A Monument of Charity - by Thomas F Rzeznik (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Tells the history of St. Vincent's Hospital and the transformative impact of Catholic health care in New York City.

St. Vincent's Hospital began with a simple, but radical mission: to care for all those in need regardless of race, creed, or financial means. For more than 160 years, the hospital carried out that work, serving notables and the nameless alike, from impoverished immigrants and those stricken by devastating nineteenth-century epidemics to AIDS patients and the victims of the attacks of 9/11.

A Monument of Charity provides the first comprehensive history of this remarkable institution, from its humble beginnings in 1849 to its abrupt closure in 2010. Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, St. Vincent's earned distinction not only for the quality of its medical programs, but also for its unwavering dedication to the poor. The hospital was a testament to the vision and labor of the Sisters of Charity, who founded, staffed, and administered the hospital with remarkable skill and devotion.

This captivating account documents St. Vincent's growth into one of the largest and most prominent Catholic medical centers in the United States, as well as its struggles to sustain its religious mission within the ever-changing and increasingly competitive medical marketplace. A Monument to Charity highlights the immense contributions of Catholic sisters to health care in the United States as well as the enduring legacy of all those who worked alongside them to care for the sick and alleviate suffering.

Review Quotes

"Engaging and informative, Rzeznik's lively account of this longstanding New York City institution offers a panoramic history of Catholic health care in America--and the faithful, savvy, and innovative women who served as its pillars. St. Vincent's may be no more, but his research makes clear that its legacy of care and community endures."--Kathleen Cummings, author of A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics Become American

"At a time of turmoil in health care delivery in the United States today, this thoroughly researched and well-written book is a reminder of how hospitals historically have worked to meet the needs of the most vulnerable....The book movingly brings the hospital to life through its workers' responses to the cholera epidemic of the mid-19th century, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, the sinking of the Titanic, the AIDS crisis, and the attacks of 9/11."--Barbra Mann Wall, author of Unlikely Entrepreneurs: Catholic Sisters and the Hospital Marketplace, 1865-1925

About the Author

Thomas F. Rzeznik is Professor of History at Seton Hall University and co-editor of the quarterly journal, American Catholic Studies. He is author of Church and Estate: Religion and Wealth in Industrial Era Philadelphia and co-editor with Margaret M. McGuinness of The Cambridge Companion to American Catholicism.