To bind up the wounds

"The mission of the sisters in nineteenth-century America was to carry out works of Christian charity by teaching, caring for orphans, nursing the sick, and providing spiritual assistance for the dying. Particularly in their mission to serve the sick, the sisters could be considered pathbreakers. Even though nursing one's own family members was an acceptable and expected occupation, nursing as a profession or lifelong commitment was almost unknown, except among Catholic women's religious communities. ...the sister's were indeed unique and singular among the few thousand women who cared for the sick during the Civil War. They demonstrated not only a strong religious commitment in their work on the battlefield, in the government hospitals, and on military transports, but also very practical skills, which enhanced this service"--Introd.