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Our Catholic Heritage
ROOTED IN FAITH
December 3, 1960 was the 63rd birthday of William K. Warren, Sr., and the day Cardinal Francis Spellman, Archbishop of New York, dedicated Saint Francis Hospital.
While the presence of Christ has guided humanity through the ages—on that day years ago, Saint Francis Hospital gave it a new home. Decades before “corporate culture” and “brand values” became part of the healthcare industry lexicon, Saint Francis Health System’s mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ was instilled by its founders, Natalie O. and William K. Warren Sr.
The Warrens wanted to serve those who needed the most help—people who may struggle for full dignity within our society, but are still equal in God’s eyes. Believing that healthcare is a basic human right, the Warrens founded a Catholic-based health system that not only healed the body, but served the mind and spirit.
“The body must be cared for as the vessel of the soul,” said Father Gary Kastl, Rector of Holy Family Cathedral, president of Bishop Kelley High School, and member of Saint Francis’ Board of Directors. “In the Catholic tradition, there’s a non-negotiable service that everyone needs and has a right to proper healthcare. Since its founding, Saint Francis has grown to meet that need.”
– Reverend Gary Kastl
Saint Francis is more than a hospital; it is a place where the medical and spiritual stand as one. Where every decision is made for the grace and dignity of the whole person, and every person. Where the Religious Sisters of Mercy live, pray, and help heal alongside many of the region’s leading healthcare providers. Where clergy provide spiritual support, anoint the sick and bestow the Blessed Sacrament. The Warrens founded a Catholic hospital not only to serve the individual spiritual and medical needs of the sick and suffering, but to serve the community at large. Filling the gap and helping those left behind is critical to Catholic morality.
“Societal ills that plague our communities always come to the hospital,” said Bishop David Konderla of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma. “Serving beyond is simply another aspect of the ministry of the health system.”
– Bishop David Konderla
COVID-19 has opened these societal gaps even wider; true to its mission, Saint Francis is working to close them, providing our communities with a stable presence in an uncertain world.
“The pandemic has pulled back the veil for all of us to assess what our faith is rooted in,” said Father Kastl. “No longer is it individualized pain, the human family is suffering. And the faith dimension, the need to pray and be lifted up, is even more necessary to get on the other side of this.”
The original chapel of Saint Francis Hospital
Faith will endure as a cornerstone of the health system.
Heavenly Father,
For these last sixty years You have used Saint Francis Health System to bring the healing love of Your Son Jesus to the sick. Instill in all who work for this healing ministry a deep desire to serve You and their brothers and sisters. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide us in the years ahead so we may give thanks for the many blessings You bestow on us and all those we serve. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
