PRINCETON — Perry Memorial Hospital will now be known as OSF Saint Clare.

The merger with St. Francis Health Care became official with a blessing ceremony Thursday morning. The Most Rev. Louis Tylka, coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Peoria, walked the halls while blessing them with Jackie Kernan, president of OSF Healthcare Saint Clare Medical Center.

All of the Perry Memorial Hospital signage was replaced by OSF signs Thursday morning.

The hospital’s namesake, St. Clare, was born in Asisi, Italy, on July 16, 1194. At the age of 18, she was inspired by the preaching of St. Francis and decided to leave the home of her wealthy father figure. St. Clare provided support, encouragement and care to him during his ministry and throughout his later years.

St. Clare is most remembered for her co-founding of the Order of Poor Ladies, a monastic religious order of women who lived simple lives of seclusion, poverty and prayer.

Kernan said going forward patients should have little concern about their continuation of care.

“The hospital and clinics will be renamed but will continue to use the same providers and offer the same services,” Kernan said. “With the continued growth in rural healthcare I see an increase in services for the community.

“Patients will see the same type of care and the same providers,” OSF President Jackie Kernan said. “The staff is the same, the phone numbers will remain the same. Our mission statement already is similar to Perry — caring for patients with concern and love.”

OSF CEO Roxanna Crosser said the community will see the benefit of the OSF alliance going forward.

“We offer compassionate care and clinical expertise,” she said. “In November we will install a new electronic medical records system which will allow us to integrate a patients records into our system to substantially improve the continuum of care.”

Crosser and Kernan said that for the most part, staffing at the hospital will remain the same as before the merger with the “vast majority” of Perry employees staying on with OSF St. Clare.

Perry Memorial Hospital was founded May 29, 1916.