APRIL 13, 2008

	SISTER MAURA’S LIFETIME  OF SERVICE CELEBRATED
Even though she is retiring from the health center in South Bend that bears her name, Sister Maura Brannick still plans on volunteering at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center four days a week.

The following article is reprinted from Today’s Catholic, the newspaper of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, Indiana. Photo by Mike Stack.

Founder of South Bend health center for the underserved retires

By Mike Stack

A lifetime of humble service was honored on Friday, April 4, as Sister Maura Brannick retired from the South Bend health center that bears her name.

The celebration was held at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) in South Bend, Indiana. Friends, family, physicians, and many others attended, including U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly and former Indiana Governor and South Bend Mayor Joe Kernan.

Kernan presented Sister Maura with the Sagamore of the Wabash, a designation considered to be the highest honor bestowed in the State of Indiana.

“This is such a wonderful recognition, and certainly not just for me, but for all the doctors and nurses and volunteers who gave their time over at the health center through the years,” said Sister Maura. “We really changed a lot of lives.”

In nearly 63 years as a Sister of the Holy Cross, through unrelenting dedication to her faith and her communities, Sister Maura has touched the lives of thousands from Indiana to Idaho and back. The last 21-and a-half years are symbolic of her remarkable career, as she continued to spend much of her time as the outreach coordinator at the Sister Maura Brannick, CSC, Health Center, which provides healthcare to the poor and underserved and those who simply have nowhere else to turn. Formerly called the Saint Joseph Health Center, the clinic was renamed in October 2006 in honor of Sister Maura’s establishment of the clinic in 1986.

“I never wish to take any credit for the health center,” said Sister Maura. “If this community and Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center wouldn’t have gotten behind it, it would not exist. This is where I got to really see poverty and people with absolutely no healthcare. Consequently, they had no hope, so this inspired in me the need for a health center. I didn’t have any money — just an idea.”

That idea blossomed from its humble beginnings from a 400-square-foot, two-bay garage on Washington Street to its current location at Chapin Street and Western Avenue on South Bend’s near west side. In its 21-and-a-half years, the Sister Maura Brannick, CSC, Health Center has provided over 75,000 patient visits.

And those around her clinic, as well as those around the entire country, always showed Sister Maura their appreciation.

“In those 63 extraordinary years, Sister Maura has truly seen it all,” said Nancy R. Hellyer, SJRMC’s president and CEO. “She has met presidents and many other community leaders — from the leader of the local bikers known as the Naptown Riders, who would help Sister Maura carry supplies into her clinic on Chapin Street, to former President George Bush, who honored her with the Points of Life Award in 1991. She carried the Olympic torch as it passed through South Bend; and she has carried our mission of providing healthcare to all, regardless of ability to pay, like an Olympic champion for those who need our help the most. Just as she is a godsend to people on South Bend’s west side, she is a godsend to all of us here at Saint Joseph.”

Throughout over six decades as a Sister of the Holy Cross, Sister Maura has logged over 550,000 hours of inspiring dedication to her faith and to those who desperately needed healthcare. 

“I joined the Sisters of the Holy Cross a long time ago and I’ve been a nurse ever since,” she said. “And I’ve loved every minute of it.”

But now with a lot of time on her hands, many wonder what will this extraordinary woman, who is so used to being on the go helping others, do?

“Oh, that’s easy,” she said with a smile. “I’m going to volunteer here at the hospital four days a week.”

And that’s the dedication to helping others that has flowed through her for now 83 years of her entire life. Perhaps Rep. Donnelly said it best when he announced that her name will forever be a part of the U.S. Congressional Record.

“When I look at Sister Maura, I see the face of Christ here on earth,” he said. “Your willingness to help others has changed a neighborhood, a city, a state, and, yes, even a nation. For everything you have given us, we thank you.”

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