Our Catliolic H e1·itage in T ezas
floor, steam heating, electric elevators and bells, and a rubber tired hos- pital ambulance for all patrons were some of the outstanding features. The Sister in attendance in the operating room was a trained and experi- enced graduate nurse, who had worked in the East with some of the finest surgeons of the day.sz By a coincidence, while the reception and open-house was going on, the first patient was received in the Infirmary, a negro charity patient, treated with the same care and regard as any other human being in distress. On inquiry, the visitors were informed that private rooms for pay patients were $2 a day! Shortly after the opening, a contract was made with the County to care for the sick indigents who were public charges for less than half the cost of pay patients. Ever since, Seton Hospital has considered this work a privilege in the exercise of its charity mission. The first Superior of the hospital was Sister Victorine, who was replaced in 1905 by Sister Ursula. For twenty-two years, she guided the work of the institution with great vision and deep charity. Others have carried on with the same foresight and fervent love for suffering humanity to the present day. Among the many services rendered, none has been greater or more significant than the work for the Spanish-speaking citizens of the com- munity. Austin Catholics had long been anxious to help physically and spiritually this neglected segment of the population. Among the Sisters who founded the hospital was Sister Julia, daughter of the Ambassador of Colombia, South America, whose native language was Spanish and who was sent particularly to aid in caring for Spanish-speaking patients. Not only did she help the sick in the hospital, but she became the sponsor of work among the Mexicans throughout the city and its surroundings. As if by an incomprehensible design of Providence, Father P. J. O'Reilly came soon after the opening as a patient. He stayed as the chaplain and served in this capacity for many years. He proved to be the answer to the prayer of Sister Julia, whose heart bled, as that of many others, at the plight of the poor Spanish-speaking people who had so long been left without spiritual care or instruction. Father O'Reilly knew Spanish well and, impressed by the conditions described to him by the Sisters, obtained permission from Bishop Gallagher, as soon as his health
52 /bid., 102.
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