Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1902-07-05
ONE WOMAN'S WORK.
How JeffersonVilIe Secured a
First Glass Hos
pitaI.

Until about FIVE years ago Jacksonville
was without hospital of any kind. One
day Sister of Mercy came along from
Western city with one companion, an
other Sister of Mercy. They called upon
Rev. Father Audran, the then pastor of
St. Augustiue's church, who has since
gone to his eternal reward. The Sister
in authority was Mother Mary Regina,
who is now at the head of the Mercy
Hospital on Spring Hill, which is a
credit to Jacksonville and Southern In
diana. She told Father Audran that the
purpose of her visit to Jacksonville was
to start hospital
Tut, tut" exclaimed Father Audran
in his blunt way. "My dear Sister, you
can not start hospital in Jacksonville.
There is no money here for that pupose.
You had better go to some other city,
where there is more life and wealth."
Mother Regina was not to be discour-
aged. She is possessed of great deal of
North of Ireland pluck. She respectfully
but firmly told Father Audran she had
come to Jacksonville to start hospital
and would start one. In few days she
had rented house on Chestnut street
and begun business. The house was
one-story frame with about six rooms.
In a few weeks she had several patients.
In year she was compelled to look for
larger quarters and removed to Spring
Hill, where a two-story frame building
of fair size was purchased from the pro-
ceeds of the work begun on Chestnut
street. People marveled at the work of
the two Sisters. They were unable to un-
derstand how they got along so well.
Without seeming to be irreverent it may
be said that the work was not all accom-
plished by prayer. Sister Mary Regina
believes that the Lord helps those who
help themselves. She is a business
woman as we'll as a deeply religious
woman. These two Sisters of Mercy un-
aided, toiling night and day, soon had
more patrons than they could we'll serve
in the two-story frame building, and just
as soon as this happened Sister Regina
set about building large hospital. She
told an architect what she wanted. She
made a contract with one of the leading
contractors of Indiana to build hospital
structure with many rooms, of brick aud
stone, and it stands high above Jefferson
vile and is a monument to the industry
of this good woman. Sister Mary Regina
feels proud of her work, and we'll she
may. So also may those who sent her to
Jacksonville.
1t would probably not please the good
Sister to say that she carried on the work
alone. She had help. When everybody
saw that she was doing good service for
the community Catholic and Protestant,
Jew and unbeliever, lent helping hand.
With all of this work Sister Mary Regina
finds time to be cheerful and not the
least discouraged on account of debt.
Since her work has increased her supe-
riors have sent her number of assistants
and the hospital now has an abundance
of good nurses and is constantly increas-
ing in favor among the medical profess
sion, the best physicians sending their
patients there.
All who know Mother Mary Regina de-
light in her acquaintanceship and are
proud that an Irish woman can accom-
plish so much in the face of so much
opposition and disadvantages. The Mercy
Hospital is monument to her pluck and
ability. Had Sister Mary Regina lived in
city of wealth there is no telling what
she might have accomplished. She is
certainly away ahead of Jacksonville in
enterprise, but she likes the place and its
people and says they have treated her
admirably.
Sister Regina started her hospital be-
fore the Sisters of New Albany or Louis
vile thought of building one, and being
first in the field in this work much credit
is due her.;