In post-war years, Mother Mary Catherine Bembenek saw a growing need for greater access to health care in New England. On June 2, 1947, she purchased the small, 30-bed Paine Private Hospital in Bangor, Maine, that had been founded in 1906. Renamed St. Joseph Hospital, this purchase represented the Felician Sisters’ healthcare outreach into the state of Maine. Sister Mary Humilia Szczepaniak served as the hospital’s first administrator. In 1982, under Sister Mary Norberta Malinowski as president and CEO, the hospital underwent a historic transformation. In 2010, sponsorship of the hospital was transferred to Covenant Health.
