Holy Name Medical Center Celebrates 90 Years

On Oct 16, 2015

Exactly 90 years ago this month, a tireless nun and two Teaneck surgeons opened Holy Name Medical Center to care for the sick and indigent in Bergen County. Mother General Agatha Brown, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, and Dr. Frank McCormack and Dr. George Pitkin, led a staff of only a dozen physicians in a building that housed 115 beds.  Simultaneously, the Holy Name School of Nursing welcomed its first class and has gone on to graduate thousands of nurses.

To acknowledge 90 years, hundreds of staff members, physicians, administrators, nursing school instructors and students, board members, volunteers, priests, clergy and Sisters attended a Mass celebrated by Bishop John W. Flesey in Holy Name’s Marian Hall this week. The Mass was a prayer of thanksgiving for the hospital’s blessings and the school’s educational dedication while they maintain a mission rooted in faith and tradition.

“We are so grateful for all the blessings bestowed on Holy Name through the last nine decades,” said Michael Maron, president and CEO. “And together, we will continue to serve our community with expertise, commitment and respect.”

Sister Sheila Lemieux, the Congregation Leader of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, spoke about the healing presence Holy Name has been during its 9-decade journey.

“It’s been said that the practice of good medicine is a blend of art and science,” Sr. Sheila said. “Like a perfect alchemy, unique and amazing individuals, the Holy Spirit and unpredictable forces have mingled together over the years making Holy Name Medical Center what it is today.”

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