Benton honors Mother Joseph on the 186th anniversary of her birth

April 16, 2009

OLYMPIA…Rising to a point of personal privilege, Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, asked his fellow senators to take a few moments today to recognize the courage and accomplishments of Mother Joseph, who led a group of five nuns to the Pacific Northwest Territories in 1856. 

“Mother Joseph was born 186 years ago today in a farmhouse near Saint Elzear, Quebec,” Benton told his colleagues. “In 1858, she opened St. Joseph Hospital in Vancouver, a tiny one-room facility with four beds. 

“She went on to ensure the completion of 11 hospitals, seven academies, five Indian schools, and two orphanages in what is now Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. 

“She was a stickler for detail and often inspected rafters and bounced on planks to ensure their support. With a hammer and saw in hand, she personally supervised construction and sometimes ripped out faulty workmanship and redid it herself.” 

A statue of Mother Joseph was a gift by Washington to the National Statuary Hall Collection in 1980; another statue resides in the North Vestibule of the Legislative Building on the state Capitol Campus in Olympia. 

It was clear during Benton’s remarks that he thoroughly enjoyed sharing the story of Mother Joseph with his colleagues. 

“I think her story is heartwarming and the kind that brings a smile to your face,” Benton said. 

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Additional Contact: Penny Drost (360) 786-7522 or drost.penny@leg.wa.gov