Mission

20th Year

Posted on by christushealth
Reading time 3 minutes

CHRISTUS Health celebrated its 20th anniversary by pausing on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, for a special prayer service to celebrate its journey and to commemorate the creation of the system. The opportunity was also used to celebrate the organization’s many successes and growth over the last two decades.

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The CHRISTUS Health legacy of hope and healing truly began in 1866 when three Sisters responded to a call from Bishop Claude Dubuis and immigrated to Texas with a mission: to provide relief to the sick and infirmed in the name of Jesus Christ. Their travels, ministering to those most in need, resulted in the establishment of two congregations committed to extending God’s healing presence.

 

Twenty years ago, on Feb. 1, 1999, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston and of San Antonio planted a seed when they joined their health care ministries and formed CHRISTUS Health to grow their ability to meet the needs of the communities they served.

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Feb. 1, 1999 signing day! Back Row: Sister Christina Murphy (CEO of Sisters of Charity Health Care at the time) and Joe Blasko (CEO of Incarnate Word Health System at the time) SEATED: L-R Sister Olive Bordelon, (Leader of the Houston Congregation at the time) and Sister Teresa Stanley (Leader of the San Antonio Congregation at the time)

 

In 2016, the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth joined CHRISTUS Health as its third sponsor, further strengthening the CHRISTUS mission, “to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”

 

CHRISTUS Health’s healing ministry is now comprised of more than 600 health care services, including community hospitals, hundreds of clinics, outpatient centers, health care services and important health care ventures.  The CHRISTUS Health presence and signature purple cross can now be seen throughout hundreds of cities in the United States and Latin America, employing more than 45,000 Associates with more than 15,000 physicians on medical staffs.

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“Ranked among the 10 largest Catholic health systems, the CHRISTUS Health ministry over the past 20 years has continued to flourish,” explained Ernie Sadau, CHRISTUS Health president and CEO. “As we look to the future of CHRISTUS Health and all the goals we have set to provide the highest quality care to the communities we serve, we know our group of engaged and committed Associates will ensure that we reach these new horizons.”