From the Bishop

WHOLE PERSON CARE

A new initiative says all are loved, wanted and worthy, even to the end

By Bishop Kevin Vann. Diocese of Orange     10/19/2018

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord who care for the most vulnerable of the Lord’s people,  

 

St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, addresses theological and pastoral needs in the community with a heart so full of prayer that he often breaks out in extended prayer in the course of the letter itself.  

He prays: that [the Father] may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love…may be filled with all the fullness of God.  

In a time when divisions are palpable, politics divide and chaos seems to reign, and we strive for holiness as a Church, we never cease to hold close to us those who are vulnerable in our midst. The Whole Person Care Initiative is one powerful way that the Church seeks to accompany those most in need, as we aim for the following vision that persons in our congregations, communities and health care systems are loved, wanted and worthy, and will be prepared for and supported in health and serious illness through the end of life. The Whole Person Care initiative is the fruit of ongoing prayer and reflection among the Bishops of California and the leaders of Catholic Health Care. We can be very grateful for, and proud of this ongoing initiative.  

The “Classic Catholic Approach” is always that where there is a “NO” there must be a “YES”! Thus, we must do more than say “No” to the culture of death; we must say “Yes” to the fullness of the God of love and life! To that end, I invite you to Christ Cathedral campus on Thursday, October 25 to join me for the Whole Person Care Conference, a day-long summit gathering professional care providers, community health leaders, parish volunteers, and clergy to learn how together we can make the Whole Person Care vision a reality.  

The Diocese of Orange is spearheading the first local conference of this kind as part of the larger statewide Whole Person Care Initiative, a collaborative project of the California Catholic Conference and the Alliance of Catholic Health Care. More information on the Whole Person Care Initiative, as well as our conference, may be found at rcbo.org/wholepersoncare.  

I hope you will join us, and share with others in this endeavor to uplift the sacredness of life through all its blessed stages. As a pastor who also has a background in Catholic Health Care (as medical technologist at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois), I have been grateful to be involved with this initiative from its very beginning. Let us pray for the fullness of God to fill all our days and every generation:  

Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.