In 1889 the Sisters of Saint Francis, under the leadership of Mother Alfred, opened Saint Marys Hospital, the first hospital in southern Minnesota, to meet the health needs of Rochester brought into sharp focus by the destructive tornado of 1885. Five Sisters of Saint Francis joined their skill as nurses to the medical genius of Dr. W.W. Mayo and his sons Dr. Will and Dr. Charlie, making the little hospital a haven of health and healing. The success of the Mayos’ surgery and the devotion of the Sisters’ nursing brought ever increasing numbers of patients and transformed the small town into an international medical center. Sister Mary Joseph, surgical assistant to Dr. Will and superintendent of the hospital from 1892 to 1939, expanded the hospital with her Sisters through seven additions. At the same time, the Drs. Mayo associated other able physicians with them in joint practice and founded the Mayo Clinic while continuing to staff Saint Marys. Founded as a work of mercy, Saint Marys expressed its spirit in the motto, “Et sanavit omnes”- “And He healed them all.” Through growth from a 27 bed hospital in 1889 to 900 beds in 1956, the hospital maintained an unbroken tradition of excellence through care of the sick, education of the medical and nursing professions, and promotion of medical progress and research, giving service to God through service to man.