Franciscan Health Hammond: Honoring 120 Years of Health Care Dedication

Franciscan-Health-Hammond-Honoring-120-Years-of-Health-Care-DedicationBishop Donald J. Hying, of the Gary Catholic Diocese, presides at a Mass Feb. 2, celebrating the 120th anniversary of the arrival from Lafayette of three Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Admiration in Hammond, who founded what today is Franciscan Health Hammond hospital. The sisters arrived during a blizzard, at the invitation of city founder George Hammond and community leaders, to meet the Calumet Region’s health care needs. Many of the more than 100 sisters in the order today attended the service in the hospital chapel.

Their dedication and service were honored in remarks made by the bishop, along with Sister Jane Marie Klein, chairwoman of Franciscan Alliance; and Patrick Maloney president and chief executive officer of Franciscan Health Dyer, Hammond and Munster. Franciscan Alliance, from its humble beginnings, now has 14 hospitals in Indiana and is the state’s largest health care system.