family Hospital (Greenville, IL) and HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital (Shelbyville, IL).

For more information about St. John’s College of Nursing, please click here.