After our addition of the Ambulatory Surgery Center at Saint Vincent's One Nineteen, we were tasked with dreaming up a sacred space for the One Nineteen campus to connect the existing wellness facility and the new Surgery Center.

We held collaborative charettes with healthcare providers and caregivers that serve the ministry, and as a product of these work sessions, came up with the idea for the Sisters Garden. Our goal was to develop a space that welcomed growth, sharing, renewing of the inner life, persistence of purpose and reminding us of the spiritual presence in all of creation.

The St. Vincent’s One Nineteen Sisters Garden is a sequence of outdoor spaces designed as a fundamental component of the St. Vincent’s Health System’s Healing Ministry. This sacred space constitutes a meditative garden and labyrinth, ethereal canopy and intimate gathering spaces.

The design underscores the physical and spiritual centrality of the project. Each detail element reinforces the concept of suspension between introspection and outward engagement. Cedar screens shelter visitors, patients and caregivers alike, while maintaining a visual connection to their surroundings. A translucent canopy arcs across the space, drawing passers-by into a moment of rest and contemplation.