St. Francis Country House of Darby, Pa., marked its centennial last month with a celebration. The 273-bed long-term care facility is part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Catholic Health Care Services.
A chaplain founded St. Francis at the urging of a group of Catholic women concerned that poor women had nowhere to go to recover after discharge from the hospital. Auxiliaries raised funds to buy a Darby mansion, repair and furnish it and open it in 1913 as a 15-bed convalescent home.
In 1920, the archdiocese assumed control of St. Francis. The Bon Secours sisters managed the campus from around 1920 until 1987.
The archdiocese said in August that it aims to sell St. Francis and its six other continuing care facilities.
Copyright © 2013 by the Catholic Health Association
of the United States
For reprint permission, contact Betty Crosby
or call (314) 253-3477.