Tuesday, December 3, 2024
BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
In March 2024, Aspirus announced they would be embarking on a $40 million renovation and expansion of Aspirus Merrill Hospital, solidifying their commitment to and investment in the Merrill community.
“This investment is a clear indication of our commitment to leveraging resources for the greatest possible impact,” said Jeff Wicklander, Aspirus SVP & Central Region President. “We are excited to improve and expand care locally while providing a boost to the local economy.”
But the expansion will come at the expense of one of Merrill’s historical landmarks, requiring the demolition of the Holy Cross Chapel building.
“This initiative underscores Aspirus’ dedication to addressing the growing health care needs in Merrill and the surrounding areas,” Aspirus said in a press release at the time. “Aspirus looks forward to continued growth and improvement, as it advances its mission to heal people, promote health, and strengthen communities.”
The project will be extensive and includes doubling inpatient beds in Merrill, going from 10 to 20, as well as:
“In these challenging times, Aspirus is dedicated to innovating and transforming its care models and processes. This approach ensures that the system continues to deliver exceptional care that meets communities’ changing needs. Maintaining a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) in Merrill is an important strategy for Aspirus Health as more populations transition to Medicare,” the release said.
The project is designed to “greatly improve efficiency, access, and the patient experience.”
“The removal of the chapel is needed to complete these enhancements,” Andrew Krauss, Media Supervisor at Aspirus Health confirmed when asked. The work is set to begin this month and expected to be completed by the end of November.
Technically, the building is no longer a chapel, Krauss said. “It was decommissioned under previous ownership … hasn’t been open to the public in nearly a decade.”
In addition to the need for the space for hospital expansion, Krauss said other contributing factors that led to the impending demolition of the chapel building included the need for significant asbestos abatement, and he said the building was in a “state of disrepair.” When questioned about how the chapel had been neglected to the point that it is in a “state of disrepair,” what specifically that meant and what kinds of issues were in disrepair, and when and why it was closed to the public, Krauss said, “This happened under previous ownership and we decline to discuss further details.”
When a dumpster first appeared outside the building in September, area citizens took their questions and concerns to Facebook, and Michael “Gus” Caylor Jr., City of Merrill Alderperson for the Second District and Chair of the City’s Historic Preservation Committee, confirmed the building will be removed. “I’m afraid you are correct,” he said to those inquiring if the dumpster meant the chapel was soon to be torn down. “The Historic Preservation Committee sent a letter asking them to reconsider to no avail,” Caylor said.
“The Holy Cross Sisters did remove and take possession of the cornerstone time capsule on the church,” added Steve Sabatke, another member of the City’s Historic Preservation Committee. The cornerstone and time capsule were laid and installed on Sept. 17, 1936. The new building was dedicated on Jan. 6, 1937, and the finishing touches were put on the building, rendering it completed on Jan. 30, 1937.
Many on the Facebook post expressed their sadness at the loss of another historical building of long-standing significance to so many Merrill residents, including some who graduated from Holy Cross High School on the hill many years ago and others who had attended mass in the chapel over the decades. And after all, the unique and beautiful building, constructed with walls of red “seam-faced” granite from local quarries, has stood high on the hill for more than 87 years, a tribute to God for whom the building was built that generations might come to know and love Him and worship Him there.
Sister Pat Cormack, former Provincial for the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross USA Province (2000-2006, 2012-2021), who celebrated her 50-year anniversary of her profession as a Sister earlier this summer, tried to set minds to rest. “When the Holy Cross Sisters came to Merrill over 100 years ago, they were called to fulfill their founder’s charism, ‘The need of the times is the will of God,’” she said.
“The need at that time was to build and staff a hospital for the people of the Merrill area,” Sr. Pat said. “Until 1987 the sisters ran Holy Cross Hospital, but at that time, they realized they could no longer manage the hospital and sold the hospital, chapel, Scott Mansion, and Menard Center in order for the hospital to continue. Throughout the years, the hospital has been run by other health organizations: Catholic Health Initiatives, Ministry Health Care, Ascension Health, and now Aspirus Health. During those years, each group saw the need for a hospital in Merrill and made changes to bring it up to modern health care standards.”
“We thank Aspirus Health for continuing the charism of the Holy Cross sisters by the renovation and expansion they have planned to address the growing health care needs of Merrill and the surrounding area,” she said.
In Merrill, the once growing group of the Sisters of Mercy of Holy Cross has been dwindling and the Sisters here, though still as actively involved in the community as they are able, have been preparing for what Sr. Pat calls “the completion of our mission” since 2021. In Oct. 2021, the community of Sisters in Merrill – which had been made a province back in the 1950s – became a house, a joint process that had been in the works beginning with discussions about nine years prior.
The Sisters of Mercy of Holy Cross, commonly referred to as the Holy Cross Sisters, was established in Switzerland in 1856 and the first sisters came to the U.S. in 1912, but it was not until 1923 that a group of the sisters arrived in Merrill. Since that time, they have worked tirelessly in the Merrill community and firmly established themselves on what came to be known locally as the “Holy Hill.”
While the local sisters continue to do what they can in various areas of ministry, their aging community and decrease in numbers of religious in their - and other religious orders overall - dictate that their primary focus has shifted away from their once extremely active involvement in healthcare, education, and assisted living care in Merrill to other needs of our times. Last year at this time, the Holy Cross Sisters celebrated 100 years of service to the Merrill community. That service isn’t ending, but it has evolved. And so, too, the look of Holy Hill has evolved over the years - most notably with the demolition of the T.B. Scott Mansion on the hill by the hospital’s former owner, Ascension Health, in 2021, prior to the change in ownership to Aspirus. The demolition of the former Holy Cross Chapel by the end of this year will continue to mark the passage of time, the evolution of the face of the hill, and the changing “need of the times.”
Krauss did indicate that “there is a planning committee working to preserve some element of the chapel for the community.”
“We have engaged with local stakeholders and leaders in the faith community to preserve and donate religious iconography and historical effects,” he said.
“We are planning to preserve some elements of the chapel to honor its legacy,” Krauss said. “We are exploring options to provide a tangible connection to the chapel’s history for the community.”
No other details or specifics were provided.
“The health care landscape has encountered unprecedented challenges over the past four years, exerting immense pressure on health care systems across the nation,” Wicklander said. “Despite these obstacles, Aspirus has thrived, which is a testament to strategic foresight, thoughtful decision-making, and a relentless commitment to efficiency and effectiveness.”
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