Catholic health care commitment honoured

The Calgary Catholic Medical Association is celebrating the people who wrote the history of health care in Alberta with their lives.

Heal the Sick is part of the centennial celebrations of the Catholic Diocese of Calgary.

“We thought since we’re health care people it would be most appropriate to highlight the contributions of the Catholic Church and the diocese to health care in Alberta,” said Dr. Allan Oryschak, chairman of the medical association.

“There has been a very significant contribution by the Church to health care over the years.”

The event takes place Oct. 10 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s University College.

Registration is required for the event which will have Bishop Fred Henry as one of the featured speakers. For more information contact alida.allen@calgarydiocese.ca or call 403-218-5505.

“We thought we’d try to high- light these contributions and highlight the areas where the Church has been instrumental — (for example) the orders that have established hospitals in the first place and the services provided over the years,” said Oryschak.

“We thought this was an important point to make in today’s health-care climate. Sometimes people have the concept that this is all sort of a government thing and the Church never had anything to do with it. But there’s a very significant … contribution by the Church that we wanted to recognize.”

Also, the White Mass will be taking place Oct. 18 at St. Mary’s Cathedral at 7 p.m. Celebrated on the feast day of Saint Luke, the patron saint of physicians, the White Mass honours the contribution of all who are involved in health-care delivery including nurses, doctors, chaplains, therapists, volunteers, staff and pastoral workers.