Saint Francis Hospital celebrated the feast day for its namesake, Saint Francis de Sales, on January 24. Saint Francis de Sales, who serves as the patron saint for the hospital as well as for writers, journalists, and the deaf, was also the patron saint for the Sisters of St. Joseph in Chambery, France. Mother Ann Valencia and a group of Sisters of St. Joseph founded Saint Francis Hospital in 1897.
Sister Sally Hodgden, Provincial of the Sisters of St. Joseph, spoke in Chawla about the 128-year history and Mission of Saint Francis.
Legend has it that the Archdiocese of Hartford intended for the hospital to be named for Saint Francis of Assisi, but due to Mother Valencia’s origins in Savoy, France, she assumed the namesake to be Saint Francis de Sales. After Mother Valencia purchased a painting of the “wrong” Saint Francis, Bishop Tierney conceded and let Saint Francis de Sales remain the hospital’s patron.
In honor of Saint Francis de Sales Day, colleagues and friends were invited to join Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt for mass in the hospital chapel. Later in the day, Sister Sally Hodgden, Provincial of the Sisters of St. Joseph, spoke in Chawla Auditorium about the 128-year history and Mission of Saint Francis Hospital.