Catholic Medical Quarterly Volume 68(1) February 2018
Reports
Catholics in healthcare:
extraordinary lives, extraordinary Saints
Donato Tallo
On Saturday, 4 November 2017, the feast day of St Charles Borromeo, a conference entitled 'Catholics in Healthcare: Extraordinary Lives, Extraordinary Saints' was held at the Church of St Aloysius in Euston, central London. The conference which was organised by the New Evangelisation Group of the Catholic Medical Association was primarily aimed at young Catholic healthcare workers and it was fitting that the conference took place in the smart hall underneath the church named after the patron saint of young people.
Despite the somewhat damp and drizzly day there was a very good attendance with various pro life charities, ethical groups and religious orders represented. The Catholic Medical Association and the New Evangelisation Group who organised this event are very grateful to the Parish and the Parish Priest of St Aloysius for the use of the premises and for sponsoring the event.
The afternoon event began with an emotive and interesting talk by Dr Swee Ang who spoke very openly about her experiences of working as a surgeon in war environments.
After an enjoyable light lunch a young nurse spoke very eloquently on the history of nursing and on core values of nursing practice. Mary Doogan, a pro life midwife then spoke both in general terms about Catholics working in the healthcare sector and also her personal experiences of upholding pro life views as a midwife in a professional clinical environment.
Finally the day ended with a most humorous and very inspirational talk from the Mother Superior of the Little Sisters of the Poor who have a base in South London. She spoke about the work the sisters and lay staff undertake with the elderly and infirm. The ethos and culture of the work undertaken by the Little Sisters of the Poor is to see the face of Christ in all those they come into contact with, even if at times behaviours and actions of other can be challenging through illness or infirmity, she explained.
Events such as this one organised by the Catholic Medical Association are a fantastic opportunity for young Catholics working in the healthcare sector to meet, network and share fellowship while having the opportunity to listen to inspirational speakers talk on a wide variety of different ethical, moral and practical subjects.
This article was first published in Independent Catholic News on 5th November 2017.