While many friendships do not stand the test of time, Marlene Fridley, a parishioner at St. George in New Baden, knows the exception. Fridley forged a friendship 64 years ago with Hawaii-native Theresa Silva, a friendship she credits to a nun at her elementary school in McCartyville, Ohio.

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese unveiled a new outpatient surgery center Nov. 9, with a blessing and dedication Mass led by the Most Reverend Stanley G. Schlarman, DD.
Officials said the new outpatient surgery center is designed to increase efficiency and patient privacy. The $9.4 million outpatient surgery expansion includes a 13,880 square-foot addition to house 22 ambulatory surgery prep/recovery rooms, including four infusion rooms, support space, consultation rooms, waiting areas, and a new ambulance garage.

What started as Sister Carol Lehmkuhl’s women’s writing circle at the East Side Heart and Home Family Center in East St. Louis has morphed into a one-of-a-kind urban immersion retreat connecting students and groups with residents of the city to counter negative stereotypes about East St. Louis.