[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 113 (Monday, July 11, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S3198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING ST. JOSEPH HEALTHCARE

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, St. Joseph Healthcare of Bangor, ME, was 
founded in 1947 by the Felician Sisters with a mission to support the 
wellness and healing of a patient's mind, body, and spirit. On this 
75th anniversary, I congratulate this outstanding institution for 
carrying out that mission with expertise and compassion.
  St. Joseph is a 112-bed acute care community hospital that brings 
together primary care providers and specialists focused on delivering 
personalized medicine in more than 30 departments. It is a member of 
Covenant Health, an innovative, Catholic regional health delivery 
network that is a leader in values-based, not-for-profit health and 
elder care.
  The St. Joseph story began in 1855 in Warsaw, Poland, when Blessed 
Angela founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix, an order 
dedicated to serving the poor, the sick, and the disabled. The Felician 
Sisters were founded with a particular focus on serving the Polish 
countryside. St. Joseph Healthcare continues that tradition by its 
efforts to ensure healthcare services for rural Maine.
  St. Joseph's contributions as a healthcare provider are enormous but 
only part of its mission. The hospital's facilities have been applied 
to such needs as providing laundry and food services to the area's 
homeless shelters. A food pantry, an elementary school backpack 
program, and a community vegetable exchange stand help alleviate food 
insecurity. St. Joseph's Closet provides patients who are being 
discharged with needed clothing. The Blessing Bag program provides 
food, winter clothing, and basic personal hygiene items to homeless 
emergency room patients.
  Countless other acts of kindness complement the St. Joseph mission of 
meeting the spiritual and religious needs of patients regardless of 
their beliefs and traditions or spirituality. The 16th century Capuchin 
friar canonized St. Felix was known in his time as ``the saint of the 
streets of Rome'' for his daily journeys through the city dispensing 
food, medicine, and comfort to the poor, the sick, and the troubled. 
The dedicated staff and leadership of St. Joseph Healthcare continue 
that legacy through the streets of Bangor and the country roads of 
Maine, and I thank them for their blessed service.

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