ALTON - Community leaders gathered at OSF St. Anthony’s for a Mass and Blessing to mark the hospital’s 100th year in the community.
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On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki from the Diocese of Springfield traveled to Alton to give Mass and bless the hospital and its staff. The hospital was founded by the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in 1925. Those in attendance, including today’s sisters, said it was a powerful experience.
“I knew this was going to be a day where I would tear up multiple times, and that came true,” said Sister Beata Ziegler, FSGM. “The sisters truly pray for this community every day. It’s an important part of what we do. We don’t just do the work, but we also support the community with our prayers. That’s a privilege for us.”
Invited guests and OSF mission partners reflected on the significance of St. Anthony’s 100th anniversary. Sister Beata Ziegler, FSGM, and Sister M. Mikela Meidl, FSGM, noted that the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George arrived in St. Louis from Germany on April 1, 1925. They started work at a boys’ home in the city, but these sisters were trained as nurses and dreamed of opening a hospital.
Through donations, the sisters purchased the Nazareth Home in Alton and renamed it St. Anthony’s Infirmary. They began accepting patients and have gone on to treat thousands of Riverbend residents across generations.
In 2014, St. Anthony’s joined the OSF network. Zach Yoder, the hospital’s president, said the hospital is currently in a “growth mindset,” with plans to expand in the coming years to offer more services and more providers. He emphasized that the goal is to provide healthcare close to home.
“Today, we’re continuing to bring services here,” he said. “Part of our mission is to keep care local, so we don’t want to be a place where you come and make a pit stop and move on to the next place. We want to try to provide all the services we can locally. For us, that’s really important, what we want to continue doing.”
Yoder added that the bishop’s blessing was “really neat,” and he is proud that St. Anthony’s collaborates with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George. He believes the sisters “keep you grounded” and remind the hospital staff of their mission’s impact every day.
As the sisters, hospital staff and OSF mission partners marked the 100th anniversary of the hospital, Sister M. Mikela Meidl, FSGM, expressed her eagerness to care for the community. She said she hopes to “give everything [she] can” to St. Anthony’s so the hospital continues to thrive and serve patients.
“It’s everything that came before us. It’s everything that’s going after us,” she added. “Today is a moment in time to celebrate God’s merciful love for us and for the community and to be able to care for His people in a way that hopefully makes Him present, makes His hands and His heart be here for all people of the community.”
For more information about OSF St. Anthony’s Hospital, visit their official webpage. To learn more about the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, visit their official website at AltonFranciscans.org.
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