The multiple gifts and talents of each person are indispensable to fulfilling the one mission.

Marks of the Church, Marks of the Ministry
The name this particular expression of ministry has chosen is Catholic Health East. We claim to act in the name of the Catholic Church. What does this mean? How can we understand and express identity as a Catholic ministry? There are multiple ways to express Catholic identity. One context that may prove helpful is to look at the Catholic health care ministry in light of the ancient characteristics or "marks" of the Church. We repeat them whenever we say the Creed: the church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

The Church has historically understood itself in terms of these marks. At different times in history they have carried different connotations. They have never been perfectly fulfilled, for the Church is never perfect, always in need of its own reformation. Taken in their broadest and most dynamic sense, these marks of the Church provide helpful contexts for understanding of the Catholic identity of our work.

One...
THE CHURCH HAS ALWAYS STRESSED ITS UNITY AND ONENESS. At times, this unity has been fractured and a claim to be "one" has become a plea to be restored to unity. The biblical image of the Body of Christ (1Cor 12:12-30) provides a context for unity. As all Christians are part of the one body that is Christ, so too, the Church is a reflection of that oneness. All are joined together in the one God, and within that relationship all are joined to each other as members of one body.

This unity -- and the striving for it -- expresses itself in the Catholic health ministry. Unity is based in relationships, particularly those relationships that witness to love and compassion. Health care is fundamentally relationships: caregiver to ones in need of care, worker to coworker, organization to community, governance to management, ultimately person to person. All things and buildings and structures and mechanics are at the service of the caring, healing relationship that is the true work of health care.

Catholic Health East is a specific manifestation of the call to oneness for it is the fruit of many joining together in a common mission. "The founding cosponsors of Catholic Health East share a common heritage and similar values in the sponsorship of their health ministries. The heritage of each sponsor is characterized by a deep and unwavering faith in God's providence, a passion for responding to unmet needs, and a special concern for persons who are poor." All who work in Catholic Health East share that one mission. While the history may differ for each organization, the call to be a transforming and healing presence among those we serve remains the same.

Unity does not imply uniformity, however, and the multiple gifts and talents of each person are indispensable to fulfilling the one mission. The diverse and rich traditions from which Catholic Health East was formed add flavor and distinction to the unity that is the health system. The mark of unity implies that the focus move from the distinctive history of individual organizations and systems to the one encompassing mission that is Catholic Health East.

The church is not perfectly one. It continues to live in the pain of separation. It continues to struggle toward reconciliation. So, too, the Catholic health ministry struggles toward reconciliation. We are often at odds with each other in the daily gift and struggle of our work. We often know separation and alienation from other Catholic providers. At times, we are separated from the community we intend to serve. In each case, it is important to remember that our identity calls us to oneness, invites us to work toward the one body, the one work of service for the sake of all the people whom God loves.

• In your work, when have you experienced tension between unity and uniformity?
• How can CHE be an expression of unity for your organization?

Holiness transforms both individuals and communities.

...Holy...
A CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE DIVINE IS CENTRAL to the Catholic health ministry. It is God who began the work, who invited each and all to participate, who instills the passion and the creativity. The church holds up the mark of holiness as both characteristic and goal. The Church, as people of God, is holy in that it has been called by God, and established as one body in Christ. Its holiness does not arise from any virtue of its members nor from any particular worthiness, but rather from its relationship with the divine. This relationship continues among the people through the constant presence and energy of the Spirit of God.

Holiness is gift. It is not reward. One acts justly, courageously and with integrity because one has been open to the gift of God. Holiness transforms both individuals and communities. A health system whose mission is that of being a transforming and healing presence can do so only when its members are themselves transformed. Structures within the system must be such that spiritual growth of both caregivers and those whom we serve are consciously, creatively encouraged. Development of leaders will include the development of attentiveness to the soul of the person, the corporation, the work itself. Consciousness of the presence of God in all that we do will be welcomed and remembered through prayer, celebration, reflection, gratitude.

The spiritual needs of those whom we serve have always been central to Catholic health care. Changes in modes of delivery, changes in demographics and cultural shifts in many parts of the country demand that spiritual care be even more consistently and creatively provided. It is said that we demonstrate our values by what we do even if we don't make money doing it. Spiritual care is such a demonstration. Qualified, ecumenicially sensitive departments of pastoral/spiritual care witness to the system's conviction that soul and spirit require nourishment and care.

Catholic health care remembers the characteristic of holiness in its service of people. It demonstrates great reverence for all and sees in all human life a sign of the sacredness of those who are made in God's image. This is particularly manifest in terms of those who are most vulnerable and those who are most despised. In a culture that sometimes places little value on life as it begins and life as it ends, a holy Church and its ministries demonstrate great care and compassion for such life. Further, mindful that holiness, sacredness stems from divine initiative and gift, Catholic health care honors the sacredness of those whose dignity lies hidden behind poverty, handicap, addiction, inability to cope.

It acts to ensure dignity and justice for those unable to act on their own.

• Who is holy for you?
• Have you ever experienced your work as holy?
• What made it so?

For the Catholic health ministry to be Catholic means to be welcoming of all.

...Catholic...
IN THIS CONTEXT, THE TERM "CATHOLIC" HAS MANY CONNOTATIONS. While for many, "catholic" implies "Roman Catholic," its most basic sense is that of universal, all-embracing. This claim and call reflects the Church's self-understanding as one meant for all peoples in all places. As catholic, the Church reaches out to all people. It also honors the riches of diverse cultures and gifts and incorporates them into itself.

For the Catholic health ministry to be Catholic means to be welcoming of all. It implies that Catholic health care leaders are willing to work with all others for the sake of God's people. This claim of catholicity calls for an openness to others and to the contributions they can make. As the ministry of health care is universal in its desire to serve all who are in need, so too is it universal in its desire to collaborate with both Catholic and other value-based organizations.

To be catholic also implies a fidelity to the Catholic tradition in all of its aspects and fundamental expressions, particularly as these are expressed in the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. Catholic health care honors its heritage, holds holy its memory. It accepts the teachings of the Church with reverence and integrity, and strives to be part of the shaping of new, authentic expressions of that teaching, particularly as the lived experience of providing care and promoting wellness calls for new expression. Catholic Health East embraces the traditions of the cofounders, it welcomes all who seek to join in its mission. It does not seek to convert others to the Roman Catholic tradition, nor does it apologize for its own identity as faithful to that tradition. Catholicity implies universality of welcome and collaboration for the sake of the ministry.

• Who has welcomed you to this work?
• With whom does your organization need to collaborate?

Catholic Health East knows itself called and sent forth, blessed and challenged, grounded yet set in new directions.

...Apostolic...
THE FOURTH MARK OF THE CHURCH is that it is apostolic. The term apostolic refers to the Church's grounding in the experience of the first witnesses to the resurrection. It connotes an experience of the power of God and a being sent forth to proclaim that experience. For example: Mary Magdalen not only saw the risen Lord but was sent to tell the others what had happened (John 20:11-18). To be apostolic is to be in communion with the tradition that began with the apostles and to bear witness to that tradition in all of its richness and development. It is to cherish the memory and tell that memory both in word and in action.

The apostolic character of the Church establishes it as a Church in the world. Sent to proclaim what they had seen and heard, apostles went into society in order to bring good news and point to a new way of being. Apostolic persons do the same today. This has important implications for the ministry of Catholic health. Health care is deeply involved in the communities in which it serves. It is a fundamental social institution. The quality and comprehensiveness of the provision of care profoundly affects the quality of life of the whole community. The ministry of health care is not limited to those persons who come to our facilities, offices, clinics. It reaches out into the community, it collaborates with others to improve the community, it works for the good of all, the participation of all in the goods and services that are needed. In a society that prizes competition, individualism, profit, and coercive power, the witness of service, compassion, collaboration is a truly apostolic one. It reminds us... it evokes the dangerous memory of one who healed and kept promises and welcomed those whom no one else even saw.

Catholic Health East has not come into being in a vacuum. It is blessed with a history rich with the charisms of Mercy, Providence, Francis. Its memory knows the stories of women like Catherine McAuley, Catherine Horan, Mary Anne O'Neil, Colette Hilbert. Each of these charisms is an expression of the one healing ministry of Jesus Christ, an expression of the saving power of God, a witness to the presence of God's reign among the people. The name Catholic Health East indicates that the system willingly places itself within a tradition that is marked by unity, holiness, universality and gospel witness. As representatives of this tradition, Catholic Health East knows itself called and sent forth, blessed and challenged, grounded yet set in new directions. This identity has concrete implications for the health system and for all who participate in its mission.

• How has your organization made a difference in your community?
• What do you want to proclaim?

Catholic Health East, 3805 West Chester Pike, Suite 100
Newtown Square, PA 19073 | 610.355.2000
Copyright © 2007, Catholic Health East. Contact us at info@che.org.