Sister Mary Bernard Makes History

Sister Mary Bernard Sheridan, one of the Congregation’s earliest members, was honored posthumously when an official state historical marker was unveiled on the property of Saint Vincent Health Center on Friday, September 26, 2003. Sister Mary Bernard Sheridan began studying nursing at Saint Vincent Hospital in 1877 and became a nurse anesthetist. She is recognized and honored as America’s first formally educated nurse anesthetist. The Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) applied to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for the marker. Sister Mary Bernard remained in Erie with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania until 1888, when she moved west and became the first Superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita, Kansas. Sister Mary Bernard Sheridan has many descendants in this area, including Mary Herrmann, SSJ. According to the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Sister Mary Bernard Sheridan created a legacy that all Northwestern Pennsylvanians can look upon with pride. Nationwide, thousands of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) have followed in her footsteps.