A long-serving ministry created by the Sisters of Providence is recognizing 140 years of care in the Spokane community. Over its storied history, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center has grown to become one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest hospitals, at 644 beds.
Sr. Rosalie Locati, SP, spoke at a commemorative Mass on September 3, which was held inside a chapel on the hospital campus – located in what’s now the Providence Outpatient Health Center. It was Sacred Heart Hospital’s chapel from 1947-1972, and Sr. Rosalie recognized its cherished place in the congregation’s history via its hosting of countless vow renewals, Jubilees, and funeral masses for Sisters over the years.
Sr. Rosalie was a perfect inclusion to mark the 140th anniversary: She spent more than two decades in ministry at the Medical Center, including service as the facility’s Director of Mission and Values.
Sacred Heart is central to the Sisters of Providence’s story in the American West. Mother Joseph designed and supervised construction of the initial hospital beginning in 1886, 30 years after she arrived in Fort Vancouver. The first patient was admitted in 1887, and the story of the region’s first hospital officially had its start.
The original Sacred Heart Hospital, as designed by Mother Joseph, was situated between Front Avenue and Bernard Street in Spokane. (Courtesy of Providence Archives) Sr. Mary Francine Dolezal was the maternity supervisor at Sacred Heart. She’s pictured here (with two newborn patients) in 1944. (Courtesy of Providence Archives) Sr. Magdalene of Providence delivers flowers to a patient at Sacred Heart Hospital, as it was then known, in 1968. (Courtesy of Providence Archives) Sr. Annette Mary Parent ministers as a pharmacist at Sacred Heart during the late 1970s. (Courtesy of Providence Archives) An aerial view of Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in the 1960s (Courtesy of Providence Archives) An exterior view of Sacred Heart in the 1980s (Courtesy of Providence Archives)
The current Medical Center, located south of downtown Spokane and dedicated in 1971, is the third generation of facilities to serve as home to Sacred Heart care.
Photos and historical information in this story are courtesy of the Providence Archives and Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center’s history webpage.