Historical Perspective

Embarking on a visioning process for Catholic health ministry is not a new concept. Fortunately, as a vibrant ministry engaged in thinking collectively about the future of our work, leaders have paved the way for the work of Vision 2020.

In the mid-1980s, a group of forward-thinking leaders in Catholic health care came together and developed A New Vision for a New Century. That process and the resulting document (below) outlined the areas of focus for Catholic health ministry and related strategies to achieve that preferred future. A recent review of those areas of focus indicates that most of what was envisioned has, in fact, been accomplished.

• Review A New Vision for a New Century (.pdf)

Watch video narratives about A New Vision for a New Century by Sr. Doris Gottemoeller, RSM, Ph.D.

• A Reflection on A New Vision for a New Century Process (.wmv)
• Looking Back, How did the Ministry do in Terms of Achieving the Elements of the Vision? (.wmv)

Subsequent planning processes for the ministry spanned the next two decades. The most notable of these processes was one convened by the National Coalition on Catholic Health Care Ministry — New Covenant: A Health Ministry for the 21st Century. Following the national convocation, a series of local and regional meetings occurred that spawned the formation of several multi-sponsored health systems.

Additional work of the New Covenant group includes Ministering Together — A Shared Vision for Caring and Healing Ministries (2000) and Ministering Together — A Step-by-Step Guide for Collaboration with Catholic and Other Community Partners (2003).