Always Faithful

Celebrate Caregivers This Month

Spring is always a busy time of year for celebration. From first Communions to graduations, springtime offers plenty of opportunities to celebrate the people and things that are important to us.

Here at Catholic Medical Center (CMC), we celebrate and honor our caring and compassionate healthcare workers during National Nurses Week (May 6–12), National Hospital Week (May 12–18) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week (May 19–25). Additionally, we recognize and honor Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) during National CNA Week (June 13–19).

National Nurses Week concludes each year on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Known as the founder of modern nursing, Nightingale believed nursing was her calling — her divine purpose from God. She was praised for her work during the Crimean War in the mid-1850s, credited with saving thousands of lives through improved sanitation at the hospitals caring for wounded English and Irish troops.

However, Nightingale did not do this work alone. She was helped, in part, by the Sisters of Mercy — the same-named Sisters of Mercy who founded Sacred Heart Hospital here in Manchester in 1892.

During the Crimean War, the sisters aided wounded soldiers, treating their physical wounds while also providing spiritual care to those who requested it. The sisters were known for their kindness and caring, often praying with soldiers at their bedsides.

While times have certainly changed, the compassionate care provided by the Sisters of Mercy is not unlike the care our employees continue to provide today at CMC — high-quality, patient-centered Catholic healthcare based on our mission of providing health, healing and hope for all who seek our care.

CMC continues its long legacy of spiritual care by offering in-room daily Communion, thanks to our volunteer Eucharistic ministers and chaplains — among them Sister Martha Mulligan, a Sister of Mercy.

Daily Mass is held in our chapel and televised in all patient rooms and each room is adorned with a crucifix, serving as a reminder of our commitment to Christ as He provides the talents to our medical staff, guiding their hands in healing the sick.

To this end, during National Nurses Week, we carry out the time-honored tradition of the Blessing of the Hands — hands that are so vital to carrying out Christ’s healing ministry with precision and compassion.

Our pastoral care team visits with staff and prays over their hands, thanking God for the gifts He has bestowed, asking Him to continue to bless those who take care of the sick and that the Holy Spirit may guide them. It is a moving display of hope and faith and part of what makes CMC truly different.

As we celebrate Nurses Week, Hospital Week, EMS Week and CNA Week, I am grateful for all our staff and volunteers who make a difference in the lives of our patients. We play many different roles but we are all interconnected, providing the highest-quality care to each patient, guided by the hands of God.

Alex Walker is president and CEO of CMC Healthcare System: Catholic Medical Center, New England Heart & Vascular Institute, and several subsidiaries. He and his wife, Lisa, live in Manchester.