How our story begins

Birmingham: A city in need

Our history begins with the first four Sisters from the Daughters of Charity who came to Birmingham to start a hospital. In 1898 the Birmingham area had almost 100,000 residents, but the city had no hospital. Bishop Edward P. Allen of Mobile wrote Mother Mariana on Dec. 28, 1897 and formally asked the Daughters of Charity to establish a hospital in Birmingham.

Mother Mariana's reply on Jan. 4, 1898, was favorable, but she hoped to put off the hospital for a year because of the heavy demands on the Sisters at the time. Bishop Allen wrote back on Jan. 28 that he would urge the citizens to prepare for the hospital to open before the end of the year.  

Father Patrick A. O’Reilly, St. Paul's Catholic Church, started raising funds for the new hospital. The Bishop stayed true to his word and St. Vincent's opened on Dec. 20, 1898. Sisters Benedicta Roach, Patricia Malloy, Antonia Hanrahan, and Placida Scott comprised the original nursing staff of St. Vincent's. The Sister's Vigil sculpture symbolizes the original four sisters who started our first hospital, now known as Ascension St. Vincent's Birmingham.

Today, St. Vincent's operates five hospitals and several healthcare facilities employing nearly 5,000 associates. Across the region in fiscal year 2023, St. Vincent’s provided more than $64.7 million in community benefit and care for those in poverty. 

We are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of those we serve, with special attention to those who are vulnerable and poor.