A Monument of Charity

St. Vincent’s Hospital and Catholic Health Care in New York City

Thomas F. Rzeznik

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781479839728
• eBook ISBN:
  9781479839735
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: North American History

Tells the history of St. Vincent's Hospital and the transformative impact of Catholic health care in New York City.

St. Vincent's Hospital began with a simple, but radical mission: to care for all those in need regardless of race, creed, or financial means. For more than 160 years, the hospital carried out that work, serving notables and the nameless alike, from impoverished immigrants and those stricken by devastating nineteenth-century epidemics to AIDS patients and the victims of the attacks of 9/11.

A Monument of Charity provides the first comprehensive history of this remarkable institution, from its humble beginnings in 1849 to its abrupt closure in 2010. Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, St. Vincent's earned distinction not only for the quality of its medical programs, but also for its unwavering dedication to the poor. The hospital was a testament to the vision and labor of the Sisters of Charity, who founded, staffed, and administered the hospital with remarkable skill and devotion.

This captivating account documents St. Vincent's growth into one of the largest and most prominent Catholic medical centers in the United States, as well as its struggles to sustain its religious mission within the ever-changing and increasingly competitive medical marketplace. A Monument to Charity highlights the immense contributions of Catholic sisters to health care in the United States as well as the enduring legacy of all those who worked alongside them to care for the sick and alleviate suffering.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Humble Beginnings, 1849–1869
• 2. The Hospital Marketplace, 1870–1905
• 3. Community Institution, 1906–1938
• 4. Postwar Expansion, 1939–1959
• 5. Turbulent Years, 1960–1979
• 6. Resurgence, 1980–2000
• 7. Final Decade, 2001–2010
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author