Catholic Health East... marks a new moment in the ministry.

THE QUESTION OF THE MEANING and content of Catholic identity in health care has been the subject of discussion, debate and study for more than two decades. Numerous papers, workshops, and meetings have produced significant insights, but no common definition. Why, then, should we write yet another document on Catholic identity?

Existing studies have come about as a response to need in times when the Catholicity of institutions has been challenged, when mergers, joint ventures, and joint operating agreements made it necessary for us to clarify who we are and what distinguishes us as ministries within the Catholic tradition. What is it that marks us as Catholic?

There is another reason to delve into this question yet again. We do so in order to remember. One of the most important themes in the Judeo-Christian tradition is that of remembering. Thus, the scriptures represent the collective, Spirit-inspired memory of the communities that had experienced the presence and saving power of God. These communities maintained their identity and their hope through the telling and retelling of the marvelous acts of God on their behalf.

To remember within a faith context is to do more than recall an event or a fact. It is to somehow reenter the event, to become present to the grace and power manifested therein. We celebrate the Eucharist "in remembrance of me" (1Cor 11:24-25). When we do so, the saving meal is not merely recalled, it is present. We once again encounter the saving Lord who gives his life for us. We are once again made whole, joined together in unity. We "eat the bread and drink the cup" (1Cor 11:27) and become one.

When we look once again to the meaning and implications of Catholic identity, we are in fact remembering who we are, why we do what we do, in whose name we do it. We recall, reenter the events and the passion that gave birth to the ministry we claim. We find again the foundation upon which we stand. Our history grounds us, and gives us sense of place. This is where we have come from; this is who we are.

At the same time, this holy memory impels us to act now in order to shape a future that is faithful. The Christian memory calls us to view the present in ways that are both astute in recognizing grace and courageous in naming places, processes, decisions where grace is overshadowed by expediency, greed, complacency. In this respect, the memory is a dangerous one: it critiques the present in light of the saving acts of God. It offers the amazing hope that God is faithful and forgiving.

One cannot live only in memory, however. One must always ask: who are we, what are we to do now? What does it mean to be a Catholic health system today? Catholic Health East is a new health system. It marks a new moment in the ministry. It needs to establish its own identity, to name and practice behaviors that flow from that identity.

Building upon the foundation of collective memory, attuned to the "signs of the times" as these are evident in the work of health care in the United States at the turn of the millennium, in a culture that is diverse, time-bound, in constant flux... the members of Catholic Health East must name their own identity today and into the future.

• What is a memory that continues to affect you, that influences your life?
• What memories are important to your organization?
• What stories do you tell over and over again?

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Newtown Square, PA 19073 | 610.355.2000
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