IHM Sisters have cared for the ill since 1845

Tom Adamich
·3 min read

The Sisters of Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary have taken care of the needs of their order and others since their founding in 1845. This includes those members and others who were ill. The mercy and charity provided by nuns who also had nursing credentials offered comfort and solace to many — both in Monroe and throughout southeast Michigan.

According to documentation provided by the IHM Sisters Archives, as part of an unpublished history by Sister Mary Xavier Turner entitled “St. Mary Infirmary and Health Care Center, 1869-1983," health care services began at the old IHM Motherhouse, located on the banks of the River Raisin in Monroe’s downtown area. Part of what was known as St. Roch’s Corridor, as well as on the second floor, were carved out to care for sick or infirm members. Illness, especially tuberculosis (TB), was prevalent during the latter half of the 19th century. From the 1870s to the start of the 20th century, over 50 sisters — including novices — died. Many succumbed to viral/respiratory diseases, in addition to TB, that included pneumonia and typhus/typhoid fevers.

The original IHM Motherhouse was on the banks of the River Raisin, near Elm Avenue in Monroe. Construction for the complex that included St. Mary Academy began in 1866, and structures would remain until the late 1930s, when the move to the “new” IHM Motherhouse (constructed in 1931-1932) was complete.
The original IHM Motherhouse was on the banks of the River Raisin, near Elm Avenue in Monroe. Construction for the complex that included St. Mary Academy began in 1866, and structures would remain until the late 1930s, when the move to the “new” IHM Motherhouse (constructed in 1931-1932) was complete.

While it was recognized that any care IHM Sisters provided could be considered corporal works of mercy as recognized by the Catholic Church (to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to give shelter to travelers, to visit the sick, to visit the imprisoned and to bury the dead), it wasn’t until Sister Flora Collins entered the order as a novice in 1869 that an official nurse served the order and school as “infirmarian." Sister Flora provided nursing services to the order for 30 years.

Sister Lutegard Sullivan joined as the IHM infirmarian in 1880 and would care for her fellow sisters over a 60-year period, ending when she died on Nov. 24, 1939. She cared for those with severe cases, including Sister Bernetta Chene who was paralyzed from 1926-39, and Sister Brertilla Smith who exhibited symptoms many would compare to Alzheimer’s or dementia today. Sister Lutegard’s fellow sisters dubbed her the “Angel of the Infirmary."

Other medical facilities were also under the IHM Sisters medical umbrella. Sister Francina Ryan was a graduate of Grace Hospital – Detroit’s nursing program. She became a novice in 1897 and would go on to establish the nurses training program at St. Mary Hospital – Detroit (where she was also head nurse). Sister Francina also added a TB  “glass house” (promoting light therapy for patients) to the original Motherhouse infirmary area and cared  for ill sisters at the Holy Trinity Convent in Detroit during the summers until 1930, when her own illness forced her to return to Monroe for medical care until her death in 1931.

In 1962, the IHM Sisters built a new wing to support medical care for the order’s members. The Liguori wing, shown here, honors St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) who was successful as a lawyer, hospital minister, preacher of missions, artist, musician, poet, man of letters, spiritual director, founder of the Redemptorist Congregation, moral theologian, bishop, doctor of the Church, mystic and saint.

Earlier Coverage: Ownership of most of IHM campus transferred to Minnesota firm

In 1960, Liguori Hall was built to serve as a medical facility for IHM’s retired sisters. Over 90 retired sisters lived there throughout the 1960s and '70s. The facility later became an ambulatory nursing unit, but it planted the seeds for what would become the IHM Senior Living Community (SLC). According to the IHM Sisters Archives, it was during Mary Fran Gilleran’s term as president (2006-11), the congregation’s auditors suggested licensing some of the infirmary rooms to enable IHM to accept a wider range of people in need of care and to allow them to charge for the care, including skilled care for IHM Sisters.

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Renovation of portions of the current IHM Motherhouse, along with licensure training, began in 2009. What became the IHM SLC was incorporated separately in 2017. In 2023, management of the IHM SLC, along with ownership of the SLC buildings and grounds, was transferred to Minnesota-based Saint Therese, a nonprofit senior care organization.

— Tom Adamich is president of Visiting Librarian Service, a firm he has operated since 1993. He also is project archivist for the Greening Nursery Co. and Family Archives and the electric vehicle awareness coordinator at Monroe County Community College.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: IHM Sisters have cared for the ill since 1845