One day in late 1923, a very sick, young Lieutenant Otsuji was carried by a company of officers from his visiting Japanese fleet, through the doors of St Benedict’s Hospital in Coonil Crescent, Malvern.
L-R: Lieutenant K. Otsuji on his 23rd birthday, with his father.
By that time, St Benedict’s — Melbourne’s first private hospital run by the Sisters of Mercy — had been in operation for more than three years. The architectural jewel of Coonil Crescent, it was named after the patron saint of hospitality. Every day it opened its wide, stately doors to all who needed care and accompaniment through ill health.
Under the diligent leadership of the Mother Superior, Mother Francis Hannigan, the Sisters and nurses at St Benedict’s treated patients with the highest standards of medical care and a holistic approach to healing, which emphasised the importance of a good diet, fresh air and exercise. Importantly, it was their dedication, selflessness and compassionate care that pointed to something higher. St Benedict’s was the perfect sanctuary for ailing bodies and searching souls, just like Lieutenant Otsuji’s.
Deeply impressed by the faith of Christians during the terrifying Great Kanto Earthquake that struck Japan in September 1923, Lieutenant Otsuji told Mother Francis he wanted to join the faith, saying “I wish to be able to pray and to act as the Christians did during the recent earthquake in Japan. When I was ill on the boat, how I tried to pray as I had seen the Christians pray!”
Not long after, when his health had worsened, Lieutenant Otsuji was baptised into the church by Rev. J. Ryan C.M. It was said that “the word ‘Mercy’ impressed him very much and he would frequently ask to be told about God’s mercy” — perhaps because he experienced it so tenderly through the Sisters’ everyday acts of care during his convalescence at St Benedict’s.
It was their dedication, selflessness and compassionate care that pointed to something higher.
This year marks 100 years since St Benedict’s Hospital opened its doors in 1920. Over the past century, Mercy Health’s services have expanded and now include acute and subacute hospital care, aged care, mental health programs, specialist women’s healthcare, early parenting services, palliative care, and home and community care. The mission that has spurred these great achievements is the same as it was 100 years ago: to bring God’s mercy to those in need.
The information in this article on Lieutenant Otsuji is credited to The wheel of time: a brief survey of the ninety-six years’ work of the Sisters of Mercy in Victoria, 1857-1953 by Sister Mary Ignatius O’Sullivan, 1954.
You are invited to celebrate Mercy Health’s 100-year milestone by sharing your Mercy memories and stories via our centenary website: mercyhealth100years.com.au
Last reviewed October 20, 2020.