Little Company of Mary Celebrated The Life and Death of Venerable Mary Potter and The More Than 200,000 Births in the Original Patient Tower

     On May 14, 2013, the Greater Little Company of Mary gathered in the Hospital’s Chapel to commemorate the life and decreed of their founder, Venerable Mary Potter, and the birth of more than 200,000 babies born in the original patient tower.

The celebration mass was presided by Rev. Benedykt Pazon from St. Bernadette Church located on 9343 S Francisco Avenue in Evergreen Park, IL. Rev. Pazon began the mass with the centenary anniversary celebration of the death of the founder of the Little Company of Mary Sisters, Venerable Mary Potter.

Mary Potter was born in London in 1847. Mary’s compassion for the sick and dying and her vision would change the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world. Her life was marked by frequent illnesses, providing her first hand insight into the loneliness and abandonment world that many of the sick and dying feel.  She overcame countless obstacles as she responded to the Holy Spirit and founded a religious congregation devoted to praying for the sick and dying which became known in 1877 as the Little Company of Mary Sisters.

Since Mary’s passing in Rome in 1913, her legacy and wholehearted commitment to God were recognized by Pope John Paul II, when Mary Potter was proclaimed “Venerable” on February 8, 1988. This proclamation demonstrated the Church's validation of Mary Potter's saintly life and acceptance of her extensive spiritual writings.

The spiritual heritage of Mary Potter is carried on throughout the world. Today, the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary continue to provide compassionate care for the sick and dying in 11 countries. Their healing touch can be felt in England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Albania, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Italy, Tonga, and the United States.

Mary Potter’s vision in America became a reality on January 9, 1930 in Evergreen Park, IL, when the Sisters of Little Company of Mary opened a four-story, 150 bed hospital and began caring for the community. Over the next 83 years, the Sisters continued their mission in Evergreen Park caring for the sick and dying by combining state-of-the-art technology, physicians, nurses, staff, and spirituality.

Since opening in 1930 more than 200,000 babies have entered the world- earning the nickname, “The Baby Hospital.”  In October 2012, Little Company of Mary made history by opening a state-of-the-art West Pavilion tower to replace the original patient tower built in 1930. The West Pavilion is a 300,000-square-foot, eight-story, 118-private rooms and baths. The West Pavilion is the new home to the Family Birth Center.

“The Sisters of Little Company of Mary built the original tower in 1930 during the great depression-truly a walk of faith, said Mary Jo Quick, R.N., B.S., M.H.A., Vice President, Mission & Spirituality. “Today, Mary’s legacy and vision lives on through the us-the Greater Little Company of Mary.”

For more information on Little Company of Mary’s campus transformation project, please visit our website at LCMH.org. To view the short documentary on the life of Venerable Mary Potter, visit Little Company of Mary’s youtube channel at www.youtube.com/littlecompanyofmary