Sisters of Bon Secours Celebrate 125 years of Ministry in the United States

We have reflected deeply on Christ’s mission; bringing healing, life, joy, freedom, and justice to those who suffer. These are the stones which must be the foundation of our second century; these will support us—open us to a new mission…We invite you—our friends, families, associates, co-workers—to join with us as we continue to serve the sick, the poor and the suffering in the United States.

These words, written by Sr. Justine Cyr, C.B.S., in 1981 for the centennial celebration of the Sisters of Bon Secours in the Unites States, remain as true today as the Sisters continue to live out the mission and charism of those who came before them. In the book “A Century of Caring,” it says,“The pioneer sisters sowed the seed; their successors nourished it and brought it to fruition, and the sisters of today move forward in faith to meet their commitment and the challenges of the future in the spirit of Bon Secours and the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”

On May 21, 2006, the Sisters of Bon Secours will celebrate 125 years of ministry in the United States. The celebration will take place in West Baltimore where it all began. Mass will be held at St. Martin’s Parish where the pastors, beginning with Fr. John Foley in 1882, have always been very supportive of the Sisters. The original residence of the Sisters was within the boundaries of St. Martin’s Parish, and in 1907, the Sisters opened the first day care center in the country in St. Martin’s Parish. Following the Mass, a reception will be held at Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore, the Sisters’ first hospital in the United States, which opened in 1919. This is also the site of the Sisters’ first convent in the United States.

It all started when Archbishop James Gibbons of the Baltimore Archdiocese heard about the extraordinary nursing care given by the Sisters of Bon Secours to the sick in their homes in Paris and invited the Sisters to Baltimore, Md., to do home nursing. In response to this request, three Sisters of Bon Secours—Sr. St. Ferdinand from the London Convent and Sr. St. Flavie from the convent in Dublin, who were accompanied by Mother St. Domitille, superior of the convent in Dublin—arrived in the United States on May 18, 1881.

The Baltimore Sun wrote of their arrival:
Three sisters of the Order of Bon Secours, anxiously expected in Baltimore for some time, arrived early yesterday morning, having reached New York the night before on the steamer Parthia of the Cunard Line, after a trip of eleven days from Queenstown…With the exception of occasional fogs, they had not a bad crossing…They will immediately begin to prepare for the installation and reception of other sisters who are to join them in a short time… Thus will be established the first foundation of the “Soeurs du Bon Secours” in America. The object of the order is particularly the care of the sick of all denominations suffering from diseases of any character, whether infectious, contagious or innocuous…

The punctuality and thoroughness with which they carry out the orders of physicians at all times, day and night, make no little difference in the chances of recovery of the cases submitted to their ministering… They are now at the house of their hostess (Mrs. Small) awaiting the call of those who may need their experience and services, without money and without price.”

And so it began. From the very beginning, the Sisters were in great demand and worked night and day caring for the sick, especially the poor, in their homes and not letting a call for help go unanswered. And by 1901, there were 23 Sisters engaged in home nursing in the United States. By this time, they had moved into their own convent (in 1882) and built a chapel (in 1894).  In “A Century of Caring,” the Sisters in those early days were described as follows: “The Bon Secours sister with her black bag and fluted cap was a familiar figure in the streets of Baltimore. Unaccompanied, and trusting in God, she went out at all hours of the day and night to the homes of the poor and the sick. Her bag was made of heavy surge, the same material as her habit, and contained all that was necessary in the sick room. Sometimes it also carried a sister’s personal belongings for a prolonged stay in the home of a patient. The bag was looked upon with wonder by the poor for it contained so many things that they needed.” For 38 years, from 1881–1919, the Sisters provided direct nursing care in the homes of the sick and dying in Baltimore.

Word of the Sisters’ work quickly spread to other cities in the United States. The poverty, the humility, the generosity, the self-denial, and the spirit of prayer and love of the Sisters during those early years continue to be the foundation upon which the Sisters of Bon Secours have built their lives.

In 1905, a convent was opened in Washington, D.C., to be followed in 1909 by a convent in Detroit, Mich. In both cities, the Sisters continued doing home nursing. In 1912, the first United States Novitiate was opened in Baltimore to welcome women in the United States into the Congregation. And in 1919, the Sisters opened their first hospital to be followed in 1921 by their own school of nursing, both in Baltimore. The reputation of Bon Secours-trained nurses continued to grow. Sisters of Bon Secours soon could be found nursing in institutions in Philadelphia, Pa.; Grosse Pointe, Mich.; Methuen, Mass.; Wildwood, N.J.; Richmond, Va.; and Miami, Fla. In 1958, the Congregation of Bon Secours in the United States became a Province, and, in 1965, the Provincial House for the United States Province moved to Marriottsville, Md., from downtown Baltimore.

In 1983, the Sisters incorporated the Bon Secours Health System, an outgrowth of the Bon Secours Health Care Commission formed in 1973 and the Bon Secours Health Care Corporation formed in 1979. As health care was changing throughout the country, the Sisters had the foresight to realize the importance of operating as a cohesive health care system in order to grow its health care ministry. Over the years, new hospitals and health care facilities, as well as assisted living facilities, joined the system and the influence of the Sisters expanded into South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, and Kentucky. New facilities also joined the system in Maryland, Michigan, Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Today, Sisters of Bon Secours can be found in governance and sponsorship positions throughout the health system. Several still work directly with the poor, the sick, the elderly, and the dying in Bon Secours facilities, churches, and outreach centers in the communities Bon Secours serves. The Sisters continue today to follow in the steps of those who came before them, living their charism of healing, compassion, and liberation as they give “Good Help to Those in Need” every day.  

1824
In Paris, twelve young women committed themselves before God, as Sisters of Bon Secours, to minister to the sick, the suffering and the dying in their homes. It was a very new form of ministry for religious women of the time. These Sisters stayed in the homes of the sick to nurse them, to offer spiritual comfort and to do whatever was necessary to help the families.

1881
After extending their ministry to Ireland and England, they were invited by the Bishop of Baltimore to serve the sick and suffering in the United States. Three Sisters arrived in Baltimore in May 1881 and began serving wherever they were needed. As their reputation grew, they were asked to care for people in other parts of the eastern United States.

1919
Realizing they could better serve the sick, the poor and the suffering in well-run facilities, the Sisters moved with the times. They opened Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore in 1919. Additional Bon Secours healthcare facilities followed in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, Virginia and South Carolina.

1983
As the provision of healthcare changed in the United States during the 1980s, the Sisters responded by forming a health system in July 1983. The Bon Secours Health System has but one purpose: "To promote and extend the mission of the Sisters".

1984
Maryview Medical Center, Portsmouth, joins Bon Secours.

1996
DePaul Medical Center, sponsored by the Daughters of Charity, and Mary Immaculate Hospital, co-sponsored by the Bernadine Franciscan Sisters, join Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System. Bon Secours offers a broad range of healthcare services including a behavioral medicine center, urgent care centers, physician practices, outpatient rehabilitation centers, nursing care facilities, assisted living facilities, occupational medicine, employee assistance programs, home care, and hospice services.