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11 Forever First | Summer 2014 • To find a doctor, call 1.877.250.DOCS. "Our Lord Jesus Christ, suffering in the persons of a multitude of the sick and infirm of every kind, seeks relief at your hands." These words of Claude Marie Dubuis, Bishop of Texas, gave meaning to every mile the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word traveled from Galveston to San Antonio. At the end of the journey, they found a frontier town of 12,000 people gripped by a cholera epidemic. Within months, they opened the Santa Rosa Infirmary, the birthplace of the Children's Hospital of San Antonio. PUTTING CHILDREN FIRST The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word have shaped the history of CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System and the Children's Hospital of San Antonio from every department and leadership position. Their impact on pediatric care is evident throughout Santa Rosa's long history. The Sisters founded two orphanages after four orphaned children entered their care in 1874. In 1918, inspired by the experience of caring for an abandoned, disabled boy, the Sisters established the Santa Rosa Infirmary's first pediatric ward. They pursued their dream of opening a children's medical facility for decades until July 9, 1959, when Santa Rosa Children's Hospital opened its doors. I was a young nursing student at the Hospital then, and for the past 55 years, I have been privileged to help the Sisters maintain their connection to what is now the Children's Hospital of San Antonio and CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System. Today, six to eight Sisters hold volunteer roles throughout the Health System. Faith continues to guide the organization — every meeting opens with a prayer, and each Hospital observes a period of morning reflection. Our partners — Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, and private practice physicians in the community — are eager to continue the Sisters' founding mission. It is my prayer that into a long future, children and families will continue to find hope and healing as Jesus Christ's healing mission guides the care at the Children's Hospital of San Antonio. In 1869, three young French women arrived in San Antonio with a mission that continues to define CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System and the Children's Hospital of San Antonio 145 years later. Its guiding motto: "Our children will always be first." Celebrating 55 Years of HOLISTIC CARE The Spiritual Care Department at the Children's Hospital of San Antonio is dedicated to meeting the spiritual needs of the patients and their parents. "Chaplains visit every patient at the Hospital and are available around the clock to respond to calls from parents, nurses, and physicians," says Sister Marian Jordan, CCVI, volunteer chaplain at the Children's Hospital of San Antonio. "My faith is deepened when I see the courage of sick children and their parents. I can't wait to get to the Hospital on days that I volunteer. Being there brings out the child in me and I feel truly blessed to still serve in the Spiritual Care Department where I began as Chaplain in 1994 after having been certified by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains." By Sister Sarah Lennon, CCVI This July marks 55 years of providing the highest level of care for the children of San Antonio. Puin Childre Fir Letting Faith