The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland is pleased to support National Catholic Sisters Week (NCSW), an annual celebration that takes place from March 8-14 created to honor Catholic sisters. We are devoted to sharing the important work taking place by Catholic sisters throughout the nation and are lifting up their voices by sharing Sister Stories throughout the month of March. This week we are sharing a profile on Sr. Anne Victory, HM.
This article was originally published in the Sisters of the Humility of Mary Voice 2016 Newsletter
Sr. Anne Victory began her healthcare ministry as a staff nurse at St. Joseph Hospital, Lorain, where she worked as a clinician, a nurse educator at St. Joseph School of Practical Nursing, a nurse administrator, and as Director of Education and Vice President of Mission. She helped merge St. Joseph and Lorain Community Hospital and was present when the facility joined Catholic Health Partners in 1997. After being elected to HM Community Leadership, she left her employment with the hospital.
She currently holds a position on two Mercy boards: the Board of Managers at Mercy Willard and the Mercy Regional Foundation Board in Lorain where she uses her knowledge and experience to keep the mission and values of the organization present.
“The mission question is always key in the ministry, and I appreciate that the boards and staff of these facilities are truly concerned with their responsibility to live the mission in their daily work and the decisions they make to improve the health of those they serve, particularly those who are poor and underserved,” Sr. Anne said. “Each setting presents its own challenges: Mercy Willard is a small rural facility addressing the needs of those without easy access to care; Mercy Lorain’s Foundation supports the efforts of the facility to address challenges of providing excellent healthcare in an economically struggling community surrounded by strong competitors. I am proud that both facilities live the mission in light of these realities.”
Sr. Anne also works with the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, an organization whose mission is to “educate and advocate for the prevention and abolition of human trafficking while connecting services on behalf of trafficked persons.” It was a joint effort begun in 2007 by members of several religious communities, including the HMs.
Mercy Health has recently made a commitment to raise awareness of human trafficking and train their staff to recognize it, and Sr. Anne is grateful for this focus.
“Having experienced the evolution of the Mercy Health System from its beginning, I am grateful to all involved for their focus on the mission,” she said. “It is gratifying to see this evolution and to know that our relationship with Mercy Health has made and continues to make a difference. Our HM work with human trafficking resulted in a focus on this issue at the recent Governance Retreat and the current system-wide effort to address it, since victims of this crime are certainly among the most under-served. As founding sponsors, our responsibility remains to foster in them [Mercy staff and board members] the motivation, values, and vision to stay true to the mission. Development of future leaders and staff in the mission and values of Mercy Health will assure that the founders’ legacy continues.”