Columbia house goes from nuns' home to new kind of sanctuary

A house that used to be a place for nuns to rest after a day of working in a hospital will now provide short-term respite for current employees of that hospital. It will also be available for students from out of town doing clinical rotations.

It’s called Sisters House, and it’s on the campus of MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown. The former Providence Hospital used to be owned and operated by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Augustine. MUSC Health bought it in 2021.

Edward “Mac” Leppard, M.D., the hospital’s chief medical development officer, worked there as a cardiothoracic surgeon. “When I first came here in 1984, there were a lot of nuns on the floors in the hospital. They unfortunately aged out,” he said.

But he remembers them fondly and said the spirit of goodwill they brought to the place should live on. “I think the biggest thing is the embrace of their legacy. We want that to continue that legacy of compassionate care.”

 

That legacy now includes the renovated Sisters House on Forest Drive. The two-story brick structure has 11 bedrooms, a kitchen, an office and a TV room. It’s come a long way from the hospital’s opening back in 1938, an event captured and archived by the nuns’ charity.

The house is one of two that the charity built on the campus for nuns to live in. The other was torn down. Leppard said MUSC Health leaders wanted to preserve the house that remains. “What we've done is just basically renovate the whole building. I mean, it had to be updated. It was in bad shape.”

As photos from the house’s grand opening show, it’s not in bad shape anymore. It’s spotless and ready to house doctors, nurses and other health care providers who need a place to grab some rest and a shower on days and nights when they can’t be far from their patients. The house is a short walk from the hospital.

 

People who stay there will find that it also contains some reminders of its former inhabitants. A table is inscribed with the words “Sister Mary Jacob, CEO and boss, Providence, 1966-1991.” A sign out front notes that the house is named in honor of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine.

While the charity no longer runs the Columbia hospital, its work goes on. “Nourished by a long tradition of meeting the charitable needs of people, the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine continues, renewed and recommitted to dedicate itself to works of health, education and social services, directing attention to those existing and emerging needs which are most critical,” the nuns’ website says.

Leppard saw the good they did in Columbia. “They did a lot for our community, and I don't want them to be forgotten.”