Sister Mary Irene FitzGibbon, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetSister Mary Irene FitzGibbon
American nun
Date of Birth: 12-May-1823
Place of Birth: London
Date of Death: 01-Jan-1896
Profession: nun
Nationality: United States
Zodiac Sign: Taurus 
About Sister Mary Irene FitzGibbon
- Sister Irene (born Catherine Rosamund Fitzgibbon; May 12, 1823 – August 14, 1896) was an American nun who founded the New York Foundling Hospital in 1869, at a time when abandoned infants were routinely sent to almshouses with the sick and insane.
- The first refuge was in a brownstone on E.12th St.
- in Manhattan, where babies could be left anonymously in a receiving crib with no questions asked.
- The practice was an echo of the medieval foundling wheel and an early example of modern "safe haven" practices. As the number of infants in care grew, the Foundling Hospital came to occupy a full city block between 68th and 69th Streets.
- In conjunction with her work at the Foundling Hospital, in 1880, Sister Irene founded St.
- Ann's Maternity Hospital, at 13 East 69th Street.
- Sister Irene is among the pioneers of modern adoption, establishing a system to board out children rather than institutionalize them.
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