Continuing a tradition that originated more than 67 years ago, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital (Highland) colleagues, physicians and volunteers held a ceremony on Friday, August 28, dedicating the 3rd time capsule installment in the hospital’s 137-year existence. Gathered under a sunny sky amid mild late-summer breezes in the hospital’s Franciscan Healing Garden, attendees listened and reflected on scripture and comments delivered by Peggy Sebastian, President & CEO, and Jeanie Korte, Manager of Spiritual Care.
“Since January 1878, colleagues, physicians, and volunteers have walked side-by-side with the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis to carry the torch of their Franciscan healing ministry,” Sebastian says. “Honoring the tradition that was started on November 21, 1948, and continued on September 2, 1987, we came together to reflect on our Franciscan heritage on the occasion of dedicating this 3rd time capsule installment.”
The first time capsule was originally dedicated and placed inside a section of a wall during construction of the previous St. Joseph’s Hospital facility at 1515 Main Street back on November 21, 1948. Along with the contents from that occasion, additional items were placed in the time capsule a second time on September 2, 1987.
“Even though our time in the new St. Joseph’s Hospital has been short, it’s a part of our 137-year history that’s being preserved – filling the pages of each new chapter that are written each day,” states Sebastian. “Along with the previous time capsule and its contents, this new time capsule will contain items similar to those preserved in the previous 2 installments.”
Among the items in this 3rd time capsule installment, some of which were suggestions submitted by hospital colleagues, volunteers and physicians, include:
• A 2013 United States Mint coin set to commemorate the year the new hospital campus opened – the two previous time capsules had coins from the 1948 and 1987
• More than 860 photos – both hard copy and digital files – that chronicle the groundbreaking ceremony in April 2012, aerial views depicting 14-months of construction progress, the blessing and dedication ceremony in June 2013, private and public events to celebrate the new hospital campus before it opened, patient move day, and the respectful “good-bye” to 1515 Main Street location
• Copies of local newspapers serving as a timeline for the transition to the new hospital’s Troxler Avenue address
• Documents detailing comments, sentiments, prayers and songs offered by administrators, Sisters, board members, and clergy during ground-breaking and blessing & dedication ceremonies
• A copy of the “Building for Tomorrow” fundraising information packet – just as in 1879, history repeated itself as the hospital and those that reside within its service area partnered to bring a state-of-the-art hospital to life in 2013
• Because of God’s blessings and the dedicated stewardship of St. Joseph’s Hospital colleagues, a financial statement for the first fiscal year of operations detailing the financial performance after the first year in the new hospital
• A copy of the Friends Café menu the week the new campus opened
• The “1” birthday cake candle from the August 2014 “birthday party” that celebrated the hospital’s first year of service
• A colleague name badge used at the new campus
• A “Jewel” card – used to recognize any colleague, physician or volunteer demonstrating the hospital’s Core Values of Respect, Care, Competence, and Joy
• A replica of a patient ID wristband
• A commemorative ornament and commemorative brick plaque from the St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary
• Promotional materials highlighting hospital services and medical staff roster
• A sample of dirt that was blessed and taken from the new hospital campus construction site
• And a crucifix which hung in the old facility
The original time capsule box was recovered during demolition activities at the previous Main Street hospital location. Subsequently on Friday, May 2, 2014, Sebastian, along with hospital board chairman Bill Sullivan, opened original the time capsule – a rudimentary-constructed copper box measuring eight inches wide by 11 inches long by three inches high – to reveal the contents of the time capsule to hospital colleagues, volunteers and board members on hand. Items such as newspaper articles, religious artifacts, photos, brochures and other publications describing hospital operations and fundraising activities, as well as additional historical information related to St. Joseph’s Hospital, the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis and other items (from previous 1948 and 1987 installments) were inside and later highlighted on the hospital’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/stjosephshighland) during a subsequent two-week period.
A plaque will be placed in the hospital’s Franciscan Healing Garden commemorating the new time capsule’s dedication at a later date. Also, instructions will be placed on file for hospital leadership to recover the time capsule in 25 years.
In addition, a video depicting the ceremony can be viewed by visiting www.stjosephshighland.org within the “Our Hospital” section and posted on the “Our History” page.
