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Mercy
Women of Influence
Sister
Mary Venarda Lance (1921– ) photo
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Sister
Mary Venarda came to Iowa City in 1969 as an accomplished administrator
who had supervised the construction and opening of the 500-bed Mercy
Hospital in Chicago. She had begun her career as a registered nurse
and held a master’s degree in health administration from St.
Louis University.
During her Iowa City years, Sister Mary Venarda worked closely with
state and community leaders, building on the principles and concepts
for Mercy’s development laid out by her predecessors. She
also took an active role in the community.
Sister Mary Venarda’s two decades at Mercy were years of modernization
and growth. The Second Century Modernization Project of the early
1970s, Project ’82, acquisition of Centre Market Square, and
creation of the Iowa City Cancer Treatment Center occurred during
her administration. In 1969 the first hospital foundation in the
state was formed under Sister Mary Venarda’s leadership.
Sister Mary Venarda weathered uncertainty and maneuvered through
the health care turmoil of the 1970s and ’80s. Through perseverance
and community partnerships, she enabled Mercy to become a sophisticated
regional referral center. Sister Mary Venarda retired in 1989 and
continues to follow the hospital’s success and visits on occasion
from her home at the Mercy Convent in Chicago.
Dr. Helen Deaton (1912–2006) photo
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Helen Derby was born in Oregon and graduated as valedictorian in
Jerome, Idaho, in 1929. After receiving her BS degree from Linfield
College in Oregon, she worked as a lab assistant and also enjoyed
teaching.
Helen pursued her love of science and received her MS, Ph.D. and
MD degrees from the University of Colorado and went on to work as
a staff bacteriologist with the New Mexico Department of Public
Health. During her internship and residency at the University of
Iowa, Helen met and married David Deaton.
After her marriage, Dr. Helen Deaton became affiliated with Mercy
Iowa City in 1946 and was the first female physician to join the
hospital. She practiced anesthesiology from 1946 until her retirement
in 1986. Dr. Deaton was noted in an early 1970s issue of Who’s
Who of American Women as the first woman anesthesiologist to go
into private practice. Helen had one daughter, Juanita Strait, who
works at Mercy today.
Sister
Mary Fausta Vorwerk (1911–1995)
photo
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Sister Mary Fausta Vorwerk was born in southeast Iowa in 1911 and
grew up in a large family. She entered the Sisters of Mercy in Chicago
at age 22.
Sister Fausta felt she could best serve her community by becoming
a nurse and so received her RN degree in 1941. She worked as a surgical
nurse supervisor at Mercy Hospital in Davenport in the early 1940s
and then came to Mercy Iowa City to serve in the same position.
Sister Fausta completed a bachelor’s degree at Marycrest College
and entered hospital administration at Mercy Hospital in Marshalltown
in 1953. She continued in supervisory and administrative positions
for three decades.
In 1986, Sister Fausta began working in Pastoral Care at Mercy Iowa
City, where she met with patients and families until the last week
of her life. Sister was 83 years old when she passed away at Mercy,
where she had served for 34 years.
Sister Fausta is remembered for her small stature and large heart.
Her spirit can still be seen in the beautiful Mercy rose gardens
that she nurtured.
Sister
Mary Alois Kessler (1908–1985) photo
A native of Cosgrove, Iowa, Sister Mary Alois entered the Sisters
of Mercy in Chicago in 1940, with a focus on nursing. She received
an undergraduate degree from Mercy Hospital in Davenport and further
education in maternity nursing from Marquette University.
Sister Mary Alois served as director of maternity departments in
Mercy Hospitals in Davenport, Chicago, Marshalltown, and Iowa City.
She was the last Sister of Mercy to head Mercy Iowa City’s
maternity department, retiring from that position in 1969 after
serving for 25 years.
A new challenge was presented shortly after retiring. Sister Alois
was asked to develop a Pastoral Care Department for Mercy Hospital.
She gladly enrolled in a Clinical Pastoral Education program and
became certified in the field. She then worked to integrate pastoral
care into the services offered to Mercy patients and their families.
Sister is also credited with being one of the incorporators of the
first hospital foundation board in the state.
Sister Mary Catherine Fanning (1890–1972) photo
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The eldest daughter of Samuel and Ann Fanning, Mary Fanning of County
Tipperary dreamed of leaving Ireland and becoming an American missionary.
With only six years of education and no dowry, Mary was given approval
by her parents to follow her dream, and the Sisters of Mercy in
Iowa City gave her enough money to pay for her passage to the States.
She arrived in Iowa City at age 21 in 1911.
Sister Mary Catherine subsequently convinced her three sisters to
join her in serving the poor, sick, and ignorant. Kathleen (Sr.
Mary Monica), Helen (Sr. Mary Gabriel), and Ann (Sr. Mary Leo) had
all joined their oldest sister in Iowa City by 1923. To have a missionary
daughter in America was the pride and joy of Irish parents. Ann
and Samuel were blessed fourfold.
During her tenure, Sister Catherine and Mercy Hospital became synonymous.
She was beloved by the Sisters of Mercy, employees, physicians,
patients, and community. She earned a nursing degree (1917), Ph.G.
(Graduate in Pharmacy, 1924), bachelor of arts (1941), and a master
of science in hospital pharmacy from the University of Iowa (1954).
Sister Catherine was also a registered X-ray technician and directed
both the pharmacy and X-ray departments while earning her degrees.
She retired in 1968, but continued to make daily patient visits
until her death in 1972.
Richard Theobald, her successor as Pharmacy Director, said, “Sr.
Catherine had a captivating personality that served her well . .
. . She had a tremendous knowledge base, not only in Pharmacy, but
in Radiology and Medical practice. She was a kind and compassionate
woman of great strength” (Condon, Sr. Mary Brigid. From Obscurity
to Distinction, 1993).
Mother Dolores Fitzsimmons (1866–1937) Individual
photo not available
Groomed for her position by her predecessor, Mother Dolores took
over responsibility for Mater Misericordia Hospital (as Mercy Iowa
City was then named) in 1900 age 32. Mother Dolores recruited many
young, Irish Catholic women to leave their homeland and join her
quest to serve the sick and the poor in Iowa City.
While many of her Mercy years were filled with financial hardship
and struggle, it was also a time of great growth for the building,
medical programs, and staff. The Mercy School of Nursing opened
in 1911 with 33 students. Physicians increased from five half-time
appointments to 25 full-time members.
During Mother Dolores’s tenure, a hospital expansion project
was completed. It involved the purchase of land and new structures
built in 1902, 1906, and 1908. The last building constructed during
Mother Dolores’s administration was called the Center Building
and cost $200,000. This new four-story structure was located on
Market Street and was the largest hospital in a 50-mile radius.
Mother
Mary Isidore O’Connor (1826–1899)
Individual picture not available
Born in Tipperary, Ireland, Letitia Magdalen O’Connor was
educated in a convent and took an interest in the world’s
religious affairs from an early age. She professed her vows and
entered the Sisters of Mercy in Chicago in 1858. She was given the
religious name Sister Mary Isidore.
Sister Isidore was a gifted woman. Her well-rounded education gave
her an advantage in languages, literacy, law, and science. Her scholarly
background made her an asset to her institution and propelled her
into leadership roles throughout her career.
Sister Isidore was named Superior and Administrator of Mercy Hospital
in 1880. The hospital, which was providing the State University
of Iowa Medical School with a clinical practice facility, was struggling
at the time. Lack of documented regulations, ambiguous lines of
authority, limited finances, insufficient space and a rundown building
led to many challenges.
Mother Mary Isidore earned a reputation as an excellent administrator
and a savvy businesswoman. Under her leadership, Mercy Hospital
withdrew from the University-owned building it had occupied and
in 1885 purchased property at the corner of Bloomington and Van
Buren streets. The new location was ready for occupancy in 1886
and was incorporated under the name of “Mater Misericordia
Hospital.”
By the time of her death in 1899, Mercy Hospital had established
itself as a private hospital serving the community. With a new identity
and renewed sense of mission, the hospital was ready to position
itself as a healthcare leader.
The
Venerable Mother Catherine Elizabeth McAuley (1778–1841)
photo
Orphaned at an early age in Ireland, Catherine McAuley developed
a deep spirituality and found “peace in the cross, joy in
suffering, prayer in action and action in prayer” (Bolster,
Catherine McAuley). With a personal inheritance, Catherine built
a home on Baggot St. in Dublin and used it to shelter poor girls,
women, and their children. This residence was dedicated as the first
“House of Mercy” on September 24, 1827, which is now
celebrated as Mercy Day.
Encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, Catherine began the Religious
Institute of the “Sisters of Mercy” in 1831. Often seen
walking the streets of Dublin while serving the sick and the poor,
the “walking nuns” inspired many women to dedicate themselves
to Christ and service to the poor.
Mother Catherine McAuley lived only 10 years as a Sister of Mercy,
but in that time established Foundations in Ireland and England.
When she died at age 63, there were approximately 150 Sisters carrying
out Catherine’s tradition of service. Soon new foundations
spread to the United States and today the Sisters of Mercy serve
in 44 countries.
In 1978, the cause for the beatification of the Servant of God,
Catherine McAuley, was opened by Pope Paul VI, and in 1990 Pope
John Paul II declared her Venerable. This places the Venerable Mother
Catherine Elizabeth McAuley on the path to possible sainthood.
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