The Sisters of Providence in Holyoke, MA have been involved in healthcare for a long time.  One of their members, a nurse herself, Sr. Mary Caritas Geary, has been a champion for the cause of having a flower garden at Mercy Medical Center.  Read here how her dream finally came true.

Sr. Mary Caritas Geary, a 1945 graduate of the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing and her fellow alumni have long been asking for a flower garden in honor of Mercy nurses. In late spring, the nurses’ garden was blessed at the front entrance of Mercy Medical Center in Springfield. Staff members of Mercy Medical Center gathered to dedicate the garden honoring the past and present service of nurses. Deborah Bitsoli, the president of Mercy Medical Center, has a long history of family working in the health care field so designing the garden was very personal to her. She worked with a landscaper to select an area in the hospital campus that was very visible to passers-by.

Sr. Mary Caritas, a former Mercy Hospital president, was surprised with a bouquet of flowers for being the oldest graduate of Mercy Medical Center. She is now 98.

A member of the Mercy Medical Center board member, Sr. Caritas was pleased to finally have a garden in appreciation of the thousands of graduates of the Mercy Nursing School who share a special bond. She has offered daily prayers for all nurses especially because of the pandemic this past year.

“They put in so much of their lives every single day when they come to work. You never know what is going to happen. And you know, it is not easy because they have to worry about their children and their families and their parents. Yet, they come to work and they do their duty and I am just so proud to be a nurse.”

A bronze statue of a nurse wearing a Sister of Providence cap eventually will be added to complete the garden.

This particular Sister, though 98, is still active and often lovingly referred to as “The Energizer Bunny.” So happy that you finally got your flower garden, Sister Caritas!

Barbara McMullen, CDP