It is often said that our Catholic identity is revealed by far more than crucifixes on the walls, a mission statement hanging in the entryway and a saint's name lit up over the front door of our facilities. Though important visible components, these alone are not enough when exploring the "Catholic identity" of our health care institutions. This point is made quite clearly in the following articles.
This issue's special section takes a look at how we are marked by our Catholic identity. What is it that others experience when they come through our doors seeking healing and compassion? What do our employees and leaders experience when they arrive for work each day? What role do we serve in the community? In the Catholic Church? How we answer these questions, and how others answer them for us, reveals the way we are marked as "a ministry of the church continuing Jesus' mission of love and healing today."
And the articles herein offer some good insights toward this end.