New Jersey hospital receives largest-ever gift to a U.S.-based Catholic health center
Left to right: Cathleen Davey, president, Holy Name Foundation; Jeffrey A. Brown, acting commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Health; Joan Noble, Douglas M. Noble Family Foundation; Michael Maron, president and CEO of Holy Name Medical Center; U.S. Rep. Nellie Pou; New Jersey state Sen. Paul A. Sarlo; and New Jersey state Sen. Joseph A. Lagana. / Credit: Holy Name
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 29, 2025 / 17:29 pm (CNA).
Holy Name Medical Center, the only independent Catholic health system in New Jersey, announced it has received a $75 million gift, the largest-ever donation to a U.S.-based Catholic health system.
“This transformational gift is not just about its remarkable size; it’s about the profound impact it will have on Holy Name’s ability to tackle some of the most critical health care challenges facing our community in the decades to come,” the hospital’s president and CEO, Michael Maron, said in a press release on Monday in which he announced the sizable donation from the Douglas M. Noble Family Foundation.
Holy Name Medical Center, located in Teaneck, New Jersey, hosted a special event to celebrate the gift and honor the legacy of the late Dr. Doug Noble, an accomplished neuroradiologist who passed away in 2019. His mother, Joan Noble, made the donation to the hospital on its 100th anniversary in honor of her son.
“My son was a very special person. Not only to me, as his mother, but also to the people in his world of medicine. Doug was an intelligent, dynamic individual sharing so much — energetically and with integrity and love,” Noble said at the event. “It became clear to me in order to make Doug’s legacy endure beyond any one individual’s or organization’s memory, including my own, I needed to give the gift that was Doug’s to a place that would appreciate it — and him; one that would turn his compassionate vision into reality in a way that he would endorse.”
“It was a challenging journey,” she added, “but through Father Roy Regaspi and prayer, I was blessed to be introduced to the people and mission of Holy Name. It is here at Holy Name where I found Doug’s legacy would live on.”
“In deciding where to bestow the funds of the Douglas M. Noble Family Foundation, the fact that Holy Name is a faith-based Catholic health organization entered strongly into Joan Noble’s decision,” Cathleen Davey, president of the Holy Name Foundation, told CNA. “Mrs. Noble told us she had prayed on the question for some time and that her prayers were answered with Holy Name.”
“Doug was a person of faith, and we learned that his desire to emulate Jesus as a healer was something very close to his heart,” Davey said. “Where could these funds promote the kind of medical competence and compassionate care that Doug himself delivered? Where could young physicians be trained as Doug himself taught — not only in the knowledge and skills of doctoring but in the concept of servant leadership?”
“So in getting to know Holy Name, it became apparent to Mrs. Noble that ours was the kind of health system Doug would have appreciated and endorsed,” Davey continued.
The historic gift will be used to expand the hospital’s specialized care units, according to Maron, including the hospital’s Level III neonatal intensive care unit as well as a new neuroendovascular institute.
The funds will also help launch the hospital’s graduate medical education program to help counter ongoing physician shortages.
“The potential impact is limitless — enhancing patient care, fueling medical innovation, attracting the best physician talent, and allowing us to continuously grow and adapt in line with our core values of compassion and healing,” Maron said.
New Jersey Democrat state Sen. Paul Sarlo, who is Catholic, also attended the event.
“Congratulations to Holy Name and God bless the Noble Family Foundation for this donation,” Sarlo said at the event, adding: “This does not happen in a vacuum. This family doesn’t make this contribution to any institution. It made it to Holy Name because when you walk into this place you feel like you belong. You are rooted in that Catholic mission. This gift is a compliment to each and every individual in this hospital. The work you do, day in and day out, ensures folks receive the care they need with gifts like this.”
U.S. Rep. Nellie Pou and state Sens. Joseph Lagana and Gordon Johnson were also present.