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The theme of Catholic service to the poor and vulnerable is familiar to us, perhaps so familiar that we can pass over it too quickly. We speak often about service, mission, compassion, dignity, access and care for those most in need. These words rightly belong to Catholic healthcare and to the wider mission of the Church...

I recently visited Nano Nagle Place in Cork, Ireland, a heritage and community center that tells the story of Irish Catholic educator and social reformer Nano Nagle and the origins of the Presentation Sisters, the congregation she founded in 1775. During her lifetime, Nagle, called the "Lady of the Lantern," made nightly visits with her lantern to poor families in Cork and championed education as a path out of poverty. Although she spent most of her life serving as a layperson, she later founded a religious order with an active ministry in education and social reform.

Many rich metaphors have been offered to describe the role of sponsors in Catholic healthcare, and I want to propose three descriptions, not as replacements for others, but as complementary to them. Viewing the sponsor’s role as vessel, witness and covenant partner allows us to highlight the relational nature of sponsorship roles and the importance of engaged collaboration among sponsors, governing board members and executive teams.

The Catholic health ministry in the United States, and perhaps all modern healthcare organizations today, exist within a liminal space. We know change is both required and inevitable, yet we are not completely sure what the Catholic health ministry will look like in the future.

What, exactly, is being facilitated in a formation experience? Those of us leading formation experiences refer to what we do as facilitation.

As leaders in well-being, the Catholic health ministry is called to foster an environment of healing where patients, co-workers and local communities may flourish. Together, we represent a community of nearly 700,000 associates, united by the healing ministry of Jesus and the enduring vision of our foundresses, dedicated to advancing human flourishing.

"The pain that moves us to compassion is not the pain of a stranger; it is the pain of a member of our own body ... ." — Pope Leo XIV, Message for the 34th World Day of the Sick, January 2026

I recently overheard a concerning conversation between two people who disagreed over a news story. Their arguments were valid. They passionately represented differing perspectives. But as their dialogue shifted into debate, curiosity disappeared. They were no longer listening. In that moment, they forgot their relationship was one of deep, personal knowing, and instead, invisible lines were drawn — each assigning a partisan label to the other. Walls rose quickly. Fellowship felt impossible.

In the months since the release of the seventh edition of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs), CHA has engaged with ethicists and mission leaders across the ministry to better understand how these revisions are being received and applied. These conversations revealed something important: The seventh edition's impact lies less in what changed and more in the opportunity it has created for reengagement.

Ministry formation weaves together the head and the heart. Through the years, it has developed its own distinctiveness. It differs from education, though drawing on knowledge and information. It also differs from formation in religious communities or parish and diocesan settings. A key distinctive feature is that our work transpires in a pluralistic environment, not exclusive to the community of believers.

As states and health systems prepare for sweeping changes to Medicaid under legislation that passed last year, including new mandatory “community engagement” (work, education, training and related activities) for many adults outlined in H.R. 1, Catholic health care leaders have a distinctive lens to bring to implementation: the moral vision articulated in Pope Leo XIV’s 2025 apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You).

In the summer and fall of 2025, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) conducted a survey of those working in professional spiritual care within Catholic health ministries in the United States.