The last nun to run Chicago-area hospital resigns

A few days before Easter, the last nun to run a Chicago-area hospital has stepped down after 35 years at the helm.

Sister Margaret Wright, 77, announced her resignation as president and CEO of Palos Community Hospital on March 27 to the board of directors, the hospital confirmed in a statement. A spokesman declined to answer questions.

Her resignation marks the end of an era in Chicago that dates back to the 19th Century, when hospitals were purely charitable affairs, run by religious orders with strong connections to the immigrant populations that they served.

Ms. Wright's resignation is part of a string of such announcements in recent months. Sister Elizabeth Van Straten stepped down as head of St. Bernard Hospital in January, and Sister Sheila Lyne will retire as CEO of Mercy Hospital & Medical Center this spring.

As CEO, she has guided the hospital through dramatic changes in the healthcare industry. During her tenure, she developed a reputation both for her keen interest in her employees' personal lives as well as her strong hand with doctors and insurance companies.

She stayed long enough to see the opening of a new pavilion on March 19, bringing the southwest suburban hospital to 428 beds. The Hospitaller Pavilion – named for Ms. Wright's order, the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph, based in Montreal – features new operating suites, an intensive care unit, private rooms and a center designed for outpatients and prepping patients for procedures.

She grew up on Chicago's South Side, but inherited her ardent love of the Cubs from her mother. She joined the Religious Hospitallers after attending nursing school at St. Bernard's, where the order taught.

Ms. Wright took her vows in 1960 and later earned a master's degree in sacramental theology from Marquette University.

Though not formally affiliated with the Chicago Archdiocese, the hospital adheres to Catholic teachings on healthcare, such as contraceptives.

Rev. William Grogan, the archdiocesan vicar for healthcare, said in an e-mail that Ms. Wright “has long and effectively advanced healthcare in Chicago's southwest suburbs through her work at the excellent, secular Palos Community Hospital.”

She will remain on the board of St. George Corp., the hospital's nonprofit parent organization, the statement said.

David Manchester, Palos' vice president of professional services, will take over as acting president and CEO, according to the statement.