My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is my distinct honor to be here today as we gather as a community grieving a loss but not losing hope as Ascension St. Vincent’s Hospitals in central Alabama transition to UAB St. Vincent’s Hospitals. I am grateful for the presence of Ascension leadership, especially Jason Alexander with whom we have dialogued on regular occasions about an array of health care issues in our community. And with the presence of UAB leadership, especially Dawn Bulgarella, the CEO of UAB Health System and other representatives, I express my gratitude for the ongoing collaboration to find ways to protect and foster the spiritual and religious values we cherish in our health system. I express my gratitude to Betsy Pautler, who adroitly coordinated many complicated technical aspects of this merger process, keeping conversations going forward and finding ways of facilitating the many complicated aspects that needed to be considered in a transition which we didn’t want to lose or not be considered. Acknowledging that no transition is perfect, I am especially gratified that everyone involved pitched in to make sure we covered all the bases to arrive at the best possible solution. On behalf of the Catholic community and those who love the mission of Ascension St. Vincent, I express my deep gratitude for your presence.

In particular today, I welcome my brother priests / deacons along with women and men religious and pastoral workers, who are present today. We are so grateful for the spiritual care offered by Father Paul Asih. His selfless service has been so appreciated by patients and hospital staff. Finally, I give a welcome to Sister Catherine Marie Lowe, DC, who represents the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity at this significant moment of transition. The Daughters of Charity had the foresight 126 years ago to begin the serious work of health care here in Birmingham where it was so desperately needed. Thank you for the many sisters and other health care workers who achieved so much good and good will in this community where Catholics are very much a minority and whose religious mission is oftentimes misunderstood. The mission work of Christ through charity and care for the poor, the indigent, and the sick - part of the charism of St. Vincent de Paul, whose feast we providentially commemorate today - helped overcome prejudices and misunderstandings as the hospital served everyone regardless of status, political affiliation, or religious creed. Their model was that of Christ where the Church’s work is that of a “field hospital,” tending to those most in need. The spirit and charism of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac has been a visible presence in Birmingham and rural communities in central Alabama.

While there is a sadness, we gather today in a spirit of gratitude and reflection as we mark a significant moment in the life of this community — the closing of Ascension St. Vincent’s Hospital as a Catholic hospital in our several communities. While it is being “closed” as a Catholic based hospital, its mission is being merged, integrated, amalgamated, transitioned into the very mission of the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital System. It will be known as UAB-St. Vincent’s to retain a semblance of its heritage and mission. 

Founded in 1898 by the Daughters of Charity, St. Vincent’s Hospital has been a beacon of hope, healing, and compassion for over a century. Today, while we acknowledge the conclusion of one chapter, we also look forward with hope, trusting that the mission and indomitable spirit of charity and healing born in this sacred place will live on as subsequent chapters are written.

In particular, I give a shout-out of thanks to the excellent and committed doctors, nurses, technicians, the volunteers, and benefactors here today and those known and unknown over the history of this hospital who, through their skills, talents, and generosity, have helped make the mission of the hospital as a healing apostolate of the Daughters of Charity known and loved. The sisters came here because they saw a need and an opportunity to bring healing, comfort, and peace. They came because the very mission of Christ was to go into the whole world to teach and baptize, healing the brokenness and wounds of human life. Even more, the passages of scripture which deal with healing, accompanying those in need, acknowledging the unique science around the health of individual human beings and their engagement in community life, helped to bring the underlying message of hope and comfort to a broad community in central Alabama. Today, we can look back in appreciation and affirm that the hand of God wisely guided this vocational, charitable, and healing mission in Alabama.

In our first reading from Ecclesiastes, we are reminded that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” There has been a time for St. Vincent’s to rise up, to serve, and to be a vessel of Christ’s healing in this community. It has been a place where those who were sick, suffering, and in need found care and compassion, not only from skilled medical professionals but from those who embraced the healing ministry of Jesus Christ Himself. This hospital has been more than bricks and mortar; it has been the living and visible hands and beating heart and love of Christ reaching out to heal the wounded, comfort the grieving, and restore dignity to the poor and needy. St. Louise de Marillac noted: “Our good God has His time and moments for everything. Do not believe that things will always be as they are now.”

For 126 years, St. Vincent’s has lived out the words of St. Paul in our second reading, where he reminds us that God often chooses the humble, the lowly, and the overlooked to accomplish His great works. From its very beginning, this hospital has served the poor, the marginalized, and the vulnerable. The Daughters of Charity knew that true greatness is found not in worldly wealth or power but in sacrificial love and service to the least among us. They knew that in every patient, they were tending to not merely an agglomeration of cells, but Christ Himself, for as our Lord said in Matthew 25, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me."

Today, as we remember the generations of medical personnel, nurses, doctors, and staff who have walked these halls and provided hours of service, we give our thanks and appreciation. We thank God for their compassion, their skill, and their dedication to upholding the sacred dignity of human life. Their work has been a constant reflection of the Divine Physician, Jesus Christ, Who in today's Gospel "went through all the towns and villages, teaching... proclaiming the good news... and healing every disease and sickness." They have embodied this mission of healing, restoring countless lives, lifting up the downtrodden, and bringing hope to those in need and comfort and solace to those whose lives could not be saved or had reached their natural conclusion by looking at our eternal destiny with hope and consolation to families. St. Vincent de Paul wisely noted: “If God is the center of your life, no words are necessary. Your mere presence will touch hearts.”

Let us not forget the generosity of so many benefactors and supporters who, over these many years, have enabled St. Vincent’s to flourish as a visible sign of Christ’s love in this community. Their contributions have been the loaves and fishes that God multiplied to sustain and nurture the hospital’s mission for so many years.

While today marks the turning point in the particular mission of this historic institution as a religious apostolate, it does not mark the end of the general mission. The merger with UAB Hospital, an excellent world-renown teaching hospital here in Birmingham, ensures that the care of the poor, the sick, and the needy will continue at the highest levels of medical excellence. We can trust that, in God’s providence, the spiritual dimension of care—the care that looks beyond the body to the soul as an essential component of human life —will remain part of this new adventure going forward. The seeds of compassion, faith, and service planted here will continue to bear fruit in the lives of those who are served.

As we look ahead, we do so with hope. The culture of care, healing, and compassion that has been cultivated here is not lost; it is evolving, expanding, and taking new forms. In this time of transition, we are called to continue the work of healing that Christ has entrusted to us who are His disciples. We are not prevented from living in hope. The fields remain ripe for harvest, and the workers—whether they be in hospitals, clinics, homes, or communities—are still needed to bring the light of Christ to the world.

At this Mass of gratitude today, we stand at a threshold today, but we do not stand alone. The Lord of the harvest is with us, guiding us forward into a future where His healing love will continue to touch the lives of those who need it most.       

Finally, while we feel the sad loss of a religious mission and the removal of points of reference which were comforting to us as people of faith like crosses, statues, chapels, and artwork that have marked the mission of our Catholic presence in this community, we must remember that the focus of our care always was and remains the dignity of the human person who reflects the image and likeness of God. Each human being, therefore, is an ineffable reflection of the mystery of God in our world whether that person is a believer or not. That is why we, as Catholics, in our missions have endeavored to advocate for and foster life from the moment of conception to natural death. Indeed, that’s why we believe every life must always be treasured and cherished regardless of the name of a hospital, school, charity organization, or church.

During this Mass today, we give thanks for the gift that Ascension St. Vincent’s Hospital has been, and we go forth in hope, knowing that the mission of Christ continues in a different way —here in Birmingham, and beyond— but present nonetheless through all who serve in His name. Amen.