We had the privilege of attending the annual Sisters of Bon Secours co-worker recognition and service award luncheon last week.  This event is held annually and scheduled close to Foundation Day.   The sisters host the luncheon to celebrate the gifts of co-workers in their ministries here in Marriottsville, Md.   

The luncheon opened with a brief prayer service, led by Sr. Rosemarie Jasinski, USA Country Leader, who expressed her thankfulness for the many employees who support the Country House, Spiritual Center and Marian Hall.  To symbolize the luncheon theme, “We Are One,” each place setting held a paper cutout of a hand.  At one point during the luncheon employees were instructed to write a special gift that they bring to their work.  As Sr. Rosie, Rose Kurtz, Manager of Guest Services, and Lorraine Taylor, Manager of the Guest Relationship Team at the Spiritual Center, led the group in a song entitled “We are Many Parts,” each employee placed their hand cutout on a large display that formed a heart, symbolizing the unified … continue reading…

Sr. Rita Thomas, CBS, Sister of Bon Secours, received the Catholic Health Association’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at CHA’s 2010 annual national conference last summer.  

Sr. Rita’s health care ministry spans 60 years starting as a nurse and then moving into adminstration as a CEO of hospitals.  Her background in health care also includes governance and sponsorship.  She was the first CEO to integrate a hospital in Virginia and the first woman CEO in Richmond.  She is known for mentoring leaders, her vision of the ministry of Catholic health care, her ability to call forth gifts from others, and her ability to ask the right questions.

Sr. Rita, originally from Baltimore, Maryland, sensed God calling her to religious life and entered the Sisters of Bon Secours as a young woman.  After completing nursing school, she became an OB nurse.  Her natural leadership abilities quickly became apparant.  Her life reflected a desire to address … continue reading…

Catholic Medical Mission Board Partners with Leading Catholic Health Care Networks to Launch Major Child Survival Programin Peru

Partners Hope Unidos Contra La Mortalidad Infantil – United Against Infant Mortality – Will Be Model for Further Expansion of Work of Catholic Healthcare Networks in the Developing World
Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), Bon Secours Health System, CHRISTUS Health and Caritas del Peru announced the ambitious initiative last year, Unidos Contra La Mortalidad Infantil, aimed at decreasing morbidity and mortality in children under five years of age in three key regions of Peru.
The US$1.1 million project will be implemented in the regions of Trujillo, Huancayo and Chimbote, key regions of Peru where Catholic healthcare networks have ongoing ministries.  It will focus on the following major activities:

Home visits for pregnant mothers and all newborns, with the purpose of educating on early intervention, recognizing illnesses, knowing when and where to seek timely care, learning methods of exclusive breastfeeding, teaching newborn care to prevent illnesses and mortality;
Training in the Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses (IMNCI);
Establishing systems of nutritional community surveillance in coordination with

regional and national … continue reading…

Sisters Vicky Segura, M.D. and Elaine Davia, N.P. of the Sisters of Bon Secours, USA, recently spent several months assisting in their Congregation’s healing ministry for people with HIV/AIDS, and their families, in Limpopo, South Africa. This is an international mission established by the Congregation of Sisters of Bon Secours. Sisters from Peru and Ireland arrived in South Africa three years ago to staff an antiretroviral health care clinic. They also work with the parish priest to assist in feeding Zimbabwean refugees and address many other needs that arise.

Sister Vicky worked as a physician in the antiretroviral clinic seeing and dispensing medications to thirty or more HIV/AIDS patients a day in the village of Senwamokgope. An important part of the care in the clinic was the counseling and education about the disease and the need for follow-up visits.

Sister Elaine utilized her skills as a … continue reading…

A ground breaking ceremony took place on Friday, May 7th for the Bon Secours Wayland Village Senior Apartments in Baltimore, Maryland.

Sisters of Bon Secours pray for all nurses during National Nurses Week (May 6-12, 2010) in honor of their mission to care for the sick, the dying and the poor.