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Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother Move to Oshkosh

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

OSHKOSH -- The Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, have moved their headquarters to Oshkosh. Bp. Robert Banks, retired Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, will officially welcome the provincial leadership at a morning liturgy on Sept. 16 at SSM Franciscan Courts.

The Sisters are not strangers to the Fox Valley area. Their community was founded in Rome in 1883. In 1889, they were asked to take over a vacated hospital in Wichita, Kan., and had four more hospitals with five years. One of those was in Oshkosh. In 1891, two Sisters arrived in Oshkosh to found their fourth mission in America at St. Mary's Hospital, which later became a home for the aged.

In April 1918, Oshkosh's Lakeside Hospital was acquired by the Sisters at the request of the local community and renamed Mercy Hospital. Today, Mercy Medical Center, now relocated to the west side, is a member of Affinity Health System, a partnership between Ministry Health Care and the Wheaton Franciscans.

Another connection with Oshkosh happened in 1989, when the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother moved their retirement center from Milwaukee to Oshkosh. SSM Franciscan Courts was built at 815 Westhaven Drive, also on the city's west side. The Sisters' prayer ministry there reaches wherever the community serves and includes outreach and service at St. Raphael Parish, located across the street from Franciscan Courts.

Since 1989, the community has not had a motherhouse. That year, the community merged their provinces of New Jersey, Wisconsin and Oklahoma and moved their provincial office to Broken Arrow, Okla. From there, the province administration oversaw the life and ministry of the congregation within the United States and the countries of Trinidad, St. Lucia, Grenada, and the Dominican Republic. This work will continue from their new office located at 2935 Universal Court in Oshkosh. Their office in Oklahoma was located in a former Catholic High School. The building has now been sold to St. John Health System and will become the St. Claire Center, a skilled retirement wing of the hospital.

"We sold it for a number of reasons," Sr. Maria explained. These included the cost of upkeep of the building and the decreasing number of Sisters living there. "However," she said, "we told our members that, by selling to St. John's, we're keeping the building 'in the family.'"

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On Aug. 3, Sr. M. Sylvia Egan, provincial, and Sr. Jeanine Retzer, assistant provincial, arrived in Oshkosh to oversee the relocation of their new office.

"For us it is coming home," said Sr. Jeanine, who was born and raised in Milwaukee. Sr. Sylvia grew up on a dairy farm south of Omro and did her training at the nursing school at the old Mercy Hospital.

These Sisters will continue to lead the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother in their work for the church from their new location, together with Sr. Maria Vinton of Tomahawk, and Sr. Raphael Narcisi, who complete the provincial leadership team. The majority of the community's 500-plus members live where they minister. The move to an office building marks the first time the community has not located their leadership at a motherhouse or a community house of Sisters.

Sr. Maria said the community has already started hosting their international meetings in Oshkosh, at what they affectionately call "the Courts."

"We are committed to strengthening our relationship with the leadership of the Green Bay Diocese and continue serving others through our ministries of health care, prayer and spiritual services, and parish work." said Sr. Sylvia about the future presence in the area. "The Fox Valley has much to offer us as we develop new areas of service. I am looking forward to working with Oshkosh's civic leadership to help address the needs of the less fortunate."

(Sr. Maria Vinton, SSM, contributed to this story.)