History
St John of God Hospital Bunbury was established in 1927 and is
part of St John of God Health Care, a not for profit Catholic
health care provider whose long history dates back to the time of
our founder, St John of God.
In
the first half of 16th century Spain, Saint John of God
devoted a major part of his life to alleviating human suffering, to
comforting and soothing the afflicted, sick and dying. John lived
the teachings of Jesus Christ and as a man who recognised the great
injustice of those experiencing disadvantage, he was often heard
encouraging others to: "Do good for yourselves by doing good for
others.”
The congregation of the Sisters of St John of God was founded
in 1871 in Wexford, Ireland. Word of the Sisters’ excellence in
health care spread rapidly.
In response to a call from Perth’s Bishop, Matthew
Gibney, eight Sisters arrived in Western Australia in 1895 to care
for people stricken by typhoid in the chaos of the 1890s gold rush.
They went on to establish hospitals, pathology and social outreach
services in Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales in
response to invitations from Bishops and local communities.
The Hospitaller Order of St John
of God came to Australia from Ireland in 1947 to care for
people experiencing disadvantage. The Brothers began ministries in
New South Wales and Victoria, and then in Christchurch, New
Zealand, focusing initially on learning difficulties and
intellectual disability, then on psychiatric care and child and
family social services.
Our larger, broader organisation of today
reflects the wisdom and inspiration of a number of founders: the St
John of God Sisters; the Brothers of St John of God; the Sisters of
Joseph of the Apparition; various Mercy Congregations; the Sisters
of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood; as well as
the secular traditions of those parts of our ministry sourced
outside the Catholic sector.