|
Nine years ago, twelve East Coast-based religious sponsors brought their health care ministries together to create Catholic Health East. The Sisters who led those sponsors concluded that the role and identity of the Catholic health ministry in the eastern United States could best be preserved and strengthened by exploring and ultimately creating new collaborative partnerships. It was, quite literally, a "leap of faith." It took vision, courage, and patience for religious women of different orders, different backgrounds, and different ways of doing things to come together as one. There was a great deal of sharing, education and compromise along the way. But the results are indisputable. The goal of maintaining Catholic sponsorship of their health care ministries and ensuring the continued vitality of their mission of compassionate care has been realized. The millions of people served each year in CHE facilities from Maine to Florida are a living tribute to the vision of our founders. Another challenge now faces our Sponsors: the creation of a new model for Sponsorship…one that includes sharing sponsorship responsibilities with the laity. Inspired by the many great insights produced by the Second Vatican Council, our religious communities have thoughtfully and prayerfully contemplated how best to integrate the role of the laity in continuing the work of the Church in today's world. Vatican II calls all persons to holiness, and directly impacted the roles and responsibilities for laity in governance, management, and sponsorship of Catholic healthcare ministries. Coupled with the demographic changes in the Sister population of the United States since the release of Vatican II (a 62% decline in numbers - from 180,000 in 1965 to 68,000 in 2006, and an increase in the average age to 70 years), the decision to develop and cultivate strong, productive partnerships with the laity has emerged as a matter of critical importance. CHE Sponsors and religious orders around the nation are affected by these changes and trends, and are making strategic decisions accordingly. For example, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, which earlier this year consisted of 25 regional communities, have announced plans to consolidate into six communities by the year 2009. This change will permit the sisters to combine and focus their ministries, and use their resources more effectively. As a result of the consolidation initiated to date, the number of Sisters of Mercy communities sponsoring CHE RHC's has gone from nine to seven, and will drop even more in the future as their consolidation progresses. Cognizant of these trends, our Sponsors realized that the very future of their health care ministries depended on forging new relationships with the laity. As Sr. Juliana Casey, IHM, CHE's Executive Vice President of Mission Integration explains, "Increasing the role of the laity is the next expression of how the Sponsors' work will be grown and developed. We are inviting the laity to share the responsibility—and joy—of sponsorship with us." In reality, this process has been going on for some time, as evidenced by the formation of Hope Ministries. Created in 2001, Hope Ministries is a Public Juridic Person, not a religious community. It was CHE's first experience with shared sponsorship—the experience of both lay and religious leaders being co-responsible for the ministry and acting in the name of the Church. The Chairperson of Hope Ministries, Canice Dolan, is a layperson - and the first layperson to be placed on CHE's Sponsor's Council, back in 2003. Hope Ministries is the current sponsor of six CHE entities: St. Francis/Wilmington, St. Francis/Trenton, Nazareth Hospital (Philadelphia), St. Mary Medical Center (Langhorne), St. Agnes Continuing Care Center (Philadelphia), and Global Health Ministries. More laypersons have been invited to join the Sponsors Council. In June 2006, the CHE Sponsors Council asked all members of Hope Ministries (7 in total) to join the Sponsors Council; this change will be effective January 2007. It is just one more avenue the Sponsors have provided to help increase the role of the laity in sponsorship of Catholic Health East. The Sponsors, who are also involved in ongoing education efforts among all stakeholders regarding the changing role of sponsorship, are active participants (along with several other Catholic health systems) in the Collaborative Foundation Program, a nationwide collaborative of Catholic health systems whose objective is to provide support for the orientation and development of current and future members of Public Juridic Persons. "If we want to stay grounded in the values we cherish, we need to recognize the gifts and talents the laity bring, and depend more on their powerful commitment to our ministry," says Sr. Julie. I cannot agree more with Sr. Julie's assessment. I look forward to all CHE leaders working closely with the Sponsors Council as this evolution continues, and strengthening our role as a transforming, healing presence in the communities we serve.
Sincerely yours,
|
|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catholic Health East | About Us | Services | Employment | Regional Health Systems | Outreach | Publications | Contact Us | For CHE Members
Catholic Health East, 3805 West Chester Pike, Suite 100 |
| • | About Us |
| • | Mission and Values |
| • | History |
| • | Holy Memory, Faithful Action |
| • | Sponsorship Heritage |
| • | President's Welcome |
| • | Our Values in Practice |