Events
8
March - St John of God Day
Each year in March we celebrate St John of God Day - a day when
we acknowledge the life of our patron saint. The Church keeps the
feast day of St John of God on the day of his death, 8th March
1550.
7 October - Foundation
Day
On the 7th of October 1971, the congregation of the Sisters of
St John of God was founded when a group of Irish women, led by
Bridget Clancy, responded to a call by Thomas Furlong, the Bishop
of Ferns in County Wexford, to minister the sick and destitute
people of his dioceses. The Irish women undertook nursing training
and educational tasks. Twenty years after this foundation, the
Sisters responded to a request from Bishop Gibney in Western
Australia, to assist with the typhoid epidemic amongst the miners
in the Goldfields. Since their arrival in Western Australia in
1895, the Sisters of St John of God have made an outstanding
contribution to health care across Australia.
This annual celebration of the foundation of the Sisters of St
John of God takes place at all St John of God Health Care divisions
across Australia. Each site marks this anniversary with ceremonies
and historical accounts, as well as recognition and presentation of
length of services awards to caregivers.