Emilie Gamelin and the Sisters Of Providence St. Pauls Hospital Vancouver

St. Paul s Hospital s history began when Mother Emilie Gamelin founded the Sisters of Providence in Montreal in 1843. The Sisters of Providence established schools, hospitals, orphanages, homes for the aged and asylums across Canada, the United States, and later in many other countries. St. Paul s began as a 25bed compassionate care hospital in 1894, named after thenBishop Paul Durieu, OMI, of New Westminster. Mother Mary Fredrick from Astoria, Oregon was the first mother superior and administrator to lead its charge. In keeping with the philosophy of the Sisters of Providence, the new hospital was founded on the pledge of providing compassionate care for everyone in need tested by a surge in Vancouver s growth brought on by the Klondike gold rush in the 1890s.