Ep. 4.61: Hospitals, Heroes, and the Healing Heart of Catholic St. Louis

This final episode of Book Four traces the extraordinary rise of Catholic healthcare in St. Louis—from the Sisters of Charity opening the first hospital west of the Alleghenies in 1828, through waves of cholera, yellow fever, smallpox, and Civil War casualties, to the founding of landmark institutions like St. John’s Mercy, DePaul, Cardinal Glennon, St. Mary’s, and St. Louis University Hospital; Monsignor Witt and Teresa explore how religious orders, courageous sisters, visionary laity, and tireless clergy built a medical network that shaped the region, saved countless lives, and still anchors St. Louis today, closing the volume with a sweeping reflection on the city’s Catholic legacy and the enduring spirit of service that defines it.