In October 1875, twenty-one Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis set sail for New York from Muenster, Germany. Sponsored by Bishop Baltes of Alton, the Sisters arrived in Illinois in November, and at the Bishop’s request, divided into groups and went to Springfield, Effingham, Litchfield, Belleville, and East St. Louis to care for the sick. On November 17, 1878, the Sisters arrived in Decatur.

Two days later, St. Mary’s Hospital opened its doors in a small frame home on the corner of Wood and Webster Streets, its mission to care for the sick, especially the poor, who could not afford private medical aid. Staffed by three Hospital Sisters, the first St. Mary’s contained just six beds. During its first year, the hospital admitted 25 patients whose condition was serious enough to require constant care. During the same year, the Sisters provided home nursing for more than 600 Decatur residents.

By 1944, St. Mary’s had outgrown its building on Wood and Webster, in spite of six additions between the years of 1881 and 1926. With little opportunity for expansion at the original site, the Sisters bought 14 acres of property on East Lake Shore Drive near Lake Decatur. In 1953, the Sisters purchased another seven acres, bringing the hospital’s campus to 21 acres.

Today, 128 years after its founding, St. Mary’s is a 370-bed, fully accredited, modern health care center. Recent improvements include the development of a cardiac catheterization lab, a mobile Positron Emission Tomography (PET) unit for enhanced cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the creation of St. Mary’s Occupational Health Services, serving the needs of Decatur area businesses and their employees.

In technology and appearance, St. Mary’s has made remarkable progress in its 128-year history. But one thing remains unchanged: our commitment to the mission of our founding Hospital Sisters to serve the needs of the sick and the poor with dignity and respect, compassion and joy.