St. Charles healing garden dedication planned
A new healing garden at St. Charles Cancer Center will be dedicated to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton, Indiana and Sister Catherine Hellmann — who served as the Bend hospital’s chief executive for 20 years and president emeritus for 10 more years — in a ceremony Saturday.
Sisters Marty McEntee and Theresa McIntyre will represent the Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton at the dedication, which will celebrate the history of St. Charles and the tremendous sacrifices the sisters made to help make health care available to all in Central Oregon.
A group of nuns from Tipton, Indiana boarded a train on Christmas Day in 1917 heading west to the small logging town of Bend. A priest had contacted them explaining the need for health care, so they gave up everything they knew to see patients at Bend’s first hospital, located in a tiny house on the banks of the Deschutes River. Their mission was simply to care for all.
“Sister Catherine used to tell us about the first sisters who came out here,” said Rick Martin, vice president of construction and real estate for St. Charles, who has worked for the health system for 35 years. “It was expensive to get here and the convent would probably never be able to bring them back. This would be their life-long choice.”
From the moment they made that decision, the Sisters of St. Joseph were dedicated to providing and expanding health care in Central Oregon. Their work provided the foundation for the network of hospitals and clinics that makes up St. Charles Health System today.
The healing garden built in their honor will provide a tranquil place for patients, families and caregivers to spend quiet time reflecting and resting. Community members have purchased engraved bricks and river rocks dedicated to individuals, families or businesses that line the path through the garden.
The public is welcome to attend the ceremony, which will take place Saturday, Oct. 11, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the healing garden in front of St. Charles Cancer Center.
About St. Charles Foundation
As the philanthropic arm of St. Charles Health System, the Foundation works to support and improve health care in Central and Eastern Oregon. Private donations raised by the Foundation allow St. Charles to build new medical facilities, purchase state-of-the-art medical equipment, keep pace with the latest technological advances and deliver exceptional patient care in a healing environment. The Foundation does more than just raise money for bricks and mortar. The organization also raises money to support many programs that benefit low-income and uninsured patients.
