The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady announced the System has entered a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) with the Dominican Sisters and St. Dominic Health Services related to a potential transition of sponsorship. The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady are the sponsors of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. The LOI signals the beginning of exclusive discussions that will take place over the next several months and could result in the sponsorship transfer of St. Dominic Health Services from the Dominican Sisters to the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady. Upon completion of an agreement, expected in early 2019, St. Dominic’s will become part of the Franciscan Missionaries or Our Lady Health System.
St. Dominic’s Health Services, the parent organization of a health system based in Jackson, Miss., is sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Ill. After deep discernment, the Dominican Sisters of Springfield decided that in order to secure the future of St. Dominic’s, it was necessary to seek a transfer of sponsorship due to a reduced congregation that has made continued sponsorship unsustainable. Under the Sisters’ guidance, the St. Dominic Health Services board of directors talked with several Catholic health systems before entering exclusive discussions with the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System.
“We look forward to St. Dominic’s joining our ministry under the sponsorship of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady. We have known and respected St. Dominic’s for many years. They are well recognized for their emphasis on quality and community benefit,” said Mike McBride, chief executive officer of the Franciscan Missionaries of our Lady Health System. “As a Catholic healthcare ministry, this is an important way we can extend our healing mission. Through a change in sponsorship, the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System will continue the legacy of the Dominican Sisters’ ministry and grow Catholic healthcare in Mississippi.”
This announcement is just the beginning of the process. A final agreement between the organizations could be completed during the first half of 2019.