Below are three biographical sketches of our Congregational Leader,  S.r.  Miriam Erb, CSA, and thSisters, Sr. Mary Jacob Yelcho, CSA, Sr. Mary Lois Phillipp, CSA, and Sr. Eileen Keating, CSA.   These Sisters have been actively involved in ministries in the communities we serve:  Columbia, South Carolina, Canton, Ohio and Cleveland, Ohio.  These biographical sketches will rotate on a quarterly basis.  Please continue to visit this section of our website to learn about the tremendous ministries work begining accomplished by this vibrant Congregation.  

Sr. Mary Jacob Yelcho, CSA grew to love the people and places of South Carolina during the 37 years she spent there, including 25 years as President of Providence Hospital in Columbia.  As she guided the Hospital through three major expansions, she became well-known across the Midlands of South Carolina as a crusader for accessible health care. 

In 1991, Sr. Mary Jacob resigned to become Associate Executive Director of the Providence Hospital Foundation.  Her voice became instrumental in the formation of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina in 1996.  Over the following years, she became deeply involved in her Foundation work and was an enthusiastic volunteer supporter for Healthy Learners.  Sr. Mary Jacob retired from her position as Associate Executive Director of the Foundation in South Carolina in 2005 and returned to Mt. Augustine in Richfield, Ohio. 

Sr. Mary Lois Phillipp, CSA is marking her 25th year at Mercy Medical Center in Canton, OH.  She began there as a Medical Technologist.  People who have known her warm disposition and quick sense of humor might be surprised to learn that she worked for 10 years in the Clinical Laboratory before gaining more interaction with hospital employees. 

It was Sr. Mary Lois who developed the initial process and programming for regular mission dialogue sessions for all employees.  She enjoyed the opportunity to interact with every department while getting to know more people and understand their work.  The staff looked forward to seeing Sr. Mary Lois making her rounds, especially on the midnight shift.  In 1999, she accepted a position in the Volunteer Services Department where she currently works to recruit new volunteers.

Sr. Eileen Keating, CSA serves as Spiritual Director for Rosary Hall at St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.  She enjoys her work to address the clients’ spiritual needs in a variety of ways, from simple conversation to more direct counseling as they work the Twelve Steps of recovery.  Rosary Hall was one of the nation’s first hospital-based treatment centers for alcoholism when it was founded in 1952 by Sr. Ignatia Gavin, CSA.  Sr. Eileen remembers its early years:  

“I knew Sr. Ignatia.  I was blessed to read her mail to her a few times when she was ill, so I know that she received letters from all over the world. But, people have made her bigger than life and she was really a very humble, simple woman,” Sr. Eileen said.  “What Sr. Ignatia did was get out of the way and let God work, and that’s what I try to do, too.”

Congregational Leader Sr. Miriam Erb and the CSA Council work to strengthen the various ministries in response to unmet community needs and guide the Congregation of fewer than 65 Sisters.  In addition, more than 45 lay women and men, married and single, grow in the spirit of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and share that spirit with others through an Associate program that began in 1985.  

In recent years, a process whereby the Congregation takes a public corporate stance on issues of social concern has led the Sisters into advocacy on behalf of persons with AIDS and their families.  They also lend their voices and participate in activities to promote peace and non-violence – all CSA residences are designated “peace sites.” 

Currently, the Congregation is working to eliminate disparities in heath care access and exploring ways to address the growing problem of human trafficking in urban areas of Northeastern Ohio.  Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine are active today in ministry as noted below in Ohio, South Carolina and Kentucky:

Healthcare
CSA Health System
Cleveland, OH

Providence Hospital Northeast – Columbia, SC

Interfaith Wellness Ministry – Irvine, KY

Regina Health Center – Richfield, OH

Joseph's Home – Cleveland, OH

St. John West Shore Hospital – Westlake, OH

Mercy Medical Center – Canton, OH

St. Vincent Charity Hospital – Cleveland, OH
Providence Hospital – Columbia, SC

Parish Ministry
St. Bernard Parish – Akron, OH

St. Mary Parish – Elyria, OH

Other
Catholic Worker House of Peace – Akron, OH

Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland
Centering Space – Lakewood, OH

Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton - OH

Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina – Columbia, SC

Volunteers
Catholic Charities/Diocese of Cleveland – OH

Holy Family Learning Center – Lakewood, OH

Internal CSA community support services
Commission on Catholic Community Action – Cleveland, OH

Providence House – Cleveland, OH

Regina Health Center- Richfield, OH

Friend to Friend Women’s Prison Ministry – Cleveland, OH

Rosary Hall – Cleveland, OH

St. Augustine Manor & Towers – Cleveland, OH