4.7 Workshop:

Challenges and Opportunities of Forming People to Live Mission in Catholic Health and Aged Care Services

Presenter: Mr Jack de Groot, Group Mission Leader, St Vincent’s Health Australia

People work in Catholic healthcare for a variety of reasons: to pursue clinical excellence; to heal and accompany people who are sick; to advance their career in a professionally challenging and best practice setting. The mission of the “healing ministry of Jesus” is often a distant or non-present motivation. How can the extraordinary giftedness and professional endeavour of men and women of good will become the well of Mission? This workshop will unpack the motivations of the human endeavour as the locus of mission as opposed to the Church’s hospital. As we say, “the Mission has a hospital”, what then does that mean?

Participants are to bring their appreciation of the motivations of staff and colleagues that are not traditionally specified as “Mission”. Participants are encouraged to search for God who dwells in all things.