ELMHURST TOWNSHIP – Residents, staff, and administrators of Saint Mary’s Villa gathered Oct. 23, 2024, to celebrate a significant milestone – one hundred years of compassionate care and service to the community.
The Founder’s Day celebration began with a special Mass celebrated by Monsignor William J. Feldcamp, followed by a luncheon and mission ceremony for staff.
“It is an unbelievable time. It’s a time to be invigorated with our mission and our ministry but also to be reminded of the beautiful love that we share here at the Villa,” Adeline Rocco, Director of Mission and Spiritual Care for Saint Mary’s Villa, said.
Saint Mary’s Villa was founded in 1924 by a Passionist priest, Rev. Alphonsus Maria, who came to the United States from Lithuania. Father Alphonsus and the religious order he founded, the Poor Sisters of Jesus Crucified and the Sorrowful Mother, established an orphanage and a home for the elderly, in what is now considered Lackawanna County’s North Pocono region.
“At that time there was no Medicare, there was no health insurance,” Rocco added. “Father Alphonsus saw men dying in the mines and their wives, the widowers, had no place to go. Their homes were owned by the coal company. They had no revenue, and they were given 24 hours to bury their husband and get out if they died … so we took in their children and the motherhouse was on the hill right above the personal care home.”
Saint Mary’s Villa now consists of a skilling nursing and rehabilitation center and personal care home. Currently a member of Covenant Health, its mission statement still refers to continuing “the healing ministry of Christ” in the tradition of its founders.
In an ever-changing healthcare landscape of mandates and regulations, Saint Mary’s Villa President, Nancy Newcomb, says the inspiration of the facility’s first Sisters continues.
“It’s in every room. It’s in every hallway. Everywhere we can hang something to remind us of why we’re here, we do that. It is throughout the building all the time. That is what makes us different, I think, than a lot of other facilities in the area, our mission,” Newcomb said.
During his homily at Mass, Monsignor Feldcamp, who serves as chaplain for Saint Mary’s Villa, echoed those sentiments. As he reflected on the last century and looked ahead to the future, he focused on the key word of “accompaniment.”
“Sometimes we forget about the goodness that happens here,” Monsignor Feldcamp said. “The mission that the Sisters had in the past is still being carried on to this day and for that we are thankful, and we bless the Lord.”
While the Poor Sisters of Jesus Crucified and the Sorrowful Mother no longer have a daily presence at the facility, Sister Mary Valliere, CJC, Superior General, traveled from their convent in Brockton, Mass., to attend the Founder’s Day activities.
“This is where our whole foundation began. It’s just unbelievable that it has been one hundred years,” she said. “The staff has carried our mission all the way though … You can’t deny it. It’s here as soon as you walk through the building.”
Over the last century, thousands of people have passed through the doors of Saint Mary’s Villa receiving dedicated care. For those currently there, they are thankful for the staff who still serve as witnesses to what Jesus taught in the Gospels.
“The aides are wonderful to the patients,” resident Helen Siconolfi, who has been at the facility for 20 months, said. “We have Mass twice a week and the chapel is filled with people. It’s really wonderful.”