Bringing healing at Christmas Time

As I write this, I pause to remember the tragic events at Bondi last Sunday evening. Our prayers and thoughts are with all those suffering at this very sad time.

Dr John O’Donnell who was known for being an inspiring former mission-focused CEO of Mater South Brisbane, was described as a guardian of the culture.

As I write my last piece for Catholic Health Australia as Interim Director Mission & Strategy, I am reflecting on who are the guardians of Catholic health care’s culture in Australia today?

Recently I watched a beautiful documentary called ‘We are the Guardians’. It is an award-winning documentary into the on- the- ground efforts to save the Rainforest. These guardians were ‘on a mission’ – they knew what they were preserving for future generations.

As I reflected on the mission leadership of Dr John O’Donnell, and the clear purpose of the rainforest guardians, do those of us who hold Leadership, Board or Trustee roles think of ourselves as guardians of Catholic health care? If so, what are we guardians of and how is this demonstrated?

It is not about only what we can and cannot do within our Ethic of Care. We have a bigger purpose – to guard against being pushed out of the public square; to guard the ritual & symbolic life of our organisations; to ensure we pay attention, and set powerful KPI’s that are central to who we are; to ensure we have a comprehensive formation and ethics strategy; a pastoral care service that is high quality and funded correctly; and to reflect deeply on the Healthcare Institutions (especially paras 7.10-11) section of our Code of Ethical Standards for Catholic health and Aged Care in Australia1; Et al.

To be a guardian has many definitions, but the one that resonates with me is: ‘to watch out for’ or ‘watch over’. If being a guardian is about watching out for, or over our Catholic health care systems, I believe in these times being united in our approach to ‘why we continue to exist’ in society today, is a crucial question we need to keep asking ourselves.

In Christmas of 2024, Sr Mary Haddad wrote a powerful piece on uniting the American Catholic Health system in light of the tragic death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. She said:

“The surest way forward will be to return to our founding values and principles — and the spirit of service — that inspired us and led us from the start. We must return to the commitment to respond to the needs of the communities we serve. We need to come back to a crucial first principle, “to love thy neighbor”.

“How do we come together, rather than work at odds, to design a health care system in which services are accessible, not delayed. How do we have a health system in which treatments are thoughtfully prescribed? A system in which people are fairly compensated for their work but never permitted to profit by reducing care for others? How do we reconsider care holistically — spiritual, mental, and physical health — in the context of the communities in which we live?

“It is time for us to truly seek common ground and dialogue — payers, providers, pharmaceutical companies, medical technology, researchers, employers, and consumers — to reimagine health care in the United States. CHA is prepared to convene the cross-sector collaborations that we so desperately need.”

As I reflected on these words, I thought these are relevant considerations for us. How many years have we all been ‘speaking’ about cross sector collaborations in Australia? Do these words still carry meaning, or are they surface level commitments?

As we are in a season of preparing and remembering what inspired us from the start, we recall something special that happened long ago, the birth of a baby in Bethlehem, a little baby boy that grew into a man (faithful to the Torah) who influenced society, not through power or force, but through influence and love. A love that led all our Catholic health ministries to follow the way of Jesus.

What will our shared guardianship—our unifying role as Trustees, Board Members, and Leaders of Catholic Health Care—look like as we enter 2026? How will we reflect on our stewardship responsibilities and continue to bring healing to a world in need of the love and compassion we say we have to offer in Catholic healthcare? And, to continue to do this despite the very real challenges faced by our organisations.

As I end my work at Catholic Health Australia, my hope is that Christmas may be a time that gives what you need. And may the days of Christmas and New Year bring refreshment for the special work that is ours to do at this time.

Peace and love to you and yours.