150 years of loving ministry

By John Gleason

On Nov. 16, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth will bring to a close a jubilee year marking the 150th anniversary of the order. 

On that day, an anniversary Mass will be celebrated at 12:30 p.m. by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M., Cap., at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Denver. Everyone is invited.

The order, founded on the teachings of St. Vincent de Paul by Mother Xavier Ross began in 1858 when a small congregation of sisters arrived in Leavenworth, Kan., and began to teach at a local boys school.  Soon after, an academy for girls was started and the sisters traveled the area tending to the sick wherever they found them.  In 1864 the sisters opened the first private hospital in Kansas and today the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth can be found in 11 states and in Latin America.

The order has been in Colorado almost as long as it’s been in existence, opening St. Joseph Hospital in 1873, Mount St. Vincent Home in 1883 and Annunciation School in 1890.
For 135 years, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, through St. Joseph Hospital, have provided health care services to Denver’s neediest populations, among them, the poor, the homeless and the underserved, many of whom have consistently been women and children. 
Today, the hospital is still owned by the community but for the past 10 years the day-to-day operation is done through a management agreement with Exempla Health Care. The sisters’ tradition of helping the sick continues thanks in part to volunteers from the order who give of their time at the hospital.

Two of these religious sisters volunteers are themselves biological sisters.  Sister Owen Marie Falk and Sister Marie deLourdes Falk assist St. Joseph Hospital patients who come in for treatment or therapy.  Trained as educators the sisters, each of whom has been a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth for more than 60 years, have taught in Wyoming, Montana, Kansas and Colorado. Sister Owen Marie taught at Annunciation School in Denver and Sister Marie deLourdes served as principal at St. Bernadette School in Lakewood.  After retiring, the two changed ministries and went to work for archdiocesan housing.

“We opened up Holy Family Plaza, the senior living facility in north Denver,” Sister Owen Marie said. “I was the activities director and my sister was the administrator.  For 17 years it was the best job you could have.”

Eight years ago the two retired, again, or so they thought.  Soon they were at the volunteer office at St. Joseph Hospital, looking to get involved and help people. 

Sister Marie deLourdes calls what they’re doing now a rewarding ministry.

“Many people who come here for treatment are nervous, especially the first few times,” she said.  “We sit and talk with them, we make them coffee. We let them know that we’re here for them.”
Both sisters are looking forward to the Mass on Nov. 11 but noted the whole year has been reason for celebrating the contributions of their community.

 “150 years is quite a while,” Sister Owen Marie said with a laugh, “and we’ve been a part of that for a long time.  But it’s been wonderful. Last summer some of us from the hospital traveled to our motherhouse for a celebration to mark the jubilee. Three hundred sisters and many more associates came together to celebrate our community.”

Although it is no longer staffed entirely by members of the Sisters of Leavenworth, Annunciation Grade School was also started by the community.  And today Sister Jean Panisko, principal there for 27 years, says that the order’s relationship with the poor is as strong now as it was when the school was founded more than 100 years ago.

“Our community was founded, in part, on the rule of St. Vincent de Paul to care for the poor,” she said. “This is where we have come in touch with the poor through the years; from Irish to German to Hispanic to African-American.  … Education is one of the ways out of poverty.”
Sister Jean said you only have to look to the inner-city school’s high immigrant and minority enrollment to see how those who come to this country with little want their children to have better.

“Our student enrollment is 202 and we have waiting lists for most classes,” she said.  “It is an overwhelming positive experience that so many want our services.”

Sister Marie Michael Mollis has been a member of the community for 54 years.  The Cheyenne native also spent many years in education in Kansas, Montana and Wyoming before coming to Denver where she spent two decades teaching at Annunciation School.  After that, she spent 14 years at St. Nicholas Church in Platteville, Colo., doing parish work. 

Today, you’ll find Sister Marie Michael tutoring students with reading at Mount St. Vincent Home in Denver.  Originally founded as an orphanage, today, the community-operated facility is a residential treatment center for children who have been abused or who are emotionally disturbed.  Through the work of 135 staff members, including therapists, teachers and religious sisters, the home’s goal, according to Sister Marie, is to heal the children so they can go back to the community and be successful in life.

Sister Marie added, with just a bit of pride, that on display in the office at Mount St. Vincent’s is a certificate issued by the state and signed by Gov. Bill Ritter.  It declares that Nov. 16, 2008, is Sisters of Charity Day in Colorado.