DECATUR - In honor of the Hospital Sisters that cared for Mary Todd Lincoln in her final years, the Hospital Sisters Health System is hosting a 130th anniversary celebration at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library in Springfield on Saturday.

"We are commemorating the care that was given to Mrs. Lincoln by the Sisters. It's a very unique story that has never been told before," said Brian Blasco, communications coordinator for the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis.

In 1875, 20 Hospital Sisters traveled to the United States from Germany and arrived in Illinois on Nov. 6. They broke up into small groups to set up ministries around Illinois and Wisconsin, which now make up the 13 hospitals of the Hospital Sisters Health System today.

Sister Francis Dreisvogt administered to the sick in St. John's Hospital for 53 years after first helping to establish St. Anthony's Hospital in Effingham. When Mary Todd Lincoln returned to Springfield as her health deteriorated and she became blind, Sister Francis sat up with the president's widow every night to care for her before she died in 1882.

"With the relationship between Mary Todd Lincoln and the Sisters becoming known, and with the recent opening of the Presidential Museum, the celebration makes sense," said Kelly Hazenfield, community relations director for St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur.

The event will serve as a fundraiser for the Presidential Library Foundation and St. John's Breadline, which also was begun by the Hospital Sisters. Participation in the event, which is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., is by reservation only.

The Sisters will unveil two gifts at the celebration to give to the Lincoln Presidential Library, Blasco said. The first is a piece of stained glass that depicts the Sisters' arrival in America and also contains President Lincoln's picture. The second gift is a bronzed statue of the Sisters holding Mary Todd Lincoln's hand as they cared for her, called "Healing Presence."

Dave Storm, director of business support at St. Anthony's Hospital in Effingham, said representatives from each of the hospitals were planning to attend to commemorate the generosity and hard work of the Sisters as they started their ministries in America.

"Our staff finds value in treating people and reaching out to those in need, and that's exactly what the Sisters came over to do," Storm said. "Although the Sisters no longer have a physical presence at St. Anthony's, they still have a strong presence in our mission."

Courtney Klemm can be reached at cklemm@herald-review.com or 421-6968.