Mercy Medical Center?s “walking nuns” are back out in the community, but now they?re directing traffic.
Parking around the hospital has gotten tighter as Mercy moves forward with its $400 million inpatient building, but the Sisters of Mercy are in place to help visitors navigate to Mercy?s Saratoga Garage.
More than 25 photographic cutouts featuring images of the sisters, each 8 feet tall, are in place around the area to point drivers in the right direction. The signs depict six sisters from the hospital and went up last month.
“The idea came forth, ?Why don?t we do something that?s very visual, easy for people to see, and indicative of Mercy?? ” Mercy spokesman Dan Collins said. “Part of what makes Mercy unique is the sisters. The thought was, ?Why don?t we have the sisters do it?? ”
The signs are part of a larger campaign about parking changes during construction of the new facility, including brochures and employee meetings, Collins said. The inpatient tower is expected to open in 2010.
The Sisters of Mercy earned the nickname “the walking nuns,” said Sister Theresa Carter, after founder Sister Catherine McAuley?s mission to get them out among the local community.
The likenesses of the sisters may be photographic and accurate, but in some cases the scale is more than a little off. The real-life Sister Carter is 4 feet 10 inches tall; her sign tops out at about 8 feet.
Collins said feedback on the signs has been positive and, in at least one case, spiritual.
“Somebody told me one of the signs had something stuck to it; I thought someone had defaced it,” he said. “It turned out it was a prayer. Someone had written basically a positive reaction, said our prayers go to the sisters.”
