the this is the story of the life of bridget collins a remarkable human being who lived a remarkable life was a catholic nun who passed from this life in one thousand nine hundred twenty one years ago she left a legacy of social work and human caring that lives on in the work of three great bellingham institutions collins story is also the story of the sisters of st joseph of peace the religious order that first called her to her life mission and then shaped and guided there the order was founded by mary an acoustic who took the religious name francis clare she was motivated by the suffering of her people again aftermath of the irish potato famine of the eighteen forty's in on the banks of the hudson their mission was soon to reach even to the far reaches of the pacific northwest for after where after a hundred and twenty years it still survives and in fact thrives in the form of peace health care system and our own st joseph hospital  but that venerable convent shown here on an old postcard still stands on the jersey shore overlooking the hudson and york city from those convent in eight hundred ninety in response to an urgent need in the booming fairhaven the fledgling order sent two young nuns sisters theresa moran and stanislaus ty he with instructions to build a hospital they were armed only with their faith and their orders they were very young and had only rudimentary medical training upon arrival in very haven't they immediately met with a prominent citizen j j donovan and with the local mission priest j b blay donovan the son of irish immigrants was a man of stature and the fairhaven of that day together they devised a plan for the hospital and for raising the money to construct it given a block of land on seventeenth and adam most high on the hill construction was begun this large wooden building was completed in only three months the building was dedicated to st joseph's hospital on january ninth one thousand eight hundred ninety one incredibly it had been only five months since the sisters had gotten off the boat the prior august the building was common sister's hospital there are no known photographs of the two young nuns at the time of their arrival but this photograph taken many years later is of a mature mother teresa moran one of those pioneers and the first superior saint joseph hospital in just ten years in one thousand nine hundred one the first building was abandoned for a more central and convenient location on the waterfront fronting on state street there st joseph and it was to this school in the end this building and one nine hundred thirty six that three young irish girls came as postulants religious trainees intending to devote their lives to christ now we must go back in time once again to county galway where on a farm there tom on the twenty fifth of march one thousand eighteen daughter was born to john and mary mockler collins the tiny girl would be christened brigid and she would be the fourth of eight children born into this family she was born in this farmhouse shown in one thousand nine hundred forty two photograph the couple standing before the house in their sunday best our neighbors tom and mary kay dunn lifelong friends of the collins family the collins were a hard working family constant laughter echoed within those old walls but they also knew tragedy and sorrow their first born michael died at the age of three when his clothing accidentally caught fire the next son john jr also at age three fell down the stairs and suffered it forming spinal injury the third son paddy and each of the five daughters and bridget norene and the twins roberta and sheila were to live long and productive lives bridget collins would grow and thrive on that galloway farm in the warmth of her caring and loving family they're farm raised potatoes cattle and sheep we're not sure which collins child is pictured here but it's evident that the farm also kept a few chickens those days there wouldn't be any money to send them to schools you know or universities so this is the way out and some of them did it well and some of them didn't make them and i think  when brigitte came of age in one nine hundred thirty five she heeded the call to devote her life to her religious faith she shows the sisters of st joseph of peace to guide her in her training and eventually to join their order as a case helen caldwell would become her dear friend and companion for the remainder of her life six girls entered in her class at cobre where they received religious training then all six were notified they were to be sent across the ocean to america to complete their training six girls ranging in age from fifteen to twenty four that all left home for the first time now they have been chosen to cross the seas to a new land to become brigid had just turned eighteen when she and her five classmates boarded their ship and set sail for america they sailed on the united states lines s s american importer o'neill another clerical error her true name was monica o'neill monica was eighteen and lastly a twenty one year old postulant listed as ellen kenney her name was really helena kenn the girls were assigned cabins just below the main deck to a to a cabin with sleeping bunks one above the other sister ellen caldwell now ninety two recalls pleasure trip an exciting and frightening sister agatha several weeks later three of the young women were selected to follow those pioneering footsteps of sisters teresa and stanislaus back in eight hundred ninety monaco neal ellen caldwell and bridget collins were put on a train for the west assigned to st mary's novitiate at st joseph's hospital in bellingham washington upon their arrival at the bellingham station they were shown to their new home in the s joseph hospital that had been built in one thousand know one the nuns were quartered in the southern end of the door mard fourth floor where they had a perfect view of the lumber mills and sailing ships on the baby for them their classes were held on the ground floor of the hospital where they lived and studied for the required two year period finally they graduated as novices now members of the order who have not yet made their  rigid adapted to religious name of sister francis exam of the year the novices were sent to other schools for advance training bridget and monica entered the school of nursing at the bellingham hospital nuns always the minority in the nursing classes received the train same training as did the lays students the nuns however always had separate housing and the top floor of the old building while the lady students  lived on the floor below and the patients were on the second f three she was the nursing supervisor for pretty attics and then in forty four she was transferred to st john's hospital in long view as night nursing supervisor her love of children and newborns may have been responsible for her appointment as obstetrics supervisor two years later in one nine hundred fifty seven at the age of thirty nine she was transferred to a natural washington to become the administrator of st anthony's hospital a position that she would hold for three years she must have distinguished herself therefore in one nine hundred sixty she was returned to bellingham in what was to be a crucial leadership role administrators of st joseph's hospital at a critical time in the history of the institution the now much expanded hospital had become overcrowded in need of modernization with no room to expand on state street and working with a governing board led by al evan and other prominent bellingham and professional people business and professional people the sisters made a much maligned and ridiculed decision they purchased a large tract of land at the northern edge of bellingham shitty limits accessed by ellis street many in the community thought it was a grievous error putting the hospital far out of reach out of the  country or country right but its sister had vision and she and the thing i remember most about sister is effect of her personality hello how she handed a concept of medicine how it should be delivered how it shouldn't be delivered bridget's role in the crucial decision to buy the land is a bit unclear many credit the decision to to her predecessor what is sure is that she became the administrator in time to help plan and construct a new modern hospital that would go up on the site and i remember talking to bridge sixty seven she followed her true passion and enrolled at the university of san francisco to pursue a bachelor's degree in sociology here she talks with her successor sister this photo is believed to have been taken in one nine hundred sixty nine at the time of her graduation she would have been fifty one after san francisco she went to st louis university where she earned a master's degree in social work now it was one nine hundred seventy two and bridget returned to bellingham the truly significant portion of her career and her legacy still ahead of her she had to return to establish the department of social services at st joseph and a service its first director she poured herself and her multitude of talent and character into the job and in the ensuing years bridget carved out a career and a would if i expressed any concern about you know sister bridget giving away too much or anything like that you know sister catherine tell me you know steve the lord will provide your something to that effect  and i just trust that she will make sure that that stock is very full was ok so well it was obvious to those who did that knew her well that bridget had discovered her true vocation she devoted herself to meeting the spiritual physical and emotional needs of patients and the larger community her determination was matched only by her joyful personality bridget's come accomplishments were legion providing needed clothing and support for impoverished new mothers collecting funds from those that had to be dished redistributed to those who had not serving on the hospital's governing board consoling the sick bringing her unique personality to the hospital scene providing with her sister nuns a unique aura of caring that permeated the culture of st joseph's hospital you know that she would give whatever diapers or whatever for th mothers babies that are born here you know come in with nothing and if it hadn't been for a group like that they would have gone out west i think you know and part of that tradition is being carried out today by some of our auxiliary and i believe there's a group from one of the churches in town that prepares baskets so she left a little legacy she left a lot of legacy yeah so mebody told me that there was a place called bridges closet where where she kept stuff you know people who would donate and you know probably print from the bridges babies group that and here's something i needed something you know they could go to bridges cause it and it would be there that's true that's true  newborns you know went home without adequate clothes and she was always to after us to to bring her things you know like diapers and under baby showers for her and the catholic daughters here and walked in county they would hold a baby shower once a year and then the members would bring her things and she catherine didn't have the key so the sister catherine i was nursing supervisor and she instructed me to go down to the gift shop in st joe's and pick pick out several things for the baby so the baby could go home and she would pay the bill later and so i always remember bridge it's called a closet because it was locked  needed you know she really she was on a mission all the time and she had a really interesting way i mean she was a very devout person  way i mean in terms of just really wanting to make sure that people didn't suffer you know and yet what she did she have a very important or a person that was in need you could go to bridges and say britain i'd like to make a contribution to the social services to help this family i want to do it an person and they were or why they were in haddam style shop this man came up to her and give her some money and she took that money and wrapped it up in her handkerchief dorothy says when they left their mind no thought in the car she says bridget what why do you put the man's money in your handkerchief she says he owns one of the past before i ever came that were way ahead of her time in terms of figuring out ways to help homeless people and to get clothing and food for people that needed it and she just was always extremely giving and generous and have that reputation you know so even the nuns were part of the climate of the hospital there and it's actually kind of i miss to tell you the truth but you know i mean sister catherine was a class act and sister bridget jones they really had there was really an emphasis on what was right to do what was trips back to ireland to visit her aged parents and to spend time with the family that she loved your she is whether sister norene also anon and their mother at the old home here on another trip with roberta and two nieces including margaret campbell with the dark hair time it was it was worth every never mind at all is failing this you know i am sure there are people there who are not commons but they just showed up and said they were not we are a time not once bridget found time for a vacation in hawaii with all of her sisters each one a nun who are all four of them the twins roberto and she learned on the right brigid and norene on the left the year was nine hundred eighty three bridget was sixty bridget truly enjoyed life she was known for her laughter and sense of joy and she was even known to enjoy a bit of a drink now and again i came up here from ireland  right remember her very finely because and and plus the fact she was smart she really were i don't like to use the term savvy but she was i think people know what that means she was savvy about things and i don't know how many adjectives i could use to explain her personality but they would all be c you know you know sister bridget and question this interest that we're here at that particular time they were just such a strong presence not only here in the hospital but as hospital and at that time of course they were wearing habits but it was their presence that really made up just a huge difference when i think of someone was in dire straits or even if they just needed a pair of socks she was there if she didn't have the answer she would get the answer she would find the answer know she had that she always just thought i had a calming presence and you know she beats just she greeted everybody you know my son used to come and pick me up because i used to work till seven and he could pick me up sometimes if he had the car and he'd she'd sit out there and she was harry want to talk mrs brady you know this talk in a way she she just was just so i don't know what the word is for her but she just miss congeniality i think overnight it was a two day retreat and we were dealing with a very very weighty matters in sort of a day of very serious work and we were having dinner at hilter office down painter square and when around in took a big pot smoking and got down and everyone was so stunned up that the conversation stopped and everyone just got into into the spirit and that's why i say she was this battle make human jo she would look at the rights of women in and children and so probably because i saw the way she worked you know she was she would intervene on the behalf and children or special for us there was a great many babies being born without the mothers having any prenatal care in the early eight and this was a great concern to everybody in the medical community because it's there's so many bad things can happen when there's no prenatal care and that was one of sister bridget's concerns because they had so many women coming in and delivering on the doorstep with no care so that they she was one of the instigators to develop a nurse practitioner program for prenatal women for women that were pregnant so they would have prenatal care and be less of a medical risk for them in their babies and i remember s that she was really engaged in the community and you know there's was a constant stream of people who were in and out of her office and they really there a lot of people who are looking for help you know in the intended ground social services was really just charge planning you know i mean how do you help people get out of the hospital and get what they need but she just made it all you know a whole different thing in terms of helping people in every way she hears could you know she was involved in dobson she was involved in all kinds of things in terms of really helping people in the ho outside the hospital so kind of you know it was in its infancy and i and she defined it the way she wanted to fund it as you know a sister i've seen chosen for the piece in a way to you know to do her ministry and and she just had a huge impact i mean i just visualize i mean i remember the hospital the way it was and the hallway work her office was and you know she was in there with marlene lame den witty is a little camera shy but she wrote a long letter about the sister bridget that she loves so much she related that bridget rarely took vacation saying because i have so much to do that she was strong minded and straightforward and said what she thought dying children really upset or what no one ever saw her cry or she was gentle intelligent loving caring and was always ready to do was to break ground on something like hospice if somebody came up with an idea or if she came up with the idea she was ready to take it you know she had a goal in a purpose simone says she could be a pretty determined person yes oh yes i would tell us that she would be yeah she would see it through tough determine didn't back down easily you know if it was something if she if she thought that something was going to be for the betterment of the people and have the community she would really try to see it used to be a great when they give their life to this work they were here all the time and so when you talk about you know having those values in place they were always here to make sure that as i use are in place and i mean how is here if it was ten o'clock at night it seems like a you know if i came in i can find one of them wonder hall catherine and bridget were indeed very close right there they were kind of first of them the same way as together yeah they and they just had i think they just had a very deep respect for each other and they were very good friends i mean i don't know how to describe it but they just saw i had i a lot of things stand and were very supportive of each other so she carried the mission vision values and that was a serious part of her life she dedicated her life to it obviously didn't have many distractions f the bridget collins legacy includes two very visible and important institutions in our community both of which she had a seminal role in establishing both organizations continue her lifelong mission of caring for children and for consoling male and dying in one nine hundred eighty three touched by the lingering death of a dear friend bridget home without any body taking care of cetera et cetera i always think about bridget with hospice but also with that prenatal clinic in getting year up and running because it made such a difference to the community ended the physicians because they didn't like getting called in to deliver a baby that they had no idea what this instance i remember was that there was a big blow out among the hospice organizers about writing the bylaws of hospice and then i know bridget was instrumental any time can i mentioned earlier like in hospice foundation who have roots way back into the beginning of the hospice activities in this community and they have stayed active all this time this belief was built by their fund raising  in her final year brigid consummated an interest of many years in abused and neglected children my helping to form an organization to address such abuses in the community the organization would be named after her and her death of therapists who have dealt with kids offender therapists you know and so what happened is it it really quickly became apparent that we could really benefit from a from the time we started meeting until we have seen three status and i just literally called in all my chips in the community brett and darker did all the legal work they did all the stuff everything was done pro bono you know everybody pitched in from the community and our original grant was for twenty five thousand from the state that's what got  this really amazing we met carolyn robin she volunteered all her time she poured me to get to sort of you know she had done a lot of that kind of stuff and she was brilliant and we met and phil russell and chris parks office in the bellingham towers phil russell was an unbelievably well respected offender therapist who died of cancer several years it's a big loss to the state and to the community we met at six o'clock in the morning and because all of us were everybody were so we'd meet and we just love the way you know for a couple hours and we you know worked out who issued a statement and blah blah and we had to have a place and we had no money and so we again went to the hospital you know and said we really need a spot and once again brigid and catherine are like you know we've got those houses on  move yeah and so that was the original bridget collins was on the indian street in that little block of houses you know where the volunteer center is it was right next door to that so that's how bridget cons happened the hospital donated the space and so part of what we were doing we had the whole thing set up and we were trying to the size of a name and brigid was a lie and you know we were rolling around names in our head i remember i think the one that we got the closest to settling on the sale of sale ish house or something like that and for some reason the didn't want to have any of those and with their language and what was going on there might not be the same but you know at that time people didn't talk about child abuse  deciding on a name and it was weird because everything else had just kind of rolled along on you know it was like a steam train it was like the time was right and the first meeting was fired word of mouth and seventy people showed up at the library it was amazing so it was like that the whole time and we're almost done and you know we'll and we're stuck on a name that was weird and and then bridget died and it was very sudden  we have a kind of a bigger vision for what we believe here pretty conference and that's that communities that nurture all their children and are free of child abuse is an idea whose time has come and and i think when people walk in the door here they 're walking into a community that pretty collars community that really does nurture children and really has this great sense of respect for the families that the country year and promoting a sense of hope for them and giving things that really were important to her and and that was it is like this to you know just do whatever it takes to help families out and that's been kind of put as driven our position on all along we in september hundred ninety sister brigid returned from her last visit with her family in ireland she told her secretary marlene dinwiddie that she was not well and had vomited blood during a plane trip home nevertheless the night of her return she was visiting patients in the hospital the next day september twenty second one thousand nine hundred ninety bridget collins died hospital personnel on the larger community were stunned by her on expected death or mourning friends and coworkers filled the church of the assumption for vigils service and requiem mass brigid was interred at the holyrood catholic cemetery in seattle and i thought to myself you know i don't want i don't want to see this casket come into the ground because for me there was a real loss and i was just a person and it was just me everybody you know everybody liked her everybody liked it there was just nothing now to like and unbelievable people person and bridge that gap between professionals in the community and needed you know she was phenomenal really she was one of a kind would describe her as extremely warm with a great sense of humor real  communicator and a love for humanity i mean really just huge heart she was always willing to listen she would take time to listen she always wanted to know how you were you know and how is it going for you very seldom would you ever talk about herself you she wanted to live her life dedicated to serving the rest of us and i believe that she did that in her life that we were  a little better off because of that heavy irish brogue she laughed all the time and she was cheerful just just a really fun person to be your mom and she had she was really always laughing i mean you just she could make people feel better just right up she had a very great sense of humor and lots and lots of i mean she just said lots and lots of friends she was no she was focused on what their needs were not on iraq oh a wonderful individual beautiful her only with her dark hair her irish look you know but very very fun loving full of laughter ready to have a good time i never heard her honest to god i never heard her say a bad thing about anybody you know mason you know and she was she had a sense are you more that wouldn't quit took it for granted and altogether great lady ok richard like everybody i don't think she had an enemy in the world or have anything against anybody know if you had to describe bridget to somebody who had never met her how would you describe  right you can say no to bridget it wasn't an option it just wasn't actually i could ask any doctor i'm sure they don't tell you the same thing it wasn't an option was it because she was a force she was just a force but you know really sisters and i think of the hospital that's who i really think of because of her presence i mean sister katherine left a legacy there's no question about that but bridget was a presence