Calvary Hospital commemorated its 125th anniversary with a gala at The Plaza in Manhattan on Wednesday, November 20. Cardinal Timothy Dolan welcomed the attendees, saying, “I love Calvary Hospital, and I love all of you for supporting them as you do.”  

That evening, award recipients were honored for their years of dedicated work associated with the Calvary mission. Eileen T. Nugent, Esq., received the Calvary Medal, and Alma Carrington, MD, received the Annie Blount Storrs Award. Mary Beth Quaranta Morrissey, Esq., PhD, MPH, was awarded the Calvary Compatior, and the Ross Family received the Spirit of Family Award. Recipients joyfully expressed their gratitude, with Dr. Carrington saying, “A special thank-you to my family and dear friends for their unwavering support and patience – and my Calvary family. I am inspired by your diligence, compassion, and care to our patients and each other.”                        

“I love Calvary Hospital, and I love all of you for supporting them as you do,” Cardinal Dolan said. “And I just want to say: thank you. I try to get to Calvary a lot…and I never leave uninspired. It’s just so wonderful; you see smiles, you hear laughter – there’s a lot of embraces, there’s a lot of love.” He noted the Calvary name as it relates to “that hill called Calvary,” and the devoted followers who were with the Lord as he died on the cross.   

The cardinal added, “It couldn’t go on without all of you – that spirit and that passion, and that love and warmth continues. Calvary’s mission has remarkably stayed the same, thanks largely to the people we’re going to honor this evening. It’s an honor and a joy to be with you. Thankfully, Calvary hasn’t changed at all in 125 years.” Calvary Hospital has been part of the ArchCare healthcare system for about 25 years, but the Archdiocese of New York has supported Calvary since its inception.  

More than 350 people attended the gala. The cardinal was introduced by Scott LaRue, president and CEO of ArchCare, and the evening included video presentations related to the Calvary cause.  

LaRue and other speakers gave brief words of thanks to the award recipients and all the dedicated workers of Calvary Hospital. Also giving thanks was Jeffrey Menkes, president and CEO of Calvary Hospital. Sandra Bookman, anchor at WABC-TV, served as the event emcee. Sister Mary Headley, OP, gave the invocation, praying, “Our Heavenly Father…we humbly ask you for your guidance as we continue to be faithful companions to those facing the challenges and sufferings of life and death.” 

The event entertainment included a special performance by several members of the Sarafina women’s dance group, which was founded by a former Rockette and who’s performance style is inspired by the famous Radio City dance troupe. Two of them escorted Cardinal Dolan to the podium while Sinatra’s “New York, New York” song played, and the people stood and applauded.

Calvary, headquartered in the Bronx, is the country’s only hospital dedicated to providing hospice and palliative care to adult patients with advanced cancer and other life-limiting illnesses. CalvaryCare is available at four locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens and throughout the greater New York area where people reside. 

The hospital was founded in 1899 by a small group of widows in New York, led by Annie Blount Storrs. Inspired by the work of a group in France called Women of Calvary, it began caring for destitute women with terminal diseases. The widows took care of the women first in their own homes, then in two brownstone houses on Perry Street in Greenwich Village.