HERITAGE

On October 31, 1996, Mary Immaculate Hospital became a member of the not-for-profit Bon Secours Health System. This joint venture was a result of the realization that the continued presence of Mary Immaculate Hospital on the Virginia Peninsula could be ensured only through some type of affiliation of the hospital with a Catholic not-for-profit healthcare provider/system.

As a result of this affiliation, the Bon Secours Health System acquired a 50-percent interest in Mary Immaculate Hospital. This acquisition resulted in the establishment of The Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Foundation, Inc. The Foundation enables the Bernardine Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis to continue and to increase its services to the poor. Funding is available to organizations whose missions, philosophies and works are in keeping with the mission of the congregation. This mission is one of service in which the members reach out to the people of God in compassionate love, recognize the dignity and giftedness of each person and seek justice, peace and reconciliation especially on behalf of the poor.