[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 20, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           COMMENDING THE FRANCISCAN MISSIONARIES OF OUR LADY

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                         HON. RODNEY ALEXANDER

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2011

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today 
to congratulate the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady for their 
century of faith and service to the State of Louisiana. This honor is 
shared as many lives have been touched through the three sanitariums 
operating in our state.
  Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady started in France in 1854 when 
seven groups of Franciscan sisters banded together. As the organization 
rapidly grew throughout the world, the first North American expansion 
happened in 1911 with the healing ministry being established in Monroe, 
La. Two years later, St. Francis Sanitarium opened in Monroe.
  After the first establishment in this city, the Franciscan 
Missionaries of Our Lady were invited to open two more sanitariums 
throughout Louisiana: Baton Rouge's Our Lady of the Lake Sanitarium was 
dedicated in 1923 and Lafayette's Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in 1949.
  Even today, the congregation of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our 
Lady remains committed to the ministry of healthcare and spiritual 
wholeness--serving all of God's people.
  This organization is an example of how a small founding group can 
grow to touch the lives of many, and I commend their hard work and 
dedication to making a positive difference across our state. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in honoring the Franciscan Missionaries of Our 
Lady for their century of service.

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