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Tells the history of St. Vincent's Hospital and the transformative impact of Catholic health care in New York City.
St. Vincent’s Hospital began with a simple, but radical mission: to care for all those in need regardless of race, creed, or financial means. For more than 160 years, the hospital carried out that work, serving notables and the nameless alike, from impoverished immigrants and those stricken by devastating nineteenth-century epidemics to AIDS patients and the victims of the attacks of 9/11.
A Monument of Charity provides the first comprehensive history of this remarkable institution, from its humble beginnings in 1849 to its abrupt closure in 2010. Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, St. Vincent’s earned distinction not only for the quality of its medical programs, but also for its unwavering dedication to the poor. The hospital was a testament to the vision and labor of the Sisters of Charity, who founded, staffed, and administered the hospital with remarkable skill and devotion.
This captivating account documents St. Vincent’s growth into one of the largest and most prominent Catholic medical centers in the United States, as well as its struggles to sustain its religious mission within the ever-changing and increasingly competitive medical marketplace. A Monument to Charity highlights the immense contributions of Catholic sisters to health care in the United States as well as the enduring legacy of all those who worked alongside them to care for the sick and alleviate suffering.
— Kathleen Sprows Cummings, author of A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics Become American
"A Monument of Charity is the perfect title for this book. The book itself will be a monument to the thousands of sisters and their incredibly competent and compassionate staff who made St. Vincent’s the model it was. The research is compelling and has important lessons for us today as we try to maintain Catholic hospitals that are vibrant in mission and management and what a treasure they are for our country."
— Sister Carol Keehan, Former President and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States
"At a time of turmoil in health care delivery in the United States today, this thoroughly researched and well-written book is a reminder of how hospitals historically have worked to meet the needs of the most vulnerable. The book movingly brings the hospital to life through its workers’ responses to the cholera epidemic of the mid-nineteenth century, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, the sinking of the Titanic, the AIDS crisis, and the attacks of 9/11."
— Barbra Mann Wall, author of American Catholic Hospitals: A Century of Changing Markets and Missions
"This deftly written and extensively researched history of St. Vincent’s Hospital is essential reading for those interested in the development of the U.S. Catholic healthcare network. Rzeznik provides us with a clear picture of the highs and lows involved in administering a complex institution dedicated to providing health care to NYC residents from all socio-economic backgrounds."
— Margaret M. McGuinness, author of Called to Serve: A History of Nuns in America