Careers in View: OSF Saint Anthony’s Sister M. Beata Ziegler, F.S.G.M.

 

By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE
IBJ Managing Editor
[email protected]

As OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center celebrates 100 years of serving the community with care and compassion, Vice President of Operations and Special Projects Sister M. Beata Ziegler, F.S.G.M., has been at the forefront of everyday interactions with its patients, providers and partners for five years now. She recently shared her unique career journey with the IBJ.

“My vocation is to be a religious Sister,” Sister Beata explained, “and as a Sister, we each have an apostolic service. We refer to our work as an apostolate because it is a work to which we are sent, as on a mission. For the last five years, my apostolate has been in Administration at OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center, currently as the vice president of Operations and Special Projects.

[Editor’s Note: The role of “religious Sister” is also commonly referred to as that of a “nun.”]

Sister Beata entered the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, based out of Alton, Ill., on Dec. 8, 1997. She had completed her bachelor’s degree in sociology, youth ministry and religious studies through Benedictine College in Atchinson, Kansas, before entering the convent. And more recently, she completed her master’s degrees in philosophy and business administration (MAMBA) through University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D.

“I pursued the undergraduate degrees because I had a dream of serving young people in need, especially those who lacked family stability or a faith background,” said Sister Beata. “This led me to my first apostolate after entering the convent of working in youth ministry.”

“My recent studies helped to supplement my learning in business with an emphasis on philosophy and ethics,” she added. “It was a wonderful combination, and very applicable to my current role.”

“My career path has had many different twists and turns; however, I see how the Lord has continued to build one thing upon the next,” Sister Beata shared further. “My first apostolate as a Sister was as a youth minister for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. After that amazing role, I was asked to work in vocations promotion and formation with the young Sisters in our religious community in Alton.”

That career cairn was followed by a transfer to Mother of Good Counsel Home, where she worked in administration as director of support services until asked to serve at Saint Anthony’s Health Center.

Her current role as vice president of operations and special projects for OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center involved leading outpatient service departments, including diagnostic imaging, laboratory, rehabilitation therapies and its sleep lab.

She also leads the work of various “Mission Partners” (the moniker the organization gives to its employees) who provide support services to the entire health center such as food service, security, environmental services, supply chain, and still more.

“Working closely with the president and other vice presidents, we formulate and implement strategy to continue to make OSF Saint Anthony’s a place of healing and restoration for our community,” said Sister Beata.

“The role that I play in hospital administration is one of connecting,” she added. “This is also part of my personal gifts but is so necessary to my responsibilities. As an individual leading operations within a health center, we are not experts in every single field that we lead. We need to have a working knowledge of the areas that we are overseeing, but what is important is that we are the ones supporting our Mission Partners and connecting what they do to all other aspects of the business.

“The importance of communication cannot be overstated, nor can having both a detailed view of the daily workings of care delivery and the strategic planning necessary to move us into the future,” Sister Beata said further.

When asked about what might have been a defining moment for her to pursue a career in healthcare administration and as a religious Sister, she responded by sharing:

“As religious Sisters, we don’t pursue a career as most people do. The calls that we receive in obedience from our superior are often our defining moments. Coming from a background in youth ministry and sociology, I would not have guessed that this would be my path, but through the call and my response to the Lord’s grace, it is obviously His will and there is fruit being born through my work here at OSF Saint Anthony’s. Each moment of each day can be a defining moment in the realm of grace.”

Principles that help guide her in carrying out her role and its responsibilities include accompaniment, consistency and charity. This is also where she finds her daily motivation.

“I feel that the Lord has brought me to this field of work to walk with people,” said Sister Beata. “Sometimes that looks like scrubbing a floor alongside a fellow Mission Partner or moving furniture together. At other times it is sitting with a patient or Mission Partner who is in deep spiritual need.

She continued: “It is love for the other that has to be at the center of what we do here and especially at the center of my mission as a religious Sister in health care. It is in sharing people’s lives that we can then do all the work that is needed in health care to bring healing.”

And her advice and guidance to someone considering a similar career path?

“Health care is about healing and restoration. At its core it is a mission to care for one’s fellow human beings and to put our own selves into that caring. We can then bring all the amazing technologies to bear in fighting disease and illness, but we must never forget the person and their need to be nourished in their spirit as they receive care for their bodies.”

OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2025. The Illinois Business Journal also asked Sister Beata if there were any surprises along the way in preparing for this milestone celebration.

“I have to say that what has surprised me most about the year of preparation, is how deeply touched I have been in listening to the stories of the Sisters who have served before and the impact that they have made on this Alton community,” she said. “We make an impact as a community of religious women but just as importantly, we make an impact as individuals on the lives of other individuals. It matters that we show up as the person God made us to encounter others. Just because we are wearing the same clothing, don’t be fooled!  We are all as different as our fingerprints and that is what makes this such a rich experience.”

In reflecting on the hospital’s development, and the healthcare industry’s, over the past century, Sister Beata said, “The developments in healthcare over 100 years are astounding.  As the Sisters and Mission Partners share about how they ‘used’ to do things, it is just amazing how far technology and the understanding of the human person has developed over time.”

Sister Beata also talked about the notable changes she sees for healthcare organizations and their relationship with the communities they serve moving forward into the next 100 years.

“Being able to serve all who come to us, regardless of their ability to pay, will be a challenge that extends into the future,” she noted. “It is a commitment that we will always embrace, however, reimbursement through insurance and other government payors will continue to challenge us as a not-for-profit health system.

“Another one of the greatest challenges that our faith-based health care organization faces is the balance that we need to always keep in mind while embracing change is holding to the foundation of why the Sisters gave their lives for this. As we invite more and more people to serve along with us to become Mission Partners, we need to learn to utilize technology in ever changing ways which will support our ability to spend time with our patients and to give a personal touch, even if some of our care is guided by technology,” she said further.

“Continuing to give an experience of Christ’s Merciful Love to all who encounter us and to serve them with the greatest care and love – these are our hallmarks and what makes OSF Saint Anthony’s unique and necessary for our community,” Sister Beata added as her interview with the IBJ concluded.

 

 

OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center is a 49-bed Rural Health designated acute care hospital in Alton, Ill. that serves the residents of Madison, Jersey and Macoupin counties. It is home to OSF Moeller Cancer Center, which provides the latest diagnostic tools and treatment for patients in a relaxing environment. OSF Saint Anthony’s also provides 24-hour access to a physician-staffed emergency department, in addition to cardiovascular, neurology, pulmonology, surgical, rehabilitation services and more.

OSF Saint Anthony’s is fully accredited by the Joint Commission for Healthcare Facilities, American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer, American College of Radiology, American Heart Association, IDPH and TJC Primary Stroke Center.

OSF Saint Anthony’s is part of OSF HealthCare – an integrated health system with 17 hospitals in Illinois and Michigan and robust Innovation and Digital Health divisions that provide access to specialty care and remote monitoring, helping people receive the care they need close to home. OSF HealthCare is operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis with headquarters in Peoria, Ill.

Photos accompanying this story have been provided by OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center.

 

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[EDITOR’S NOTE: We all know how impactful case studies can be to business, industry and economic growth as well as to development. The same can be said for what the Illinois Business Journal has introduced as an ongoing series: Careers in View. Similar to a case study, but instead a career study: A look at professionals and their unique career journeys. If you have someone in mind to be considered for a future Careers in View feature with the IBJ, send an email to [email protected]. Include details about the person and their career to be considered, along with a profile photo and some shots of their career in action.]