Five Questions which we continually need to ask? Five Questions which we continually need to ask?

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1 Leading in a Catholic Organization: Some Lesson Learned What God does first, best and most is to trust people with their moment in history. God trusts us to do what must be done for the sake of the whole community. (Walter Brueggemann) Thomas D. Maddix, CSC, D.Min. Vice President, Mission, Ethics & Spirituality Providence Health Care Holy Family Hospital Mount Saint Joseph Hospital St. Paul s Hospital St. Vincent s Hospitals: Brock Fahrni, Langara, Heather Youville Residence Marion Hospice Key Challenges Key Challenges The largest loss Catholic (institutions) experience is the loss of witness as the congregations of sisters leave. The most critical question for the future of the unique cultural identity of Catholic Health Care in the US (Canada) is how to create witnesses without religious congregations. (Holtschneider and Morey, 2000) Who are and who will be the major bearers, articulators and embodiments of Catholic identity and culture, given the collapse and disappearance of the past carriers and vehicle? Shapes the organization and the world in which we live and work Engages others by sharing wisdom, modeling the right values, instilling courage in difficult times and increasing the competence of the tribe. (Moral Responsibility) Strengthens the community's identity so it would never lose its sense of meaning and direction. (by clarifying and strengthening the mission, vision and core values, awaken the group to who they once were and who they can be) 1

2 Symbolize the standards and expectations of the group. (Must be personification of the group's vision and commitments) Makes sure the organization is provided for... Serves the organization What I have learned after 20 years of working in the field field A sense of call in our time is profoundly countercultural the ideology of our time is that we can live an uncalled life, one not referred to any purpose beyond the self. (Walter Brueggemann) Gives direction and focus to the on-going renewal of the organization Reminds people over and over of their calling and summons them on that journey What I have learned after 20 years of working in the field field The implications within our culture: We resist the notion that anyone might be different Dismiss as elitist as anyone acting out of a sense of call Because of fear, we have grown unable to identify and name real differences without becoming defensive about them. (Kathleen Norris) The healing ministry of Jesus: Who is the Jesus we are called to reveal? The healing ministry of Jesus: Who is the Jesus we are called to reveal? Jesus Demonstrated: Individualized and practical care and concern for the poor, faceless, marginated and voiceless within his society. Willingness to touch outcasts and break taboos within his religious and cultural tradition. Willingness to respond to God s ongoing call to serve, even if it meant suffering and misunderstanding. A desire to participate in the transformation of his religious and civic culture. A recognition of God s blessing and desire for a society rooted in justice, rightrelationships and peace. A living witness to the realization that all we do hinders or reveals the living God. God is present in all creation. 2

3 A note from the Jewish culture that formed Jesus: the meaning of sickness Notes on an emerging spirituality rooted in the life of Jesus Disease is what you can see: cancer, severe injury, a growth etc. Illness: something one cannot see---inner pain within a person, fear, grief, helplessness, hopelessness Disease needs healing but the healing of the heart through empathy is essential. Benedict XVI---healing the physical sickness is a necessity but it is not sufficient We are dealing with human beings who need heartfelt concern. (Deus Caritas Est par 31,a) Other Lessons about Leadership Development Development ' Parable of the Good Samaritan healing of body and heart Following the examples of the Good Samaritan, Christian charity is first of all the simple response to immediate needs and specific situations: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for and healing the sick; visiting those in prison (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, p.52.) Expand one s ability to articulate the unique role of Catholic health in contemporary society. Enrich one s vocabulary to better articulate the Church s mission in health. Understand and apply the rich heritage of Catholic social and ethical teaching and practice. We need to: Provide a variety of learning and living experiences that is not available in other professional and academic settings for leaders in Catholic organizations. Create a space for reflection that enables a person to better know one s self and one s call as leaders within a Catholic organization. Ensure the on-going development of Catholic healthcare by mentoring leaders and ensuring that there is a community of leaders throughout Canada who know and work with one another. 3

4 Recognize and understand the possible implications of the 'shadow side of leadership' as outlined by Parker Palmer Insecurity about our identity and worth The Universe is a battleground, hostile to human interests=life as a combat zone Functional atheism: ultimate responsibility for everything rests with me/us. Fear: of the natural chaos of life; failure etc. Denial of death: everything and everyone has a life cycle Acknowledge the reality in a culture focused on the "cult of efficiency" that The great crisis of humanity today is that it has lost its sense of the spiritual. We have become experts in the visible, particularly in the West. (Alexander Solzhenitsyn.speech in 1983) Spirituality is: Spirituality is: about meaning..the glue that holds us together becoming aware of where the divine dwells within and among us. A process not content. It is NOT memorizing rules, facts or concepts but freeing the mind and the heart to explore new worlds of insight, meaning, depth and connection. Employing the gift of discernment: We are always a mixture of weed and wheat Thoughts of a Desert Father: Not isolated or even recurrent instances of sin, but a whole attitude of carelessness, of not facing up to what one is doing. Unawareness is the root of all evil. Moral Integrity-being able to make clinical and Integrity--being organizational ethical decisions in light of who we say we are. The Health Ethics Guide: integration into the life of our organizations The most profound decisions about justice are not made by individuals as such, but by individuals, thinking within and on behalf of institutions. (Mary Douglas) Ethics: the discipline that examines who we ought to be and how we make decisions in light of who we say we are. (PHC-Ethics at Providence) 4

5 Ethics from a religious perspective organizationally reveals underlying assumptions about: Nature and Action of God Humanity Salvation Afterlife Life Death Suffering Mystery Five Questions which we continually need to ask? Can we comfortably articulate to others and ourselves our unique identity within Canadian health care? Can we clearly name the roots of our moral vision and values that shape our organizations? Five Questions which we continually need to ask? How do we deepen our identity and internal culture in an era of increasing secularization and/or disregard for institutional religion? Who are the people/ mentors who will lead us into the next generation of Catholic health care in Canada? What do we believe God is asking of us today? God has yet a great work for us to do, but the realization of this vision depends on you and me as individuals and on our cooperation. Do we love enough, do we work enough, do we pray enough, do we suffer enough?.our future depends on our answer. (Sister M. J. Rogers, Founder of Maryknoll Sisters)