More than 20 Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word who have been part of the religious community's 83 years of service to St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach will be honored Nov. 18 at St. Mary's annual anniversary auction and dinner at the Hyatt Regency, Long Beach.
At this year's event, to benefit St. Mary's hospice and cancer programs, Life Achievement Awards will be given to the Sisters of Charity who have served at the medical center. Most of the expected sister-attendees are presently living at their Mother House in Houston, Texas.
During the evening, a video production will spotlight the living Sisters of Charity that have served at St. Mary. Among them will be Sister Edith Judge, who served at St. Mary's as an administrator in the 1970s and as director of Mission Services in the 1990s. Originally from Country Cork, Ireland, she was one of many who, in her words, found the Long Beach community and St. Mary's "an outstanding place to work and be in ministry."
"It was a compassionate and caring environment for patients," she recalls. "The directors and administrators were outstanding, and the physicians and nursing staff were also excellent, and very caring."
St. Mary's, Sister Judge noted, has always reached out to, assisted and cared for the local community, especially the poor and those who had no one else to turn to. "Many years ago," she said, "when other hospitals were not taking AIDS patients, St. Mary's took care of them and established the Care Program, which is nationally known for its quality of care to AIDS patients."
A member of her religious community for 56 years, Sister Judge pointed out that community education programs now offered to the elderly, senior, and internal medicine affiliated with UCLA have become hallmarks of St. Mary's service to Long Beach. In the 1970s, for example, Sister Lucille Desmond (one of those returning for the Nov. 18 event) led the effort to establish an outreach program to newly-arrived Cambodians who settled in Long Beach.
For Sister Judge and her fellow sisters, this Saturday's event brings anticipation, joy and fond remembering. "When I first heard the life achievement award would be presented to the Sisters," she observed, "I thought of the many who have since passed on. But they'll be there in spirit."
The St. Mary Medical Center Auction and Dinner will take place Nov. 18 at the Hyatt Regency, Long Beach. For information, call (562) 491-4838. |