[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 52 (Thursday, April 3, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E492-E493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF SISTER MAURA BRANNICK OF THE CONGREGATION 
                           OF THE HOLY CROSS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE DONNELLY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 3, 2008

  Mr. DONNELLY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
achievements of Sister Maura Brannick, a sister of the Congregation of 
the Holy Cross who has dedicated her life to the poor and disadvantaged 
members of the South Bend Community. After nearly 55

[[Page E493]]

years with the Congregation of the Holy Cross, Sister Maura Brannick's 
legacy is marked by several distinguished awards and, most recently, a 
health clinic dedicated in her name.
  Sister Maura Brannick was born in Joliet, Illinois, to Charles and 
Ellen Brannick. In 1948, Sister Maura graduated from Saint Mary's 
Hospital School of Nursing, the same year she completed her final 
profession into the Sisters of the Holy Cross. For the next three 
decades, Sister Maura's ministry focused on providing nursing care to 
patients in hospitals in both Indiana and Illinois. Her life has become 
a living example of how one person can make a difference in many lives.
  Recognizing the need for a medical facility for the poor living 
within South Bend, Indiana, Sister Maura founded the Chapin Street 
Health Center in 1986. The original clinic, located in a 400 square 
foot converted carriage house, has grown into a 10,000 foot facility 
that was renamed in 2006 to honor its founder. The Sister Maura 
Brannick Health Center, as it is currently known, has served over 
70,000 patients since its opening and over 60,000 hours have been 
donated by local physicians and volunteers.
  Over the past 20 years, Sister Maura has received several awards 
honoring her dedication to the community. In 1991, she received the 
Points of Light Award from President George H.W. Bush, which honors 
individuals who find innovative ways to meet community needs with long-
term solutions. Sister Maura was named Woman of the Year in 1994 by the 
Executive Journal and by the YWCA in 1987. She was inducted into the 
South Bend Hall of Fame in 1998 and received the Leighton Award for 
Nonprofit Excellence in 2003 for her remarkable commitment to the 
working poor.
  At the dedication ceremony for the Sister Maura Brannick Health 
Center in 2006, Sister Maura shared the following perspective: ``We 
only have one life to live and I want to live it all. And I just 
thought if I can do something, I want to do it.'' As Nancy Hellyer, 
president and CEO of South Bend Regional Medical Center said during the 
center's dedication, ``Sister Maura Brannick has touched the lives of 
thousands in hospitals from Indiana to Idaho and back. The last twenty 
years are symbolic of her remarkable career as she still spends much of 
her time at the Health Center, a true Godsend to residents of South 
Bend.''
  So, today I rise to pay tribute to Sister Maura for her countless 
efforts at improving the lives of the less fortunate within our midst. 
Her legacy will be forever remembered and her hard work cherished by 
all those whose lives she touched. May God grant Sister Brannick many 
more years of strength and courage so that her dedicated service to the 
people of Indiana may continue.

                          ____________________