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Mont St Joseph Care Home

National Catholic Health Care Week October 4 – 10

Oct 5, 2020 | 1:10 PM

At the heart of Catholic health care is a deep respect for the intrinsic value and dignity of every human being and an unwavering commitment to serving all people, from all backgrounds and faiths – especially society’s most vulnerable

Awaken: Revealing the Courageous Gift of Catholic Health Care

National Catholic Health Care Week October 4 – 10, 2020 is part of a broader Catholic Health Alliance of Canada (CHAC) initiative called Awaken: Revealing the Courageous Gift of Catholic Health Care, an invitation to unite our voices and create a movement to boldly, confidently express the role, value, and impact of Catholic health care in Canada. Awaken cultivates ambassadors and advocates to be vocal, informed supporters of Catholic health care in Canada. Each of us contributes to this campaign through conversations we have within our organizations and with influencers and decision-makers in our communities, provincially, and nationally.

A Challenging Landscape, An Enduring Mission

Health care around the world has been challenged in unimaginable ways with the pandemic spreading quickly and relentlessly around the globe over the past eight months; COVID-19 has transformed our health care landscape and society.

In Canada, the pandemic has shone a public light on many important issues, perhaps most significantly the vulnerability and marginalization of our seniors. It has initiated public discussion about concepts at the heart of our Catholic ministry—community, solidarity, common good, and our social responsibility to those most vulnerable. Individually, it has called us all to reflect on quality of life, the importance of human connection, and the meaning of wellbeing—body, mind and spirit.

The pandemic has also highlighted the timeless relevance of Catholic social teaching and our collective role in building a Canadian society that reaches out to every person who is suffering from illness, stigma, poverty, or loneliness.

Our Catholic identity is grounded in a core belief that it is a privilege to attend to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those we serve, offering them comfort, healing, and love.

As Catholic health care providers, we have carried this enduring mission into an uncertain world where those we serve—and those who serve them—struggle under the burden of isolation, fear, depression, separation, fatigue, and uncertainty each day.

Throughout this challenging time, we have witnessed the tremendous depth and strength of our people and encountered stories of courage, hope, and resilience. We follow the example of our Founding Sisters—visionary and resourceful women who advocated for those most at risk and faced insurmountable challenges with compassion, courage and innovation.

Their ministry has become our mission in a modern and challenging world.

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