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History
The Community of The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis
traces its heritage to 1860 and Herford, Germany, where the Sisters
first taught school and cared for orphans.
Life was not easy for them in those days. It was the era of
Bismark, the so-called "Iron Chancellor" of the country,
and his "Kultur Kampf," which persecuted the church
violently. Eventually, the Sisters were banished from their
homeland.
The tiny band of 25 Sisters and four postulants, led by Mother
Mary Xavier, took refuge in America and finally settled in Iowa
City, Iowa, in 1875. Just as they did in their native Germany, the
Sisters settled in to teach. But they struggled with great poverty.
A pastor in Peoria became aware of their plight and, in an effort
to help, asked them to establish a much-needed hospital there. After
the Sisters had begun their work in Peoria, young women from
throughout the state, as well as Germany and Holland, sought
entrance into the Community.
Soon, new missions were established and Sisters were sent out to
begin hospitals in other communities. Among them was St. Joseph’s
Hospital in Bloomington (now OSF St. Joseph Medical Center), which
opened in 1880. Through the years, OSF St. Joseph has been the site
of many medical advancements and achievements. In the early 1900s,
it served as a clinical forum for the outstanding surgeons from
throughout the United States and Europe, holding international
society meetings and hosting demonstrations by renowned physicians
from Switzerland and Austria. The first successful blood transfusion
in central Illinois was performed at OSF St. Joseph in 1929. The
first successful radiation therapy treatment in central Illinois was
performed here in the 1940s and in 1982, we introduced laser surgery
to the area. In 1999, OSF St. Joseph Medical Center was named one of
the Top 100 Cardiac Hospitals in the nation, recognizing its cardiac
bypass surgery service for consistently high quality care and
efficient operation.
Today, through OSF Healthcare System, The Sisters of the Third Order
of St. Francis oversee operations of an integrated network consisting of
hospitals, long-term care facilities, an insurance company, a physician
group, and divisions in home care, equipment technologies and
administrative support.
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