Mercy Hospital turns 75 years

By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

Photography: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

MIAMI | For the past 40 years, Mercy Hospital has been dear to Dr. Adelardo Arango.

“My brother, Father Fabio Arango served as Mercy Hospital’s chaplain for more than 20 years until he passed away in 2018,” said the Colombian-born surgeon before a Mass celebrated in honor of the hospital’s 75th anniversary. “Two of my daughters and four of my grandchildren were born here. There’s a feeling of community here,” he added.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski celebrated the diamond jubilee Mass on the feast day of Our Lady of Mercy, Sept. 24, 2025. Health care professionals, former patients, and nursing students were among those who attended the Mass. The archbishop praised all those who have worked at the hospital.

“We thank God for the doctors, nurses and health care professionals who, over the past 75 years, have cared for thousands who came to this hospital seeking comfort and healing,” said the archbishop during his homily. He added, “Nor can we forget the long service of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, who accepted the invitation of Archbishop Joseph Hurley in 1950 to take on this health care ministry here on the shores of Biscayne Bay.”

At that time, 15 Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine assumed nursing administrative duties for the hospital.

The history of Mercy Hospital began in 1945, when Archbishop Hurley of St. Augustine, then the diocese for all of Florida, arranged for the purchase of a 40-acre site on the Deering Estate. After a massive fundraising drive, construction began in 1946 on a swampy parcel of land south of Villa Vizcaya. When the125-bed hospital, built in the shape of a cross opened, it answered a pressing need for additional hospital beds in the booming post-World War II South Florida area.

Today, the 10,000-square-foot facility has 488 beds, and 2,300 full-time employees. Miami’s only Catholic hospital was a member of Catholic Health East until it was sold to HCA Healthcare in 2011, which is the largest healthcare system in Florida. The hospital has undergone multimillion-dollar renovations and upgrades throughout the years. There are also two medical professional buildings on the sprawling hospital site. Mercy Hospital is the only hospital in Miami that is accessible by land, sea and air.

Despite being part of HCA Healthcare, Mercy Hospital has maintained its Catholic identity, said Allyssa Tobitt, the hospital’s executive director.

“We entered a covenant agreement with the archdiocese,” said Tobitt. “We will uphold the Catholic identity of the hospital.”

Tobitt, said the hospital looks forward to welcoming the community to honor the hospital’s patroness, Our Lady of Mercy.

“The Mercy Mass is a tradition that reflects our mission to care for the whole person; body, mind and spirit,” she added.

In 2022, Mercy Hospital expanded its name to HCA Florida Mercy Hospital to better reflect its association with HCA Florida Healthcare.