About Us

The Franciscan Missionaries Of Our Lady Health System

St. Elizabeth Hospital is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. The health system was organized in 1984 to unite three existing hospitals in Louisiana which were already part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady’s mission of extending the healthcare of Jesus Christ to those most in need. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the health system serves patients across the State of Louisiana through a network of hospitals, clinics, physicians, elderly housing and integrated information systems and currently employs over 9000 individuals.

The four sponsored hospitals of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System are:

To read more about the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, please visit their website.

Our Sponsors: The Franciscan Missionaries Of Our Lady

Catholic communities of Sisters devoted to caring for the sick were instrumental in developing the hospital system in America. One or more hospitals in every major city of the United States can trace its heritage to the efforts of Catholic Sisters.

The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, one of the many orders of Sisters operating throughout the world and in the United States of America, began in 1854 when seven autonomous groups of Franciscan Sisters in France banded together and were named the Franciscan Sisters of Calais.

With the impetus of a rapidly growing organization, the Franciscan Sisters of Calais expanded into Europe, Asia, and North and South America. The United States group, organized and operating solely in Louisiana, began in 1911 when six Franciscan Sisters arrived in response to a request from Bishop Van de Ven to bring their healing ministry to Louisiana. Two years later in 1913, St. Francis Sanitarium opened in Monroe.

In 1921, the Franciscan Sisters were invited to open a sanitarium in Baton Rouge. Our Lady of the Lake Sanitarium was dedicated in 1923.

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Lafayette was opened in 1949 in response to an invitation from Bishop Jeanmard. In 2004, St. Elizabeth Hospital became a sponsored hospital under the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System.

Many decades later, the congregation of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady remains strongly committed to its ministry of health and spiritual wholeness, serving all of God's people through their ministry of healthcare.

To read more about the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, please visit their website.

Our Mission

Inspired by the vision of St. Francis of Assisi and in the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, we extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to God’s people, especially those most in need.

We call forth those who serve in this healthcare ministry, to share their gifts and talents to create a spirit of healing—with reverence and love for all of life, with joyfulness of spirit, and with humility and justice for all those entrusted to our care.

We are, with God’s help, a healing and spiritual presence for each other and for the communities we are privileged to serve.

Our Vision

To make a significant difference in the communities that we serve.

Our Core Values

Service. The privilege of reaching out to meet the needs of others.

Reverence and Love for all of Life. Acknowledging that all of life is a gift from God.

Joyfulness of Spirit. An Awareness of being blessed by God in all things.

Humility. Being authentic in serving as an instrument of God.

Justice. Striving for equity and fairness in all relationships with special concern for those most in need.