Sister Mary Irene FitzGibbon

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Sister Mary Irene FitzGibbon
Sister Irene in an undated photo
Born	Catherine Rosamund FitzGibbon (1823-05-12)May 12, 1823 London, England
Died	August 14, 1896(1896-08-14) (aged 73) New York City, U.S.
Resting place	Sisters' Cemetery, College of Mount Saint Vincent, Bronx, New York 40°54′48″N 73°54′25″W / 40.913465°N 73.906971°W / 40.913465; -73.906971
Occupation(s)	Roman Catholic religious sister, orphanage director, teacher
Known for	Founder of New York Foundling Hospital

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.