CHRISTUS NEWS
CHRISTUS Hospital –
St. Elizabeth’s 50th anniversary
in 2012,
CHRISTUS Hospital – St. Elizabeth celebrates 50 years of
service to the community at its current location on Calder Avenue.
The 50th anniversary celebration kicked off with the 32nd Annual
Benefit Gala for the CHRISTUS Health Foundation of Southeast Texas
on April 21. The event starred Harry Connick Jr. and honored the
contributions of Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, DD. The night had a New
Orleans theme, recognizing the French heritage of both the bishop and
the Sisters of Charity who were first called to Beaumont in 1895 to start
a hospital.
During the evening, the contributions of countless Sisters, physi-
cians, staff, volunteers, and clergy were recognized through a video
presentation. This event was only the first of a year-long series of events.
The Time Capsule Reveal for the 50th anniversary
of CHRISTUS Hospital – St. Elizabeth on May
18.
From left, Sister Celestine Kavanaugh, Sister
Francesca Kearns and Sister Celeste Trahan.
1898
Hotel Dieu Hospital opens on
the banks of the Neches River.
Designed to care for 24 pa-
tients, it also provided housing
for the Sisters.
1899
A smallpox epidemic strikes
the community. Ignoring the
danger of contagion, the
Sisters work night and day
caring for patients.
1901
Hotel Dieu Hospital is expanded
to accommodate 80 beds.
1913–1915
Still faced with overcrowding,
the Sisters purchase land on
Sabine Pass Avenue and build
a larger, more modern 150-bed
hospital.
1934
With the purchase of Beaumont
General, the Sisters of Charity
operate three area hospitals:
Hotel Dieu, the newly acquired
St. Therese and St. Mary
Hospital in Port Arthur.
1971
The J.C. Crager Cardiac
Pavilion opens under the
direction of Drs. Thomas
Lombardo and Joseph Reeves.
Dr. Lombardo performs the first
heart catheterization proce-
dure in the new cath lab.
1972
Our 27-bed Neurological
Pavilion opens and is staffed
with leading neurosurgeons
including Drs. Starr, Rafes,
Faulk, and Kubala.
1975
A new emergency center opens
at 14th and North streets.
1977
The Radiology Department
installs a new diagnostic tool
known as a computerized
axial tomography (CAT) body
scanner.
1985
The Mamie McFaddin Ward
Cancer Center opens at St.
Elizabeth. A $27 million wing to
the hospital is also completed,
featuring 419 private rooms.
The story
behind
our 50th
anniversary
dates back
to 1898
1949
The Martin de Porres Hospital
opens on the Hotel Dieu
campus.
1956
As the community thrives,
fundraising efforts for a larger
modern hospital begin. Mr. and
Mrs. J.H. Phelan Sr. generously
donate their family estate,
which includes 15 acres for the
new hospital.
1962
On May 19, St. Elizabeth
Hospital receives its first
patients. Cost of construction
for the new 231-bed facility
is $6 million. Sister Mary
Gerard Houston is the first
administrator.
1967
The area’s first coronary care
unit and intensive care unit
open at St. Elizabeth.
1968
St. Elizabeth Hospital increases
to 280 beds and plans are
made to add more and expand
support facilities.
1898
1956
1962
1934