Prior to her passing on Monday, July 31, Sister Lauren Weinandt asked that the following letter be shared with Mayo Clinic staff.  

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My Dear Fellow Colleagues,   

When people would stop at my office, I was often asked, "What do you think Mother Alfred would say if she saw the hospital and clinic today?" 

In 1889, when Mother Alfred and her fellow Sisters began Saint Marys Hospital, a little-known story is that she was transferred from the hospital by the bishop right after it was opened and never really ran the hospital she founded. She never saw how great Mayo Clinic was to become.    

I am asked, "Wasn’t she sad?" And I say, “No.” It was written that as she left, she quoted the words of St. Francis: “We are asked to plant the seeds today for fruit we will never see.”    

So, as I leave Saint Marys, I pass this legacy and the vision of Mother Alfred to you.    

My wish is to leave this place of hope and healing better than you found it as you pass it to the next generation.  

The work is never finished. We are continually called to change, to innovate and to improve patient care.  

Thank you all for your faithful service.  

Be kind to each other. Fill the halls of Mayo with laughter. Don’t speak of me as if I am gone. Remember, like Mother Alfred, the Sisters are always at your side. The best way to honor me is to continue the good work started in 1889.   

I am grateful for the hard work of all of you in the dedicated care of our patients, especially the many people who have cared for me in my final days here.   

I am grateful to Mayo Clinic for enabling the Sisters to do good work.  

You are No. 1 in my book, and we will continue to be No. 1 in the world.  

I could not have achieved anything without the support of my family and fellow Sisters.  

When I was young, I dreamed of traveling the world to help others. Instead, at Mayo, the world came to me.  

God bless you,  

Sister Lauren