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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA^
MAY 31. 1945
St. Francis Hospital Fulfills
Dream of Monsignor Gwynn
(Special to The Bulletin)
GREENVILLE, S. C.—Thirteen
years ago, Monsignor Gwynn, the
pastor of St. Mary’s Church, wit
nessed the realization of one of his
cherished dreams and the fruit of
some of his untiring effort when
St. Francis Hospital, purchased
from the Salvation Army by the
Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis,
was opened to receive patients and
Greenville had a Catholic hospital.
The hospital had been erected
eight years before, but for certain
reasons had ceased to function,
and had been standing vacant for
some time.
The building, which had a ca-
papity of fifty beds, was remodel
ed by the Sisters, brought up to
date in regard to sanitation,
plumbing, heating and equipment,
and refinished both inside and out.
The Sisters, working under the
direction of Sister Camilla, with
their new hospital were welcomed
by the people and the medical pro
fession of Greenville, to the extent
that in a very short time every pa
tient bed had an occupant.
To meet the increasing demand
for hospitalization a four-story
wing was attached to the rear of
the building in 1935, and accom
modation was provided for fifty
more patients, and improved fa-
c i 1 i t i e s for administration,
X-ray department, kitchen, laun
dry and heating plant were made
possible.
It was not long before the new
wing was filled to capacity and it
continued so until the spring of
1941, when it was decided to re
move the hipped roof from the
original building and to extend
the walls to a full story, having a
flat roof to correspond with the
rear wing. This construction added
seventeen rooms to the hospital
capacity and provided another de-
livery room, a large nursery with
adjoining work room, and addi
tional storage space for linens and
medical supplies.
The entire fourth floor includ
ing the new space and the top
floor of the former addition is de
voted exclusively to maternity
cases, having all accommodations
on the one floor, and being suffi
ciently isolated from the medical
and surgical departments to avoid
possibility of infection.
St. Francis now stands a com
plete fireproof 120-bed hospital.
It has an imposing exterior; it
stands on a hillside, framed in an
attractive setting of towering oaks
and pines, and throughout the in
terior it is in every detail of fur
nishing equipment up to the : .an-
dard demanded of a modern hos
pital.
St. Francis Hospital is noted not
only for its efficiency but also for
its high percentage of charity, and
for the personal and self-sacrific
ing work of the individual Sisters
in all departments, under the di
rection of Sister Lambcrto, who
has given to her work the benefit-
of long experience as well as tech
nical and administrative ability.
Improvements are being made
constantly, and new equipment is
always being acquired. The rooms
are attractively furnished and dec
orated and have more of a home
like than a hospital atmosphere.
F ch room has its individual style
and color scheme.
The latest methods of hospital
lighting have been adopted at St.
Francis Oxygen tanks which
stand in the delivery rooms have
time and again proved their worth,
as have the infant-size iron-lungs
and two incubators.
Two operating rooms and a
treatment room are located on the
third floor, where there is also a
blood plasma bank and a portable
X-ray machine.
There is a separate department
for children, and on the first floor
a chapel.
A nearby cottage, connected with
the hospital by a covered walk, is
the home of the eleven Sisters
who are now serving at the hospi
tal. Seven of the Sisters are reg
istered nurses, and the others are
in charge of administrative, culi
nary, and laundry departments.
The work of remodeling the hos
pital was done under the direc
tion of Father Michael Mclnerney,
O. S. B., of Belmont Abbey, who
executed the plans for several
other Catholic hospitals in South
Carolina. The late James F. Gal-
livan did the first work of reno
vating the building and built the
rear wing, and his kindly interest
was manifested in many ways, es
pecially by his sound advice in
business and financial matters.
St. Francis Hospital plays an im
portant part in the Catholic life
of Greenville and it is regarded by
all Greenville as one of -he city’s
greatest assets.
Editorial Tributes to Bishop Waters
VIRGINIA’S NEW BISHOP
Consecration today in Rich
mond Of the Most Rev. Dr. Vin
cent S. Waters, as Roman Cath-
ilic Bishop of Raleigh, will de
prive Virginia of a native son
whose ability, kindliness, humani-
tarianism and piety have been not
able. Virginia dislikes to relin
quish such a man to North Caro
lina, but remembering that the
late Cardinal Gibbons came to
Richmond from North Carolina as
bishop, and served this diocese
with distinction for five years, it
is only fair that we give up Father
Waters, and permit him to journey
in the reverse direction, i. e., from
Richmond to Raleigh.
Bishop-Elect Waters is the first
native Virginian to be raised to
the Roman Catholic episcopacy in
nearly half a century, and the first
Southern bishop since the Most
Rev. Emmet Walsh, of Savannah,
was appointed Bishop of Charles
ton in 1927.
Born in Roanoke 40 years ago,
Father Waters has taken an active
part in the work of the Catholic
Committee of the South, which has
been a liberal voice in building a
' better South for the people as a
whole, irrespective of race or
creed. He is endowed with a mis
sionary zeal, as is evidenced by
his eager relinquishment two years
ago of the high post of chancellor
of the Richmond Diocese to be
come director of the Diocesan
Missionary Fathers, whose head
quarters are here.
Many distinguished members of
the Catholic hierarchy are in Rich
mond today for the consecration of
the newly chosen Bishop of Ra
leigh. We welcome them, and wish
for Bishop Waters a fruitful and
rewarding ministry in his North
Carolina see.—(Richmond Times-
Dispatck).
BISHOP-ELECT WATERS
The appointment of the Rever
end Vincent S.'Waters to the See
of Raleigh has put us into a dou
ble dilemma. We can hardly say
whether we are the more glad at
Father Waters’ f deserved eleva
tion to the episcopate, or the
more sorry at his departure from
this diocese, which the promotion
entails. And, moreover, we - are
hard put to it to determine
whether the Catholics of North
Carolina, or their Bishop - elect
may be deemed the more worthy of
congratulation — they for having
so excellent a shepherd sent them;
he for having been entrusted with
so fine a flock.
On one matter, however, we are
in no doubt at all: If unaffected
piety, strong common sense, fond
ness for hard work, and a genuine
goodness of heart have anything
to do with success—and we sus
pect they have—Bishop-elect Wa
ters will be outstandingly suc
cessful. In his work as a diocesan
missionary he relied on just three
things: humble prayer, hard work
and a consistent effort to live the
truths and virtues he preached to
others. And the things which
made him a good missionary will
make him a good bishop.
Elsewhere in this issue of The
Catholic Virginian some account
is given of the Bishop-elect’s
past career and accomplishments.
Here, for the moment, we wish
only to express something of our
affection for him and of our grati
tude for his kindly services to
this magazine. As diocesan chan
cellor and later as head of the
Missionary Fathers, he never lost
an opportunity of being helpful to
our staff. For that we are grate
ful. And we are still more grate
ful for having had him so good
an example of what a priest of
God should be. There is nothing
externally striking or overwhelm
ing about Father Waters- person
ality, but, in homely phrase, he
wears well. We have known him
long enough to love and admit e
him very much. May God bless and
prosper him now and always,
(The Catholic Virginian.)
BUY WAR BONDS
Our Congratulations
and
Best Wishes
TO
MONSIGNOR GWYNN
on His Fiftieth Anniversary
THE NEW ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL
St. Francis Hospital
GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA