(Stock Photo – Pixabay)
By Peter Oliver – Executive Director, Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan
National Catholic Health Care Week (Feb. 4-10) is an important event that celebrates the healing ministry of Jesus Christ and the many people who serve the vulnerable with compassion and a sense of purpose. In Saskatchewan, this week is especially important, as it gives us an opportunity to recognize the essential role faith plays in our response to the vulnerable and marginalized.
For Catholics who care for the vulnerable in their homes or in care facility its not just a task that needs to be done – it’s a calling. The Catholic tradition emphasizes Christ’s solidarity with vulnerable, and this translates into a deep sense of vocational purpose. This sense of purpose is especially important when working with vulnerable populations, such as those struggling with at risk lifestyles .
Sanctum care, a Catholic hospice in Saskatoon, is a shining example of this kind of care. A Star Phoenix article on Sanctum references to the founders work as “pragmatic but unrelenting” impresses us a excellent example of the healing ministry of Christ in our own community. It’s not surprising the article’s tag line reads “The non-profit’s revolutionary HIV care model is expanding across Saskatchewan as other provinces inquire about adopting the proven programs.”
But the healing ministry of Jesus isn’t just about what happens in Catholic Health Care facilities. The recent initiative to utilize the hall at St. Mary’s Church in Saskatoon as warm up shelter brings attention to the critical role parishes play in health care. It highlights a parish’s role in our community as a positive social determinant of health and the “prayerful Ignatian discernment process” that lead the parish to use the hall as a warm up shelter reminds us that faith is a central dimension of these positive impacts.
The addictions work being done at St. Joseph’s hospital in Estevan also exemplifies the kind of compassionate, care that we celebrate during National Catholic Health Care week. I toured their centre last fall and was encouraged by the commitment of the administration and case workers.
Speaking to the program approach at St. Joe’s in a article in Moosejaw Today, Anthony Cafik said, “The neat thing about St. Joseph’s is that we’re open-ended. The length of treatment is based on milestones and treatment norms in which our clients progress with the help of a counsellor, and our whole clinical team.” While they probably didn’t consult the New Testament as they developed their program model, they are living out the kind of care Jesus exemplified. Meet people where they are at and walk with them toward health!
National Catholic Health Care Week is an opportunity for us to celebrate and offer prayers of thanks for the witness to the healing ministry of Christ that is being lived out across our province and country . It is a time to recognize that Catholicism inspires a deep sense of vocation, faith, and care for the vulnerable in our community. Organizations like Sanctum care in Saskatoon, the warmup shelter at St. Mary’s and work of the addictions team at St. Joseph’s hospital in Estevan are shining examples of the kind of compassionate care that finds expression in literally millions of faith informed encounters across our country each day!
