Queen of Angels College of Nursing - Liber Reginae Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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First Row z K Dr. Dean. Dr. Donahue lResidentT, Dr. Bigler, Dr. Heiderpriem, Dr. Bush. Second Row: Dr. Snofxcld lResidenU, Dr. Mathes flfxternej, Dr. Swain iExte1'nf'b, Dr. Cole, Dr. Auriaudo. Hixlcon lnternes' Residence, huilt in the Spring of 1942. lhc Nurses' Residence, built in 1927

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The First Chapel, where the Sisters and others found strength and comfort. The Chapel as it appears today, still a sourve of comfort and strength. The Criln. portrayed eavli Christmas-time in the Chapel. Fifteen

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Jlhdforg of we Queen o!.f4nge A odlaifa ana! Cofdge of War-ding The Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the order of nuns that sponsors the Queen of Angels Hospital, was formed by Reverend William Berger, Pastor in Seelbach, Germany, in the year of our Lord 1866. In 1876, at the height of the storm of the Kulturkampf, the Sisters were forced to abandon their convent and forbidden to -carry on the work to which they had devoted themselves. However, even this reversal of fortune failed to stint the zeal of these sisters. On May 17, 1876, Reverend Mother Anastasia Bischler sailed for America hoping to find a place where their lofty ideals to serve God and suffering humanity might be continued. Following her arrival in New York, she journeyed to Fort Wayne, Indiana, accepting the hospi- tality of the Sisters of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. Considerable difficulty was experienced in finding a place appropriate for their work and within their financial means. Finally they selected and purchased a dwelling at Avilla, Indiana. Later in the year of 1876 the Reverend Mother Anastasia was joined by twenty sisters. Accordingly the small farmhouse was enlarged. This original mother house of the order in the United States still stands. Thus those who are inter- ested may compare this modest structure with the modern institutions of the Franciscan Order today. Upon the invitation of Bishop J. J. Cantwell, the Franciscan Sisters ,arrived in Los Angeles, in 1925, to establish a hospital. Under the wise guidance of Revh erend Mother General Aloysia, Q.S.F., the Queen of Angels Hospital was founded. Her sharp perception and clear understanding of the requirements of the city aided her in' influencing those in charge to successfully accomplish a program, Which, while ambitious, has proven necessary. Sister M. Luitgardis, the first Superior of the Queen of Angels, also came to Los Angeles at the invitation of Bishop Cantwell Qnow Archbishopj early in 1925. She was accompanied by several Sisters of the Order. Unacquainted in Los Angeles, they traversed the streets of the city seeking a location for a hospital. After many months of tribulation and intensive work, the present site was se- lected. Plans were prepared, and under the wise direction of Sister M. Luitgardis, the lfirst unit soon arose. Sister Luitgardis lived to see the first unit completed, and died in the midst of her Work, loved and respected by all who knew her. Her knowledge of conditions, her energy and devotion fostered the seed from which the Queen of Angels has come forth. In 1932, Sister M. Irene, Superior, directed the plans for the construction of the addition to the hospital. ln 1933, the addition was completed. Today the Queen of Angeles Hospital is recognized as one of the most modern hospitals in the Un-ited States. It is a symbol of faith and hope and courage, it is the manifestation of an ideal materialized. The history of the hospital would be incomplete were not the salient points of the College of Nursing included. During the summer of 1926, while the new hos- pital was rapidly nearing completion, plans were being made to adequately staff the nursing department. The School of Nursing, where student nurses would combine the theory of class room with the vast laboratory of the hospital, must be conducted like the hospital itself-on high Catholic ethical standards and young wom- en must be trained in the Christian ideals of charity according to those standards. The School of Nursing is today perhaps the most important department in what is really a business organization-the modern hospital. On the one hand, are the demands of that business institution for service, efficiency, and economy on the part of the school, on the other hand, are the ever increasing demands of the Grad- ing Committee and similar outside influences, that the school give to the student an education which consists, first of training which produces skillg second experience, Seventeen