UPDATED 6:10 a.m. 12/20/23
PEORIA, Ill. – The Catholic Diocese of Peoria will soon have more of a supporting role in the operation of OSF HealthCare.
The sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis have entered into an alignment to create what’s called a “Diocesan Public Juridic Person.” In short, it moves sponsorship of OSF HealthCare from the Sisters, to a new entity called “OSF HealthCare Ministries PJP.”
“The Diocesan Public Juridic Person is an entity that is created to provide the sponsorship of the apostles of the church,” said Most Rev. Louis Tylka, Bishop of Peoria, in a statement. “In many ways we deal with both the church’s law and we deal with civil law and in the church’s law there
always has to be some body, some religious community or the Diocese that sponsors the Ministry that is taking place.”
It’s a move OSF Board Chairperson Sister Judith Ann Duvall is perfectly fine with.
“We believe that this is what God is asking of our Religious Community and we believe it is the best possible solution in this situation,” said Duvall, in a statement.
So with the moves, what changes? The CEO of OSF, Bob Sehring, says almost nothing that the public would see.
“It’s the same Sisters who are part of the governing board today will provide that overall governance for OSF Healthcare System,” said Sehring, in a statement. “They will do the same things, but in a slightly different structure.”
The transition of sorts is expected to be complete by Fall, 2024.
(This story has been corrected to clarify language related to the changes.)
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