In 1866 three brave Sisters from Lyons, France, answered the call of Bishop Claude Dubuis to minister to the “sick and infirm of every kind” in faraway Galveston, Texas. These first members of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word planted the earliest seeds of our ministries. Their courage and devotion inspire us every day.
In these times of change and challenge, solutions to the community’s healthcare needs cannot be solved with a single approach. Therefore, our Foundation’s ministries include both traditional healthcare programs and special programs that bring health, education and wellness to the most vulnerable in our community.

Far away from sterile operating rooms, bustling ERs and hushed hospital suites, a 40-foot GMC Lifeline vehicle—emblazoned with the CHRISTUS symbol, serves a province of streets, parking lots, schools and nursing homes.

Incorporating a 50-year legacy in the field of plastic surgery, the Cronin & Brauer Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic/Operation San José helps children and adults face the world as they should—with a healthy, winning smile. Patients are seen at no charge.

Our visiting nurse association hospice and palliative care teams help people close out their lives with dignity, purpose and peace. While facing a terminal illness and living at home, patients receive personal care to alleviate pain and suffering, while care and support are provided to family members.

The better we are at writing and speaking, and the better we are at understanding others’ words—the greater our chances for rewarding work, personal safety, educational advancement, social and economic mobility—a brighter future for us and our families.

Founded in 1985 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, CHRISTUS Our Daily Bread provides support services to homeless men, women and children. While upholding the dignity of each person, staff members give guidance and structure to help break the cycle of homelessness.

Located 30 miles southeast of Houston in Dickinson, Texas, Point of Light Clinic opened quietly 1989 in response to a growing need for health-care providers in a medically underserved area between Houston and Galveston.

Our 102-bed CHRISTUS St. Catherine is an acute-care hospital providing the latest technology in medical, surgical and emergency care as well as numerous ambulatory services. The hospital addresses the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of residents in one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation.

CHRISTUS St. John is an acute-care hospital across from NASA-Johnson Space Center in Nassau Bay, south of Houston. With 178 acute care beds, more than 400 physicians and almost 700 associates, CHRISTUS St. John provides a broad spectrum of adult and pediatric medical, surgical and obstetrical care, as well as numerous ambulatory services.

A collaboration of Houston’s historic San José Clinic, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and CHRISTUS Foundation for HealthCare, the Moran Health Center opens in Houston’s Midtown on February 6, 2010.

Operated by the Mission Community Outreach offices at CHRISTUS St. John Hospital, the Wee See Program helps provide eye exams and corrective lenses for disadvantaged students in the Clear Creek and Dickinson ISDs. Area optometrists generously discount their product and service costs, which are paid for the families by Wee See. The program asks parents for a small co-pay, where reasonable.