Maintaining Catholic identity

After 83 years, the Benedictine Sisters have passed on their sponsorship responsibilities for the Catholic identity of St. Vincent’s Care Center and Marillac Manor to the Bismarck Diocese.

On April 1, the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery of Dickinson (formerly Richardton) transferred to the Bismarck Diocese the sponsorship of Catholic health care at the Bismarck senior living facilities. This transfer is in collaboration with the Good Samaritan Society that owns and manages the facilities under the umbrella of the Sanford Health System.

For 83 years the Benedictine Sisters have been providing care as Catholic facilities; the last 23 years have been in collaboration with other excellent partners and supporters of the Catholic faith identity. The Benedictine Sisters are delighted that the diocese has assumed this legacy, as the sisters and the diocese have been connected since the beginning of this healing ministry in 1941. What follows is a short history of the faith walk between the sisters and the diocese.

St. Vincent’s Home

In 1940, Bishop Vincent Ryan conversed with Mother Benedict Beehler, OSB, prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Garrison, about her community opening a home for the elderly in his former residence at Third and Thayer. After deliberation, they agreed to send Sister Cecilia Bauer and Sister Louise Wirtz to open this new ministry in 1941. This was the first Catholic-sponsored nursing home in the state.

Mother Benedict asked Bishop Ryan if the home could be named after St. Vincent, the great apostle of charity. The Dakota Catholic Action for September 1, 1942, reports: The former residence of the bishop was converted last November into an old folks’ home. It was named St. Vincent’s Home in memory of Bishop Vincent Wehrle. But since both Bishop Wehrle and Bishop Ryan were named Vincent, there was no contest for the name. By December 4, 1941, some of the rooms were ready for occupancy and the first resident was admitted.

Eventually the former bishop’s residence that was converted into the first St. Vincent’s Home for the Aged became too small. The sisters, along with area leaders, chose 13 acres on a new site on the Morning Side Addition of Bismarck for a new St. Vincent’s Home. When excavations began in July 1956, so many huge rocks were discovered that the contractor threatened to quit the job. He finally found machinery used earlier at the Garrison Dam site that could handle the removal of the rocks. Some of the boulders had to be dynamited to then be moved and a few of these rocks are still visible as part of the landscaping.

This property that was chosen was on the outskirts of Bismarck, with no other residences or buildings in the area. Many people wondered why the sisters would build so far out of town. But the developers had the intuition and foresight to know that the city would soon expand in that direction. There were no finished streets in the area at that time, and the city would not provide any help. Finally in the spring of 1957, St. Mary’s cemetery across the road offered to pay half of the expense to have the street in front of the home graveled, with the sisters paying the other half. By March 15, 1958, the second site for St. Vincent’s Home was ready for occupancy for nursing care residents. Father Robert Feeney was assigned as the priest chaplain from 1958-1966. Many other priests have followed providing vital sacramental ministry. Also, sisters and laity provide pastoral and spiritual care ministry.

Marillac Manor

The sisters discerned there was another need to provide resident apartments near St. Vincent’s for elders who could still live independently but wanted companionship and spiritual services. Thus, in 1977, a 42-unit apartment complex, Marillac Manor, was built. A community center was built in 1984 that provided office space for Marillac and an activity center for St. Vincent’s. Fairly soon, it became evident that there was need for more apartments. An additional 36 apartments were completed by December 1989. This new addition has an atrium with skylights to bring the outdoors in, and a new larger chapel. Following daily Mass, residents gather in the atrium to have breakfast together, celebrate birthdays and to visit with one another.

The Benedictine Sisters operated and managed St. Vincent’s Care Center from 1941 to 2001. In 2001, the sisters sold that part of the operations to Medcenter One which became Sanford, to Prospera and then to Good Samaritan Society, the fourth partner.  

Bishop Kagan and his consultors are very supportive of the continuation of the nursing home and the senior care and services home remaining Catholic. The bishop, annually, schedules a pastoral visit separately at each site and, while there, he celebrates the Eucharist with the residents and visits the residents, in support of this healing ministry.

Diocesan priests who are retired and live nearby preside at the Eucharistic liturgy daily at St. Vincent’s and at Marillac respectively. No doubt, many healthcare facilities would love to be able to offer daily Eucharist to their residents. The Benedictine Sisters are extremely grateful that Bishop Kagan has accepted the offer to transfer and be responsible for continuing the sponsorship of the Catholic identity of the two facilities for years to come. 

Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac (they worked together for many years serving the poor), pray for us!

—Submitted by Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery of Dickinson