Melbourne Archbishop the Most Reverend Peter A Comensoli officially blessed Cabrini’s new $120 million Gandel Wing yesterday, ahead of it receiving its first patients on Monday.

The 15 July opening is an auspicious date, as it is St Frances Xavier Cabrini’s birthday, the missionary sister who established the order that took over the hospital in 1948.

The completion of the Gandel Wing signifies the end of nine years of planning and development to improve Cabrini’s facilities and provide an exceptional patient experience.

In a moving ceremony, Archbishop Comensoli blessed each floor with Holy Water, to bring hope and healing to all who enter through its doors, symbolic of the healing mission of Jesus.

Archbishop Comensoli said the new wing was a significant development in healthcare and would allow Cabrini to continue to provide outstanding care to all its patients, encompassing their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

“This new Gandel Wing will ensure Cabrini is well-equipped to care for patients who are sick, frail or receiving targeted treatment,” he said.

“I am delighted to be able to bless this building. This is a momentous occasion in Cabrini’s history and pays tribute to its Catholic heritage and the foundations laid by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”

Sr Diane Olmstead MSC, Provincial Superior of the Guadalupe Province, travelled from New York to take part in the historic occasion. She said the new Gandel Wing was a milestone in the Sister’s mission of care and service and showed how much the hospital had evolved since its humble beginnings in 1948.

“We have prayed that the patients and their loved ones who entrust us with their care will experience genuine warmth and kindness,” she said.

“As a Catholic health service, our mission is to bring about fullness of life for all people in all places and times, as Jesus ardently desired.”

Cabrini Board Chairman Sylvia Falzon said the Gandel Wing would enable the health service to continue to provide compassionate care to its patients in a state-of-the-art facility.

“Cabrini has devoted itself to caring for the sick, frail and elderly in our community for more than 70 years and we will continue to do so for many years to come,” Ms Falzon said. “We continue to place our patients at the heart of everything we do, as we strive to provide them with the best possible care.”