By placing a stylized version of the Sisters of St. Joseph cross within the medical cross, an icon is
created that binds the healing ministry of Christ to the mission of the congregation and to St.
Joseph, the patron of the sick."
Sr. Karin Dufault of the Sisters of Providence reminds us that the word Providence "emphasizes
that God loves each person and creation infinitely. Providence is watchful over the created
universe and attentive to the needs of all. Therefore, we must be involved with our created
universe, the earth and the people who inhabit it, especially the most vulnerable."
And the word "Providence" has deep meaning for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. In a letter
to her Congregation at the beginning of her service as General Superior, Mother Louis Bachand
acknowledged that she was overwhelmed by her call to leadership. "Gradually, however, I felt
the power of your prayers, and the courage to carry on in the path of my worthy predecessors
began to rise in my soul. The beginning, then, made possible by prayer and good will seems to
point out the way Providence is marking out to us," Mother Louis wrote.
Preserving our legacy names
Equally as important as a unifying brand, is the need to preserve the strong brands that have
served our communities for more than a century. That's why, as we add the new brand, we will
keep the legacy names of our hospitals. For example, the new brand (the St. Joseph Health cross
and the word Providence) will appear above the ministry name, and the legacy name, e.g.
Mission Hospital (in California) and Alaska Medical Center will appear below our new brand on
our buildings and signage.
A three-year process starting with Southern California
Now that we have decided to adopt a common brand, the next step will be to establish a brand
governance structure and work streams to lead, plan and implement the transition. Our
approach will be to roll out the brand one region at a time over three years, starting with
Southern California in early 2020. You will hear much more about implementation planning
in the coming weeks.
