By George P. Matysek Jr.
Baltimore’s skyline has a bright new beacon of hope.
Leaders of St. Agnes Hospital illuminated a massive, seven-story cross during a special Oct. 20 celebration held on a field across from the historic health care institution in Southwest Baltimore.
The cross is affixed to a new, 190,000-square-foot patient tower now under construction as part of a $200 million, multi-year expansion project. The 5,440-pound aluminum religious symbol is the largest of its kind in Maryland and is visible from I-95 and downtown Baltimore.
“It’s a symbol of love and compassion,” said Daughter of Charity Sister Ellen LaCapria, vice president for mission integration at St. Agnes.
“We all need to feel that, because the world can sometimes make people feel like they don’t matter,” she said. “We want people to feel like they do matter.”
Sister Ellen said the modernistic cross, illuminated by 792 LED lights in a recessed light panel, also calls to mind that St. Agnes is on the cutting edge of technology.
“We’re high tech and high touch,” she said, noting that St. Agnes, founded by the Daughters of Charity nearly 150 years ago, has a rich history of loving care. Five Daughters of Charity serve on the staff today, Sister Ellen said, along with women religious from several other communities.
The new tower will provide 120 private rooms. It will be ready for occupancy in February and will open to the public next May 22, according to William Greskovich, vice president of operations and capital projects.
“The new building is about bringing health care that is consistent and contemporary with current standards,” he said. “It’s about patient safety. It’s about making sure that we have rooms that are designed to make care efficient and safe.”
Barbara Bozzuto, St. Agnes board chair, said the cross’s illumination is a sign of the hospital’s continued commitment to Baltimore and the wider community. Several years ago, administrators developed a vision for the future that would keep St. Agnes in Baltimore, she said.
“We wouldn’t go where the pastures might have been a little greener,” she said, “but stay here where our mission is – and that is to serve the underserved.”
She said St. Agnes is a place where people look for quality care, not only from Southwest Baltimore and Howard County, but from throughout the region.
The cross was made and installed by Art Display Company of Washington. The lights are photocell-activated and automatically illuminate at night.
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