BY: ED GIGANTI
Ed Giganti is senior director, leadership development, the Catholic Health
Association, St. Louis.
Sr. Patricia Smith, OSF, PhD, is a college professor, a canon lawyer, and
the adjunct judge in the tribunal of the Diocese of Wilmington, DE. Occasionally,
she finds herself consulting with Catholic health care executives and sponsors
about the intricacies of church law presented in the 1,700-plus canons of the
Code of Canon Law. "It's an area where a lot of leaders feel insecure. I try
to help them understand that they already know more than they think they do.
Then I try to teach them where and how to get help when they need it."
That is what Sr. Smith will be doing in April when she joins several of her
colleagues to serve as faculty for CHA's 2003 Canon Law Forum. This year's program
is an introduction to canon law specifically designed for ministry leaders:
CEOs, vice presidents, chief medical officers, mission executives, directors
of governance, board chairs, trustees, and leaders of sponsoring congregations.
The curriculum for this two-day workshop was developed by CHA's Canon Law
Committee. Rev. Kevin D. O'Rourke, OP, JCD, STM, professor of bioethics at Chicago's
Stritch School of Medicine, is chairperson of the committee. He said that health
care leaders' knowledge of canon law is especially important for maintaining
the Catholic identity of their organizations. "After centuries of experience,
the church has set up a method for achieving its goals, and that method is expressed
in canon law," Fr. O'Rourke said. "If persons making decisions are not aware
of the qualities and characteristics that must be exhibited by the health care
organization as a 'moral person' in the church, there can be a great deal of
confusion or possibly even evil."
"Understanding of canon law is important because we minister in the name of
the church, continuing the ministry of Jesus," Sr. Smith said. "Canon law provides
the values or norms from which we can effectively operate in mission."
The program will prepare health care leaders to make critical decisions affecting
the identity, mission, and administration of ministry organizations. It is intended
to increase leaders' effectiveness by building their knowledge of:
- Juridic persons
- Administration and alienation of church property
- Evolving forms of sponsorship
- The role of the diocesan bishop
- Canonical responsibilities of leaders
Joining Sr. Smith and Fr. O'Rourke on the program faculty will be noted canonists
Rev. Francis Morrisey, OMI, JCD, professor of canon law, St. Paul University,
Ottawa, Ontario; and Sr. Peggy Ann Martin, OP, JCL, senior vice president, sponsorship
and governance at Catholic Health Initiatives, Denver. CHA President and Chief
Executive Officer Rev. Michael D. Place, STD, and Sr. Patricia A. Talone, RSM,
PhD, vice president of mission services, will round out the faculty, along with
an executive leader from a ministry organization who will provide a "real-world"
perspective on applications of canon law.
Sr. Smith has often been asked how CEOs and others might increase their board
members' knowledge of canon law. "I have told them that one way would be to
lead a five-to-10-minute discussion about a canon law topic at every board meeting,"
she said. "CEOs can do this. I say to them, 'You don't have to be an absolute
expert, but you have to have some grasp of it and communicate it to others.'"
"As we look to the future, lay people, lay boards will, more and more, form
the moral persons, the 'juridic persons' who perform the actions within the
Christian community," Fr. O'Rourke said. "And that's good."
CHA's 2003 Canon Law Forum, "Introduction to Canon Law for Health Ministry
Leaders," will be held Thursday and Friday, April 24-25, 2003, at the Hilton
LaJolla Torrey Pines, LaJolla, CA. A welcoming reception will be held Wednesday
evening, April 23. For registration information, check CHA's website, or contact Joanne Elden Beale, [email protected].
Copyright © 2003 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
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