History

Banished from their homeland in the mid-19th century, a tiny band of German Sisters took refuge in America.  With unquestioning faith, they welcomed a new land, a new language and a new way to serve the Lord.

This is the way our history begins.  As you will learn in the following pages, The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis were and will always be the loving heart and courageous soul of OSF Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center.

Love and courage would be critical to their Mission.

Is there a calamity that did not befall the Sisters and their adopted Pontiac home?  Poverty and hunger were familiar to the founding Sisters and would plague the community throughout recessions and depression eras.  Disease and illness were sometimes impossible to halt, as grim epidemics spread through the country.  Our walls were burned to the ground and we rose again from the ashes.

Never did the Sisters’ falter.   And their Mission inspired others to do the same, not just inside the hospital walls, but within the community as well.  From the start, people so believed in the Sisters’ Mission that they gave whenever was needed, from the grocer who turned the Sisters few pennies into an abundance of food, to a farmer whose estate provided millions for a new health care facility.

Histories with mere numbers and dates may fade.  But our story, over a century’s worth of genuine caring, love and commitment to patients, families and their communities, is alive today. 

Want to learn more about our roots? Read the full OSF Saint James history.