Skip to Content

Main Content

Early History

St. Mary’s Convent, at 3516 West Center Street, was built to house the Sisters of the Divine Savior, a religious order founded in Rome in 1881. But the convent became best known for its delivery of health care to the elderly and infirm, particularly women. In 1895, Milwaukee Archbishop Frederick Xavier Katzer invited the order to send members to Milwaukee to offer at-home care for the sick and needy. At the time, consistent delivery of health care was available at only two hospitals in the city—St. Mary’s, a Catholic institution on the city’s east side, and Milwaukee Hospital, or the “Passavant,” established by Lutherans on the city’s west side. Historic photos courtesy of the archives of the Sisters of the Divine Savior, North American Province.

It was a common practice for religious leaders in America to petition for assistance from the various religious orders in Europe, which would send nuns to teach or minister to the sick and elderly.

Archbishop Katzer personally made his pitch to Pope Leo XIII during a visit to the Vatican. The three Salvatorian nuns who responded to the archbishop’s call first lived on 2nd Avenue. Their original mission was to make home visits, but their calling soon expanded to in-facility treatment.

In order to provide fulltime care on-site, St. Mary’s accepted its first residents in 1902. The convent’s large Catholic health care presence on the city’s west side was soon seen as an alternative to the Lutheran Passavant at 20th Street and Kilbourn Avenue.

The original convent building was three stories tall, constructed of iconic Cream City brick and featured an entrance on West Center Street. A small wing was offset to the west.

top