July 8, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jennifer Roseman, Director of Communications & Development
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“I’d say I’ve seen the entire century!” Sister Louisa declares with delight. She was born in Chewelah, Wash., on July 7, 1904, and had received an education from Kinman Business College and several years of office work before entering the religious community in 1930. Her ministries have been in medical technology and she managed laboratories and supporting services in Providence hospitals throughout Montana and Washington. She also held office in local, state and national associations for medical technologists.
Sister Louisa served a term as superior of Mount St. Joseph, Spokane, before beginning a “second life” in health care at Sacred Heart Medical Center. There, she was the first Sister of Providence certified as a minister in pastoral care and worked in that capacity for 20 years until her retirement in 1993. She was responsible for patients in rehabilitation, on the psychiatric unit and undergoing kidney dialysis – all of whom were experiencing life-changing events.
“I figured I had plenty of jokes to tell, and stories too. Then they’d tell me their life stories,” Sister Louisa explained in an interview in her 70th Jubilee year. “And we played cards. But I never left the bedside of a patient without a prayer, regardless of their faith affiliation.
Sister Louisa, who retired to Mount St. Joseph in 1993, has kept herself busy since then corresponding with friends and family and practicing the fine arts of sewing, knitting, crocheting and other handwork. In fact, on her special day of celebration, the dress that she wore was one that she had made. And always, she takes time to reflect on what has brought her this far. “To have time to relax, to study, to pray, and to contemplate more about God?s love for me is an asset that cannot be fully explained.”